KR performs well in OK and OK-Junior

After the excellent results recorded on the opening day of the Champions of the Future Euro Series in Valencia, the teams competing with the KR chassis continued to discover the new Maxxis tyres. As for the drivers, there were plenty who showed they were capable of climbing onto the podium. The competition was fierce, however, and the battles on the Lucas Guerrero International Circuit were intense. In both categories, there were plenty of positives to take away...

A good result for Turney in the overall OK rankings

With his three heat wins and success in the Super Heat, Joe Turney (KR Motorsport) was aiming for victory. Unfortunately, a collision with another driver caused him to lose contact with the leader. His equipment was damaged in the incident and the Briton was only able to secure 4th place, synonymous with 2nd position in the provisional European Championship. Thibaut Ramaekers (VDK Racing) was just a few lengths behind, but kept up a strong pace to climb back up to 5th place. A fine performance considering that the Belgian was only 19th on the first lap!

Luna Fluxa-Cross (Prema Racing) confirmed the great progress she had made in the Champions of the Future Euro Series with a brilliant rise from 21st to 11th place in the Final. Dmitry Matveev (KR Motorsport) finished just behind. Fionn MacLaughlin (VDK Racing) could have hoped for a better result than 15th had he not been involved in a collision in the Super Heat. Taym Saleh (Sauber Academy) put in some encouraging Qualifying runs, Luviwe Sambudla (KR Motorsport) gained 12 places in the Final and David Cosma Cristofor (Cetilar Racing) rounded off the top 20 in the Final after an excellent Super Heat. In OK, the KR Motorsport team is currently 2nd in the Team Championship.

First podium in OK-Junior for Bosco Arias

Niklas Schaufler (DPK Racing) put in a faultless and impressive performance in both the heats and the Super Heat, with six consecutive wins. Unfortunately, the Austrian was unable to build on his pole position in the Final, as a collision forced him to retire. His team-mate Bosco Arias, who had already won one heat, took over the podium, and it was in the final lap that he clinched 3rd place. Three other KR-IAME teams finished in the top 10, all of them gaining places from their starting positions: Noah Baglin (KR Motorsport) finished P6 just ahead of team-mate Daniel Kelleher and Thomas Pradier (Victory Lane).

Iacopo Martinese (KR Motorsport) made an incisive start to the race but had to settle for 11th place ahead of Arjen Kraeling (+10 places!) and Dean Hoogendoorn (AKM Motorsport), who set the fastest lap of the race. Bogdan Cosma Cristofor (+8), Jensen Burnett (+2) and Gianmatteo Rousseau (+10) climbed to 18th, 19th and 21st respectively. P5 in Timed Qualifying and P7 at the chequered flag in the final, Kenzo Craigie (Prema Racing) was finally penalised in the Final. James Anagnostiasdis (Prema Racing), who was in the top 15 in the Final, was forced to retire.

A comment from Dino Chiesa, Head of KR Global Motorsport Company

"Competition is always a challenge. We knew that this first round of the European Championship would be difficult, and that's exactly what happened. The whole team worked hard to find the best compromise with the new Maxxis tyres. We demonstrated our ability to perform well and a number of drivers equipped with KR chassis battled it out at the front. In the Final, the facts of the race were not particularly favourable to us, but that's all part of the game and we must congratulate our rivals on their success. The Val d'Argenton circuit hasn't been used in FIA Karting for many, many years and the next competition will be full of unknowns. Our objective remains the same: to win, and we're going to continue our efforts to get back to winning ways as soon as possible."

About KR Global Motorsport Company

At the end of the 2017 season Dino Chiesa officially presented the new Kart Republic entity and its characteristic logo. The yellow, orange and red colours reflect the colours of the Serenissima Republic which, from 697 to 1797, marked the history of the Padua region, home of the KR brand. The wing refers to those of the lion of St. Mark, the symbol of Venice, the capital of the Venetian Republic.

On 1st January, the KR chassis received CIK-FIA homologation. The success was immediate! In the very first season, the German Hannes Janker became European OK Champion in 2018. A few weeks later, the Italian Lorenzo Travisanutto (KR-IAME) became FIA Karting World Champion. The KR chassis quickly became a reference in the most important international events, as well as in many countries around the world. The successes in FIA Karting followed one another. At the 2022 World Championship in Campillos, less than four years after its launch, KR was the most represented brand in the paddock.

Over the years, the Kart Republic factory has continued to develop, launching the Alonso Kart brand in 2020 and relaunching the famous DAP name in early 2023. The various activities of the Italian company are now grouped under the "KR Global Motorsport Company". The head of the company, Dino Chiesa, is one of the most influential figures in the world of karting. The Italian engineer is also one of the best talent scouts in the world of karting. He has helped the rise of drivers such as Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Nyck De Vries. Many Formula 1 team academies trust him, including those of Mercedes, Red Bull, Alpine and Sauber. The famous Prema Racing team has just announced its entry to the world of karting, in partnership with Kart Republic.