OK: Gold medal for Thibaut Ramaekers

The 15-year-old Belgian driver was crowned in Sweden with VDK Racing, but other members of teams using the KR chassis had the performance to aim for the title. First, Daniel Kelleher (KR Motorsport) took pole position. Then the KR-IAME karts won 13 of the 15 Qualifying Heats, with James Anagnostiadis (Prema Racing) at the top of the standings this time. The Australian confirmed his position by winning the Super Heat and taking the lead at the start of the Final.

He was initially overtaken by Zak Drummond (Fusion Motorsport), but the victory was ultimately contested between Thibaut Ramaekers (VDK Racing) and Joe Turney (KR Motorsport), with Thibaut coming out on top. Only 57th in Qualifying due to an incident, Kenzo Craigie (Prema Racing) made an incredible comeback to finish 5th behind Anagnostiadis. Drummond finished 6th ahead of Zac Green (KR Motorsport). Thanks to the performances of Iacopo Martinese (Cetilar Racing), Peter Stiller (VDK Racing) and Daniel Kelleher (KR Motorsport), there were nine KR chassis in the top 13.

OK-Junior: Baglin's revenge

The competition began with pole position for Dean Hoogendoorn (Prema Racing), recently crowned European Champion. Baglin regained first place ahead of his team-mate at the end of the Qualifying Heats. Both drivers won their Super Heats, giving the Prema Racing team the entire front row of the Final. Baglin got off to a flying start and sped to victory on his own. A year after narrowly losing the race to Kenzo Craigie (KR-IAME), the young Briton was rewarded with a well-deserved world title.

Starting in 8th place, Valerio Viapana (Koski Motorsport) had an incredible first lap to fight for the podium. The Italian won his duel with Hoogendoorn and became OK-Junior World Vice-Champion. The Dutchman completed the 100% KR-IAME podium. Will Green (Prema Racing) finished P8 and Luka Scelles (VictoryLane) P10, the latter having won a heat and set the second fastest lap in the race.

In total, 39% of the drivers registered in Sweden used a KR chassis.

Comment from Dino Chiesa, head of KR Global Motorsport Company

"The team was concerned when they saw the changing weather conditions on Sunday morning during the Super Heats, which led to some unfortunate incidents for some drivers. We didn't want this World Championship to be a lottery. The Finals were able to take place in dry conditions and we demonstrated the performance of our KR-IAME karts. The development work is ongoing, as is the work dedicated to race preparation, and it has paid off."

"I also make sure that our satellite teams are provided with equivalent equipment, which resulted in Thibaut Ramaekers winning the OK title with VDK Racing and Valerio Viapana becoming vice-world champion in OK-Junior with Koski Motorsport. Our other teams were also very competitive, and the expression "teamwork" takes on its full meaning here. In addition, the titles awarded over several rounds are valuable to me and I am proud of Prema Racing's success in both team championships. Noah Baglin and Dean Hoogendoorn contributed greatly to this in OK-Junior, as did James Anagnostiadis and Kenzo Craigie in OK. They are talented drivers. We also finished 2nd with KR Motorsport in OK."

"Finally, I would really like to thank all our partners and all the teams that defended the KR colours. We are Republic, we are one!"

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.