A brilliant start to the International season for Modena Kart
A brilliant start to the International season for Modena Kart

A brilliant start to the International...

A brilliant start to the International season for Modena Kart

A brilliant start to the International season for Modena Kart

Drivers in the colours of the Modena Kart team have become regulars on the podiums of the biggest events since the start of 2025, in the WSK Promotion series as well as the ACI Karting Italian...
Carr drives towards glory as KZ King equals record
Carr drives towards glory as KZ King equals record

Carr drives towards glory as KZ King...

Carr drives towards glory as KZ King equals record

Carr drives towards glory as KZ King equals record

Liam Carr is knocking on the door of a maiden KA2 Junior SP Tools Australian Kart Championship after an immaculate weekend in Newcastle, while double KZ2 Champion, Troy Loeskow, recorded a...
A helmet for Gabin – Team WRT’S ‘ACO Challenge 2025’ initiative
A helmet for Gabin – Team WRT’S ‘ACO Challenge 2025’ initiative

A helmet for Gabin – Team WRT’S ‘ACO...

A helmet for Gabin – Team WRT’S ‘ACO Challenge 2025’ initiative

A helmet for Gabin – Team WRT’S ‘ACO Challenge 2025’ initiative

As part of their 2025 ‘ACO Challenge’, Team WRT continues its commitment to meaningful, human-driven initiatives. After winning the 2024 ACO ‘Coup de Cœur’ Award for its...
Preston and Burke win at Australian Kart Championship round two
Preston and Burke win at Australian Kart Championship round two

Preston and Burke win at Australian Kart...

Preston and Burke win at Australian Kart Championship round two

Preston and Burke win at Australian Kart Championship round two

Jac Preston has taken his first ever SP Tools Australian Kart Championship round win in KZ2 at Murray Bridge, South Australia, while Ky Burke broached the top step of the podium in KA2 for the first...
Race Report: The ROK Cup Italy with Round 2 held at the 7 Laghi Kart in Castelletto di Branduzzo
Race Report: The ROK Cup Italy with Round 2 held at the 7 Laghi Kart in Castelletto di Branduzzo

Race Report: The ROK Cup Italy with...

Race Report: The ROK Cup Italy with Round 2 held at the 7 Laghi Kart in Castelletto di Branduzzo

Race Report: The ROK Cup Italy with Round 2 held at the 7 Laghi Kart in Castelletto di Branduzzo

The ROK Cup Italy continues its seasonal journey with the second round held at the 7 Laghi Kart in Castelletto di Branduzzo (PV). Almost 200 are the attendants in the seven categories competing, in a...
IPK strengthens its presence in International Competition
IPK strengthens its presence in International Competition

IPK strengthens its presence in...

IPK strengthens its presence in International Competition

IPK strengthens its presence in International Competition

Since its creation in 2010, the IPK factory has rapidly established itself as one of the leading companies in the global karting market, thanks to its innovative technology and the quality of the...
Breakthrough win for Cooper Folley as Italian flies in Melbourne
Breakthrough win for Cooper Folley as Italian flies in Melbourne

Breakthrough win for Cooper Folley as...

Breakthrough win for Cooper Folley as Italian flies in Melbourne

Breakthrough win for Cooper Folley as Italian flies in Melbourne

Young Queenslander, Cooper Folley has stunned the field in his first KA2 Junior round at the opening SP Tools Australian Kart Championship, presented by Castrol event sweeping to the win at the...
Kalì Kart on top in the Margutti Trophy
Kalì Kart on top in the Margutti Trophy

Kalì Kart on top in the Margutti Trophy

Kalì Kart on top in the Margutti Trophy

Kalì Kart on top in the Margutti Trophy

Great weekend for Kalì Kart colours at the 36th Margutti Trophy that took place this weekend in Lonato. In the OK Junior category, Ilia Berezkin dominated the OK Junior by winning all 3 qualifying...
Italian Champion to line up in Australian Kart Championship opener
Italian Champion to line up in Australian Kart Championship opener

Italian Champion to line up in...

Italian Champion to line up in Australian Kart Championship opener

Italian Champion to line up in Australian Kart Championship opener

Italian Champion Moritz Ebner is set to make his Australian debut at the opening round of the 2025 SP Tools Australian Kart Championship presented by Castrol in Melbourne next weekend (March 28-30).
Stars of Karting take centre stage in Melbourne
Stars of Karting take centre stage in Melbourne

Stars of Karting take centre stage in...

