The weekend of 20th-23rd June 2024 saw the Slovak Karting Center in Orechová Potôň, close to Slovakia's capital Bratislava, host its first FIA Karting competition with the third round of the Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - OK & Junior and the second of the FIA Karting Academy Trophy. The efforts of the organiser and the national authorities were much appreciated. CIK-FIA President Akbar Ebrahim and the vice-president John Ryan were on hand to congratulate the organising team on this first event.

The weather changed from summer heat on Friday to dark and rainy on Saturday morning, before gradually returning to sunshine on a sunny but not too hot Sunday. The Maxxis tyres used in all three categories performed perfectly in each of the conditions experienced.

OK: Ramaekers takes a talented win, Turney still Championship leader

Noah Monteiro (PRT) once again made his presence felt by winning Super Heat A. Thibaut Ramaekers (BEL) dominated Super Heat B right up to the closing stages, although Joe Turney (GBR) crossed the finish line first.

The atmosphere was nervous for the Final. After several extra formation laps, several drivers were eliminated or delayed on the first lap. Ramaekers led the race from start to finish with remarkable skill for a 14-year-old. Fast and steady, he stopped any of his rivals from thinking of threatening him and took a resounding victory with the fastest lap of the race and a lead of over 3.5 seconds. Monteiro quickly realised that second position would be the best result he could achieve, while Dmitry Matveev secured a good third position. Jimmy Hélias (FRA), who had been in the limelight on several occasions during the meeting, would no doubt have liked to do better than fourth in the Final, but the way the race unfolded didn't give him an opportunity. Young Swede Scott Kin Lindblom, who has up until now competed in the Junior class, tried his luck with a wildcard entry in the OK class. It was a good decision, as the 13-year-old made his mark in the Final top five. Turney seemed content with 7th place, which was enough to strengthen his position as Championship leader when his main rival was no longer in the race.

Provisional standings for the 2024 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - OK after Round 3:

1- Joe Turney (GBR-KR/IAME/Maxxis) - 234 points
2- Gabriel Gomez (ITA-CRG/IAME/Maxxis) - 163 points
3- Matheus Morgatto (BRA-Birel ART/TM Kart/Maxxis) - 160 points
4- Louis Iglesias (FRA-CRG/IAME/Maxxis) - 138 points
5- Lewis Wherrell (GBR-Exprit/TM Kart/Maxxis) - 136 points

OK team standings after Slovakia Karting Center

1- KR Motorsport (ITA) - 342 points
2- CRG (ITA) - 319 points
3- VDK Racing (BEL) - 205 points
4- CL Racing Team (ITA) - 160 points
5- Tony Kart Racing Team (ITA) - 145 points

Van Langendonck extends his lead in the Junior class

On Sunday morning, Joel Pohjola (FIN) and Dries Van Langendonck (BEL) won the Super Heats in the OK-Junior category, which is open to drivers aged between 12 and 14 during the year. The 36 finalists met in the early afternoon in temperatures of around 28°C. Van Langendonck held the lead at the start and then led the race to the finish. The threat posed by Niklas Schaufler (AUT) quickly disappeared. Van Langendonck was then able to pull away, while Roman Kamyab (GBR) and Pohjola battled it out for second place. Van Langendonck won the Final by two seconds over Kamyab and Pohjola, separated by just 32 thousandths at the finish. Delayed in 15th place in the first lap, Iacopo Martinese (ITA) managed to reduce his deficit by reaching fourth place ahead of Scott Marsh (GBR). Van Langendonck has scored significant points in the provisional Championship standings and has put a distance between himself and his rivals. Christian Costoya (ESP), who had been following him in second place until then, had a tough time in Slovakia, starting with 72nd in Qualifying. His comeback to 15th place in the Final was a fine achievement, but his fourth place in the Championship now removes any hope of the title.

Provisional standings for the 2024 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - Junior after Round 3:

1- Dries van Langendonck (BEL-Exprit/TM Kart/Maxxis) - 259 points
2- Iacopo Martinese (ITA-KR/IAME/Maxxis) - 190 points
3- Roman Kamyab (GBR-LN/TM Kart/Maxxis) - 178 points
4- Christian Costoya (ESP-Parolin/TM Kart/Maxxis) - 143 points
5- Niklas Schaufler (AUT-KR/IAME/Maxxis) - 141 points

Junior team standings after Slovakia Karting Center

1- Ricky Flynn Motorsport (GBR) - 358 points
2- KR Motorsport (ITA) - 329 points
3- Forza Racing (GBR) - 277 points
4- DPK Racing (ESP) - 230 points
5- Parolin Motorsport (ITA) - 171 points

Academy Trophy: Debut win for Herman

Belgium's Gilles Herman rounded off a magnificent weekend in the Academy Trophy in Slovakia by first fending off a threat from Portugal's Martim Barros Meneses, who had taken the lead for a while at the start of the race, and then distancing Lithuania's Nojus Stasionis once he was back in the lead. Herman took a convincing victory with a lead of over five seconds. 3rd at the finish line, Emilio Bernd (DEU) was then penalised down to 8th place and Turner Brown (USA) became 3rd ahead of Jakub Gasparovic (SVK) and Meneses. Wian Boshoff (ZAF) confirmed his potential by finishing sixth in the Final and in the top three of the provisional rankings. Fausto Arnaudo (ARG) had a good run, finishing ninth. Herman took a clear lead in the standings.

Provisional 2024 FIA Karting Academy Trophy standings after Round 2 :

1- Gilles Herman (BEL) - 103 points
2- Jakub Gasparovic (SVK) - 91 points
3- Wian Boshoff (ZAF) - 77 points
4- Dan Allemann (CHE) - 65 points
5- Martim Barros Meneses (PRT) - 63 points

The final round of the 2024 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - OK & Junior and the FIA Karting Academy Trophy will take place in Sweden, at Kristianstad, from 1st to 4th August 2024.