A triumph in OK bodes well for the European Championship

With nine KR chassis in the top 12 and the entire podium, the KR-IAME packages didn't just make up the numbers in Slovakia. The build-up has been slow but steady, with a particularly prolific Sunday in terms of results. In the first Super Heat, Thibaut Ramaekers (VDK Racing) won ahead of his team-mate Fionn McLaughlin and Scott Kin Lindblom (Fusion Motorsport). In the second, Noah Monteiro (KR Motorsport) won ahead of Joe Turney (KR Motorsport) and Jimmy Helias (Victory Lane).

This clear competitive edge was not to be denied in the Final with the new Maxxis tyres. Turney took the lead before the halfway mark, followed in succession by McLaughlin, Ramaekers and then Helias. Very fast, the Frenchman managed to cross the finish line as winner, before falling back to 5th place due to a penalty (incorrect fairing position), leaving the honours to Turney. Ramaekers, who won at Val d'Argenton, did very well in the overall standings, finishing 2nd ahead of another Cetilar Racing driver, David Cosma Cristofor, who came back brilliantly from 14th position.

Noah Monteiro could also have finished on the podium had it not been for a penalty. Congratulations to Lindblom, Andrea Dupe (Prema Racing), back after several months out of action following knee surgery, and Dmitry Matveev for their top 10 finishes. Leo Nilsson came up short after a great Super Heat, Salim Hanna (Prema Racing) set the fastest time in the race, Luna Fluxa Cross was also very fast, as were Oleksandr Bondarev and Murilo Da Rocha (DPK Racing).

A double podium in OK-Junior with Baglin and Schaufler

The changeable weather conditions during Qualifying did not make the task of the young drivers on the Slovakia Ring any easier and some drivers quickly lost their chances of a good result. At the end of the Qualifying Heats, the best place of the KR-IAME packages was held by Harrison Mackie (Fusion Motorsport), who brilliantly finished 2nd, while Niklas Schaufler (DPK Racing) pulled off quite a feat by climbing from 41st to 5th place ahead of Arjen Kraeling (KR Motorsport). The Super Heats confirmed the speed of these three drivers, as did that of Noah Baglin (Prema Racing), Daniel Kelleher (KR Motorsport), Kenzo Craigie (Prema Racing) and Iacopo Martinese (KR Motorsport).

In the Final, an incredible battle for 2nd place began between several drivers, while the leader escaped. Shortly after the halfway point, Baglin's efforts were rewarded as the Briton took 2nd place. Schaufler finally won his place on the third step of the podium, while taking the lead of the Champions of the Future Euro Series. Kraeling finished 5th. Starting 11th, Rocco Coronel (Victory Lane) climbed back up to 7th ahead of Mackie. Kelleher returned to the top 10, Juste Mulder (Victory Lane) gained 14 places, Bosco Arias (DPK Racing) was among the fastest and Martinese set the fastest lap of the race.

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

"With 14 corners on a track measuring just 1,172 metres, a counter-clockwise direction and rather low lap averages, the Slovakia Ring required a great deal of development work. I think that we were able to find the right solutions to be very competitive, by exploiting the versatility of the Maxxis tyres, whether in OK-Junior with the 'option' version or with the 'prime' OK tyres. This is obviously positive in view of the FIA Karting European Championship, although I imagine that our competitors will take advantage of the days leading up to this event to raise their level. There's bound to be more adrenaline in the next event and I hope that there won't be too many collisions on this twisty, narrow track. Finally, I'd like to give a nod to Baglin and Monteiro, our two drivers named Noah, who were both excellent in Slovakia."

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.