Stars of Karting take centre stage in Melbourne

Stars of Karting take centre stage in Melbourne

Melbourne’s Grand Prix week started off with a bang with the Stars of Karting Event at Port Melbourne’s Todd Road facility on Monday. The short and sharp format saw qualifying followed up...
Prokart Challenge opens 2025 with double round weekend at K1 Circuit
Prokart Challenge opens 2025 with double round weekend at K1 Circuit

Prokart Challenge opens 2025 with double...

Prokart Challenge opens 2025 with double round weekend at K1 Circuit

Prokart Challenge opens 2025 with double round weekend at K1 Circuit

The first event of the 2025 ProKart Challenge program was held on the February 28-March 2 weekend at the new K1 Circuit. The Winchester, California facility welcomed the Superkarts! USA regional...
Kennedy and Campbell announced for 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy
Kennedy and Campbell announced for 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy

Kennedy and Campbell announced for 2025...

Kennedy and Campbell announced for 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy

Kennedy and Campbell announced for 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy

Karting Australia is proud to announce that Annabel Kennedy (Brisbane, QLD) and Hamish Campbell (Gold Coast, QLD) have been selected to represent the nation in the 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy...
WKA Realigns National Road Racing Schedules for 2025 and 2026
WKA Realigns National Road Racing Schedules for 2025 and 2026

WKA Realigns National Road Racing...

WKA Realigns National Road Racing Schedules for 2025 and 2026

WKA Realigns National Road Racing Schedules for 2025 and 2026

With a very busy Road Racing Calendar and events so close to each other throughout the year, racers have expressed their concerns that some events are simply not feasible to attend.  Responding...
2025 Rotax National Cup heads to Albury Wodonga
2025 Rotax National Cup heads to Albury Wodonga

2025 Rotax National Cup heads to Albury...

2025 Rotax National Cup heads to Albury Wodonga

2025 Rotax National Cup heads to Albury Wodonga

Karting Australia can confirm that the 2025 Rotax National Cup will be hosted at Albury Wodonga Kart Racing Club on September 13-14.
Stars of Karting to kick off Formula 1 race week in Melbourne
Stars of Karting to kick off Formula 1 race week in Melbourne

Stars of Karting to kick off Formula 1...

Stars of Karting to kick off Formula 1 race week in Melbourne

Stars of Karting to kick off Formula 1 race week in Melbourne

More than 100 of Australia’s top kart racers will take centre stage at the Go-Kart Club of Victoria on Monday, March 10, as the Stars of Karting event launches "Race Week" for the...
2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour on the horizon
2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour on the horizon

2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour on the...

2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour on the horizon

2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour on the horizon

Fresh off a record setting campaign in Florida, the Superkarts! USA organization is turning its focus on the 2025 SKUSA Pro Tour. Set for its 16th straight season, the championship will again be...
Rock Island Grand Prix: Come for the races, stay for the party!
Rock Island Grand Prix: Come for the races, stay for the party!

Rock Island Grand Prix: Come for the...

Rock Island Grand Prix: Come for the races, stay for the party!

Rock Island Grand Prix: Come for the races, stay for the party!

Back in 1978, The Blues Brothers took the world by storm with a skit on Saturday Night Live. A movie followed in 1980, then a sequel and some albums as Dan Aykroyd (Elwood) and John Belushi (Joliet...
Kalì Kart: Zvarich brothers confirmed for 2025
Kalì Kart: Zvarich brothers confirmed for 2025

Kalì Kart: Zvarich brothers confirmed...

Kalì Kart: Zvarich brothers confirmed for 2025

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In the last few days, Kalì Kart has confirmed the extension of the agreement with the three Zvarich brothers also for the 2025 season. Max, Marat and Mark, therefore, after the first contact with...
Iron Dames reveal full 2025 racing programme: 16 drivers, multiple disciplines, one mission
Iron Dames reveal full 2025 racing programme: 16 drivers, multiple disciplines, one mission

Iron Dames reveal full 2025 racing...

Iron Dames reveal full 2025 racing programme: 16 drivers, multiple disciplines, one mission

Iron Dames reveal full 2025 racing programme: 16 drivers, multiple disciplines, one mission

Iron Dames, the trailblazing all-female racing project, proudly announces its expanded 2025 programme, featuring an unprecedented line-up of 16 drivers competing across the globe. This milestone marks...
Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge sets 2025 schedule
Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge sets 2025 schedule

Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge sets...

Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge sets 2025 schedule

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The 21st edition of the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge is projected to be one of the best seasons in the last decade. The organization’s flagship regional program is set to contest six rounds...

