Registrations open for the CRG Rental Kart World Contest
Registrations open for the CRG Rental Kart World Contest

Registrations open for the CRG Rental...

Registrations open for the CRG Rental Kart World Contest

Registrations open for the CRG Rental Kart World Contest

In just over 10 days, many rental kart drivers have already registered for the Sprint Cup and several teams have signed up for the Endurance Cup, the two main events of the Rental Kart World Contest...
Registration now open for  30th annual Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix
Registration now open for  30th annual Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix

Registration now open for 30th annual...

Registration now open for 30th annual Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix

Registration now open for 30th annual Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix

Registration is now open for the 30th annual The Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix, the world’s largest and most prestigious karting street race. This year’s race is August 30-31, 2025 and...
ROK Cup Italy, Round 5 – The race report
ROK Cup Italy, Round 5 – The race report

ROK Cup Italy, Round 5 – The race report

ROK Cup Italy, Round 5 – The race report

ROK Cup Italy, Round 5 – The race report

One month after Jesolo, the ROK Cup Italy is back on track for the fifth round of the season, on the occasion of the "night event" in Lonato del Garda. In total, 262 drivers livened up the...
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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

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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...
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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

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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...
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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

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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...
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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

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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

Stars of Karting to kick off Formula 1...

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

Rock Island Grand Prix: Come for the...

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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...

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The 2020 Superfinal has arrived onto the Franciacorta Kart Track by surprise, but this is giving Rokkers all over the world new spurs for an amazing challenge. The circuit, new for all participants, is 1.300 m long, with a total of 16 bends (9 right and 7 left) and several ups and downs, making it special.

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After the sporting checks and all administrative procedures, the 17thedition of the Rok Cup Superfinal is now reaching the heart of the race, despite the rain on the Franciacorta Kart Track. At the end of all free practices’ sessions, the 261 Rokkers coming from all over the world ran the Qualifying Heats, taking place on a wet track.

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At the South Garda Karting our material is gaining the podium in the OKJ category and proves to be top quality in OK too

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Felipe Massa: “What happened in Lonato was serious, it is not an example for young kids”
Bart Luijkx
/ Categories: News, CIKFIA

Felipe Massa: “What happened in Lonato was serious, it is not an example for young kids”

Very involved in his role as President of the FIA International Karting Commission, Felipe Massa was determined to meet the different players in the 2020 FIA Karting Competitions, first during the European Championship - OK & Junior in July, then in Italy at the World Championship - KZ. Despite the tight schedule between August and November, the Brazilian was pleased with the success of the current racing season.

This season, almost all FIA Karting competitions were maintained. What do you think of the way the CIK-FIA has dealt with the problems related to the Covid-19 pandemic?

During these last months, which have been marked by an unprecedented pandemic and a lockdown of several weeks, the CIK-FIA has taken the right decisions so that the FIA Karting Championships can resume and take place in the optimum conditions. In collaboration with the various organisers, the changes in dates have been judicious. I think that all the people involved in our Competitions were very happy to see that the four European Championships, the World Championship - KZ, the International Super Cup - KZ2 and the entire Academy Trophy could be organised with the success we have seen. The racing was excellent.

Of course, we regretted the absences of some Drivers. This was most often the consequence of the difficulties encountered by several of them in moving from one country to another. In spite of this, the CIK-FIA was delighted to have welcomed, for example, 75 Junior Drivers at the European Championship in Germany and even 99 Drivers in KZ2 at Lonato. I salute the efforts of all these participants from dozens of different nationalities, who made a point of taking the start of these Competitions. Today I am looking forward to the FIA Karting World Championship - OK & OK-Junior in Portimao.

What feedback did you receive after the release of the 2021 calendar, which was announced as early as last june?

For the organisers and ASNs, it is important to find out quickly whether their bid has been successful, so that they can prepare as well as possible to host an FIA Karting Championship. Even if the situation of Covid-19 is unfortunately not yet stabilised, we must work for the future. The drivers want to continue racing, the factories and the teams want to be able to work and have a future. Enthusiasm for karting remains strong. Of course, it is difficult to predict the evolution of the pandemic and we can only hope for a rapid improvement in the situation. I am thinking in particular of the FIA World Championship Karting - OK & Junior in Brazil in October 2021. For the Europeans, it is a long trip that needs to be planned in advance.

Are you satisfied with the work carried out by the promoter RGMMC?

James Geidel and his team are working hard to ensure the success of the FIA Karting Championships. We all regret not being able to welcome spectators, but RGMMC makes every effort to ensure quality video streaming. As I wanted, we are also improving the karting audience through social networks. The world of communication is changing and we have to adapt.

In addition, our promoter and the CIK-FIA have spent a lot of energy to enforce the strict infection control protocol we have put in place. As soon as the FIA Karting Championships resumed, everyone's health was a constant concern for us. It is our duty to ensure the safety of those present on the circuits.

You wanted to make some changes to the regulations. Have they achieved their goal?

Thanks to the discussions I had with factory and team managers, as well as with Drivers, it seemed important to me to make the Competition fairer. Ensuring the greatest possible sporting fairness is an aspect that is dear to me in this sport. In addition to my role as President of the CIK-FIA, I am also a competitor. I feel very strongly about the remarks expressed by those who experience the competition on a daily basis. At the end of 2019, we changed the management and the quota of tyres used during the meeting. Recently, we have rethought the Qualifying Practice classification, taking into account the differences in time between the groups. These changes have been very well accepted. Among the decisions taken, I also recall the postponement of chassis homologations to 1st January, 2022, to take the Coronavirus crisis into account.

The World Championship - KZ brought together a wide range of drivers: Young talents, drivers who come to enjoy themselves like Antonio Fuoco and the four-time world champion Davide Foré... How does this inspire you?

It proves that karting is a fantastic sport, which can be practised at almost any age, whether as a leisure activity or at the highest level. Some drivers have not had the opportunity to switch to cars or have simply wished to stay in karting. In the 125cc gearbox categories, they have a great opportunity to express their talent. Several young karting hopefuls will become professional drivers in cars, but others have managed to achieve this status in karting. This is also very rewarding. The KZ Final was also very intense thanks to these experienced drivers.

Finally, you witnessed a scene that should not exist on a karting circuit. What was you reaction?

What happened in Lonato was serious. A World Championship should give a positive image of karting. This kind of event is contrary to the spirit of our sport. It is not an example for young people. I immediately wanted the FIA to communicate on this subject and launch an investigation into these incidents. In Italy, ACI Sport has already taken the first sanctions. The CIK-FIA will also be responsive to these facts. In the end, I think it is important to congratulate the Drivers who have been crowned in Italy in 2020 and to remember their names: Frenchman Jérémy Iglesias (KZ), Italian Simone Cunati (KZ2) and American Connor Zilisch (Academy), without forgetting Israeli Ariel Elkin, winner of the last round of the Academy Trophy.

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