OK-Junior: KR / IAME domination with a clean sweep of the podium

The Prema Motorsport team made a strong impression in Lombardy. On the one hand with the talented Noah Baglin and Dean Hoogendoorn, World and European Champions in 2025 respectively, as well as with its new recruits. Monaco's Andrea Manni went from strength to strength and had the satisfaction of climbing onto the third step of the podium. Mexico's Santiago Diaz de la Vega also followed an upward trajectory at Franciacorta, moving up from 17th to 9th place in the Final. Promising! Starting from pole position, Noah Baglin was dominant and won by a comfortable margin. Dean Hoogendoorn finished 2nd but was unfortunately demoted due to a penalty (spoiler), but one KR/IAME was hiding another: Michael McGaughy (Koski Motorsport) took his place. Baglin took the lead in the overall standings.

OK: Five KR chassis in the top 10

Impressive at the end of September with his victory in the FIA Karting OK-N World Cup with the Tellone Motorsport team, Manuel Scognamiglio took his place in the KR Motorsport team in the Franciacorta paddock. For his OK debut, the Italian delivered a string of top performances: P3 in Qualifying, three wins in the heats and in Super Heat B, then a superb 2nd place in the Final. Fresh from OK-Junior, Luka Scelles (VictoryLane) made a successful transition to the higher level, finishing 4th. Pole position went to Zak Drummond (Fusion Motorsport), who finished 8th in the Final ahead of Oliver Kinmark (Koski Motorsport) and Iacopo Martinese (Cetilar Racing).

Palacio, Godschalk and Marchesi winners on KR / IAME

Away from European soil for several months, American Lucas Palacio (KR Motorsport) marked his return with a magnificent victory after some superb battles in OK-N Junior. It was also a KR/IAME that won in OK-N. Nicolas Marchesi made the difference in the Final. Peter Stiller (King Racing Team) joined him on the podium in 3rd place.

In the Mini categories, the U10 Final ended in an intense battle on the track, with glory for KR / IAME with a triple victory for Wynn Godschalk ahead of Platon Kovtunenko and Josh Bergman. In Mini Gr.3, Lorenzo Di Pietrantonio and Giuseppe Noviello confirmed the competitiveness of KR chassis in these formulas for the youngest drivers, finishing in 2nd and 3rd place. Congratulations to the Kidix Driver Performance, Borsch Racing and Team Driver Racing Kart teams who brilliantly supported them.

Comment from Dino Chiesa, head of KR Global Motorsport Company

"After our excellent 2025 season, with numerous titles, we are delighted to see that Kart Republic factory equipment continues to win in other competitions at the end of the year. For this WSK Final Cup, new drivers have joined us, some of whom have chosen to move up a level to discover a new category with a view to 2026, which is also the aim of this series. We are leading in four categories thanks to many podium finishes and victories, which is positive. We obviously want to confirm this in the next two rounds in Cremona and Lonato."

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.