Australian Kart Champions crowned in Murray Bridge

Australian Kart Champions crowned in Murray Bridge Read more

Troy Loeskow has successfully defended his Australian KZ2 Championship at the final round of the SP Tools Australian Kart Championship, presented by Castrol EDGE in South Australia, while Brad Jenner also went back-to-back in X30 and Brendan Nelson secured his seventh career Australian Karting Title on Sunday afternoon when the nine Champions on offer were crowned.

RX RR, the top chassis of the renewed Redspeed Range ‘22

RX RR, the top chassis of the renewed Redspeed Range ‘22 Read more

Officially unveiled the top model for the single-speed, shifter and DD2 Mini classes. Redspeed Kart celebrates the arrival of 2022 with the launch of a renewed product range that adopts the latest technical solutions of the OTK Kart Group R&D department. Now available are the new RX RR (reserved for the single-speed, shifter and DD2 categories) and the Rookie EVS and EVH (for the Mini class).

WKA Announces 2022 Road Racing Championship

WKA Announces 2022 Road Racing Championship Read more

With the 2022 World Karting Association (WKA) season on the horizon, series officials are pleased to confirm the Road Racing Championship dates. Set to commence at the annual WKA Daytona Kartweek in late December, the schedule will see stops at Roebling Road, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and the Pittsburgh International Race Complex.

Kosmic Kart introduces the Mercury RR and the new m.y. ’22 chassis

Kosmic Kart introduces the Mercury RR and the new m.y. ’22 chassis Read more

Officially unveiled the new top-of-the-range Kosmic chassis for the single speed, shifter and DD2 categories. Kosmic Kart projects into 2022 with some impatiently awaited news, concerning the chassis range: the Mercury RR is born and it is joined by a couple of chassis reserved for the Mini class, they are the Rookie EVH and the Rookie EVS.

Typhoon, the top chassis of the renewed EOS range ‘22

Typhoon, the top chassis of the renewed EOS range ‘22 Read more

Officially unveiled the top model for the single-speed, shifter and DD2 Mini classes. EOS Kart celebrates the arrival of 2022 with the launch of a renewed product range that adopts the latest technical solutions of the OTK Kart Group R&D department. Now available are the new Typhoon (reserved for the single-speed, shifter and DD2 categories) and the Rookie EVS and EVH (for the Mini class).

LN Racing Kart introduces LN Four m.y. ‘22 and the new chassis range

LN Racing Kart introduces LN Four m.y. ‘22 and the new chassis range Read more

Officially unveiled the new flagship chassis, for the single-speed, shifter and DD2 classes, signed by Lando Norris and OTK Kart Group. The range is completed by a pair of chassis reserved for the Mini class: the Rookie EVH and the Rookie EVS.

Tony Kart unveils the Racer 401 RR and the products range of year 2022

Tony Kart unveils the Racer 401 RR and the products range of year 2022 Read more

Racer 401 RR, Rookie EVH and Rookie EVS: these are the names of the latest evolutions of Tony Kart chassis. For more than 20 years, the Racer has been embodying the winning spirit of Tony Kart and it’s the key point of the whole range: born in 2000, it has collected 10 world championships - including the very recent two 2021 titles, in both the KZ classes and in OK as well – other than several international victories in all categories.

Karting Australia has confirmed the National Karting Calendar for 2022

Karting Australia has confirmed the National Karting Calendar for 2022 Read more

Headlined by the five-round SP Tools Australian Kart Championship, the National Karting Calendar for 2022 will also incorporate a new National Series and the Ultimate Club Racer event. The opening round of the Australian Kart Championship will be contested in Victoria on the final weekend of February ahead of a return to the Bolivar Raceway for round two across the Easter weekend of April 15-17.

Following the WSK Final the 2021 season is (almost) over

Following the WSK Final the 2021 season is (almost) over Read more

Even if the CRG team will take part in the XX Copa de Campeones in Zuera next December, the long competitive season of international meetings for the Mini, OK-Junior, OK and KZ classes has essentially ended with the WSK Final in Adria.

Michelle Gatting started her career in karting and now the first female racer to win the Ferrari challenge Trofeo Pirelli

Michelle Gatting started her career in karting and now the first female racer to win the Ferrari challenge Trofeo Pirelli Read more

Michelle Gatting, part of the Iron Dames project, has written her name into the history books today, becoming the first female to be crowned the overall champion of Ferrari Challenge Europe Trofeo Pirelli. Starting the race with a 29-point lead, Gatting managed to battle through a challenging race, much of it under safety car conditions, to bring her Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo home in P4 securing the championship despite the fact that there’s still one race left in the series this season.

WSK Final: The last race of the year in Adria

WSK Final:  The last race of the year in Adria Read more

The last racing weekend of the year for International Karting has already begun with the first free practice of the WSK Final. The event scheduled in Adria will be the last competitive match for the drivers of the Mini, Junior, OK and KZ2 classes, after a long season structured on over 20 meetings which include FIA, WSK and Trophy events.

Tom Lebbon remains at Elite for 2022 GB3 title challenge

Tom Lebbon remains at Elite for 2022 GB3 title challenge Read more

British teenager Tom Lebbon will remain with Elite Motorsport for the 2022 GB3 Championship partnered by the BRDC season, with the 16 year-old eyeing a title challenge in his second season with the team.

Podium for Tony Kart at the Winter Cup

Podium for Tony Kart at the Winter Cup Read more

In the last act of the 2021 racing season, Jan Przyrowski obtains, with the official colours of the Tony Kart Racing Team, the third place in OKJ class in a wet edition of the classic competition of the South Garda Karting in Lonato.

Birel ART Racing Team - Winter Cup - A wet victory in Lonato

Birel ART Racing Team - Winter Cup - A wet victory in Lonato Read more

The 26th edition of the Winter Cup was not held in February as usual, but in November on the South Garda Karting circuit in Lonato. The rain, which was getting heavier and heavier, made the Final stages more difficult. Dutchman Marijn Kremers, who comes from a seafaring background, won the KZ2 race thanks to his fighting spirit and impressive control in the downpour, a week after Alessandro Buran and the Renda Motorsport team won the 49th Trofeo delle Industrie in KZ2 at Lonato.

Podium for Leclerc by Lennox Racing at the Winter Cup

Podium for Leclerc by Lennox Racing at the Winter Cup Read more

The team did an excellent job at the South Garda Karting circuit and took bronze medal in KZ2 with Pedro Hiltbrand. The Leclerc by Lennox Racing team put the icing on the cake in Lonato to end the European season. The CL chassis produced by Birel ART and powered by TM Racing proved to be extremely competitive in KZ2 as well as in OKJ, both in dry and wet conditions.

Sodi Racing Team - Senna van Walstijn and Adrien Renaudin finish the season in style at the Winter Cup

Sodi Racing Team - Senna van Walstijn and Adrien Renaudin finish the season in style at the Winter Cup Read more

The Winter Cup started in dry conditions and ended in heavy rain. In all conditions, Senna Van Walstijn and Adrien Renaudin set a particularly strong pace in the KZ2 race at the wheel of their Sodi-TM Racing packages from the CPB Sport team. Van Walstijn's performance was rewarded with a podium finish, while Renaudin came close to the same reward!

The 2022 edition of the 24 hours karting of Italy has been presented

The 2022 edition of the 24 hours karting of Italy has been presented Read more

The prestigious Endurance Karting event promoted by CRG will be back in 2022 and will take place on 26th and 27th March, on the Italian racetrack in Adria. After the limitations due to Covid this year, the organizers were convinced to move this event to June, but the 5th edition of the karting marathon that CRG organizes with its Honda-powered Centurion Rental Karts will be back to its usual timing at the end of March.

Australian Kart Championship finale heads to Murray Bridge on December 10-12

Australian Kart Championship finale heads to Murray Bridge on December 10-12 Read more

Karting Australia has confirmed Murray Bridge as the venue for the final round of the 2021 SP Tools Australian Kart Championship presented by Castrol EDGE. To be hosted by the Go-Kart Club of South Australia, the event will be contested at the Monarto Karting Complex. It will be the sixth time the venue has hosted a round of Australia’s elite Championship.

Energy Corse on the most important international podiums

Energy Corse on the most important international podiums Read more

Throughout this intense 2021 season, the Energy Corse team has been particularly competitive as recent prestigious international events can attest: a masterful victory in the Rok Cup Superfinal in Mini with the Canadian Jensen Burnett and a podium in OK-Junior during the Champions of the Future series with Tomass Stolcermanis. Stolcermanis also had the honour starting on the front row of the World Championship in his Energy Corse-TM Racing package.

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KartSport New Zealand’s first ‘Virtual Club Day’ a great success! 3-time former NZ Kart champion Chris van der Drift 8th place and Brendon Hartley 11th
Mitchell Koolen
/ Categories: News, International

KartSport New Zealand’s first ‘Virtual Club Day’ a great success! 3-time former NZ Kart champion Chris van der Drift 8th place and Brendon Hartley 11th

KartSport New Zealand’s first ‘Virtual Club Day’ was held on Easter Sunday evening and its success – on all sorts of different levels – means more are already being planned, says the organisation’s National President.

 

“Without a doubt,” said Graeme Moore this morning. “I thought my phone was going hot on Sunday afternoon as we were putting the finishing touches to the event together. But yesterday and even earlier today (Tuesday) it’s just been ballistic with people wanting to tell me how good it was.”

Like every other admin body of a sporting organisation here and around the world KartSport New Zealand was left in a quandary once the true ramifications of the COVET-19 virus hit home. Even before the lockdown, for instance, the jewel in the local sport’s crown, the annual National Sprint Championship meeting over the Easter weekend had to be called off, and once the lockdown was in place karters were effectively stranded at home in their bubbles for four weeks.

 

While he and his fellow Executive members have been using the time - and the internet and various face/time apps – to keep on top of admin across the club-based organisation, Moore says he couldn’t help think that the karters themselves – the people on whose behalf he and the other officials were doing the work – were missing out. It didn’t help, either, that every time, he says, he tuned into the TV news at 6.00pm there would be a story about how F1, IndyCar or the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship was launching some sort of ‘e-series’ on an ‘iRacing’ platform.

Enter Travis Smith, a keen young karter and Tech Officer from Dunedin. Smith is also right into his Sim racing and on hearing his Dad, KartSport New Zealand’s National Technical Officer Colin Smith, discussing the possibility of ‘doing something on iRacing’ with Graeme Moore, immediately put up his hand to help. The result was the inaugural KartSport NZ ‘Trophy Truck’ race meeting at the Laguna Seca circuit in northern California. The event included practise and qualifying sessions before 3 x 5-lap heat races and a reverse grid 20-lap final complete with one compulsory pitstop to have enough fuel to make it to the end.

Though it was only promoted on KartSport NZ’s Facebook page it attracted a 48-strong field which included everyone from first-time SIM racers to Le Mans 24 Hour race winner Brendon Hartley, currently (conveniently) ‘locked down’ with his wife at his home in Taupo. KartSport New Zealand and sponsors Carter’s Tyre Service, and the Giltrap Group covered the cost of hosting the event on the iRacing ‘network’ and it was live-streamed on the KartSport NZ Facebook page.

Because, Moore says, he is acutely aware of the financial strain many typical KartSport families are now under thanks to the COVET-19 lockdown entry costs per driver were kept to a minimum – hence the use of the generic ‘Trophy Trucks’ rather than some sort of virtual Kart. “Obviously karts would have been a better ‘fit,’ but the Trophy Trucks provided us with a pretty much level playing field in terms of set-up, plus because of that they are one of the cheapest options on the iRacing program.”

“Now that we’ve run our first club day we will look at our options going forward. One of those might well be to go to a virtual kart if we can access a simple, cost effective option but in the meantime we will stick with the cheaper options on iRacing, it is "Club Day racing after all".

As it turned out the race was won by 18-year-old Sim specialist Angus Claasen, from Hamilton who led home karter and similarly experienced young Sim racer Max Donnelly from Whakatane. Classen, who is one of the country’s best young track cyclists, said he took up Sim racing a year or so ago and is now a regular on the iRacing platform. He said he enjoyed his first KartSport NZ ‘club meeting’ and reckons he will definitely be back for more. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I had a good time out there against some pretty cool drivers and I particularly liked the fact that the car was kept simple and had a fixed set up. It made the racing close and gave all the competitors an even chance.”

Three-time former NZ Kart champion Chris van der Drift, who went on to enjoy a stellar international career in single-seater racing cars in Europe and latterly in Porsches in the Carrera Cup Asia championship series before returning home to live and race out of Hamilton, was the best of the sport’s Pro drivers in 8th place with Brendon Hartley 11th and Tom Alexander 12th.

CAPTIONS:

KartSport NZ ran its first iRacing ‘virtual club day’ on Easter Sunday evening. Here is a screen shot from inside eventual winner Angus Claasen’s Trophy Truck.

Christian Hermansen from Palmerston North, 3x NZ Minisprint speedway champion and Goldstar series karter getting to grips with his new Sim set up. Christian started the final from grid 42 and finished 7th.

Le Mans 24 Hour race winner and former F1 driver Brendon Hartley, currently back ‘home’ in lockdown in Taupo, was one of the current stars on the world motor racing stage to contest the inaugural KartSport New Zealand Virtual Club Day on Easter Sunday evening. (Red Bull sim)

Photo credits: KartSport New Zealand/iRacing

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