Kristianstad: A Returning Circuit, An Unfinished Title Story
The Asum Ring, a 1,221m circuit and one renowned as one of the greatest in European karting, will invite drivers across the OK Junior and OK categories to duel around 16 corners and an elevation change of 6 metres this week. Across three days of competition, points will start to become the talk of the town as the series heads deeper into its later stages, with the penultimate event on the calendar now arriving.
The previous event, 12 hours southwest of Kristianstad in Mülsen, Germany, saw many dramatic twists and turns, with winners of old and new taking silverware home. For Leonardo Gorski, Mülsen was a highlight of the year so far, not just with him returning to home team MP Motorsport, but also with him achieving his first big win upon his return. For the Senior category, the typical leader, Noah Baglin, claimed the top spot once again. This, however, does not mean that they are the ones to look at in the points standings currently, as those accolades currently go to Priam Bruno (OK Junior) and James Anagnostiadis (Senior).
A second chance for Oskari Walle
In the OK Junior category, second chances for final wins could be on the line, particularly for Parolin Motorsport's Oskari Walle, who finished in P3 in 2025 when the Asum Ring hosted its last Champions of the Future event. For Walle, after a strong year already in the field, this weekend could be the one.
The same could be said for the TEPZ driver, Zdenek Babicek, who has had a spotlight on him all season in his second year in the category, but hasn't quite yet managed a win. It's been a P2 at best so far at the previous round in Mülsen. Other leading contenders are always expected to be Fusion's Daniel Miron, along with standings leader Priam Bruno and, of course, Event 1 winner Will Green.
Senior inheriting places
In 2025, every driver inside the top six in the Kristianstad final has been propelled onto new motorsport journeys. Zac Drummond was up against these six last time, but now he's up against different challengers like Dean Hoogendoorn and William Calleja.
This year, Drummond naturally will be one to watch, not just considering this, but also considering his seat in P3 in the standings and a confidence boost after knowing he has been reliably inside the top 10 in every final so far, giving him added value. Elsewhere, Henry Domain continues to impress following his move to MP Motorsport for 2026, while Valerio Viapiana returns to a circuit where he secured a career-best second place in the FIA Karting World Championship last September.
The early week intrigue of this event will be the circuit familiarity for almost every driver on the grid, as well as all teams. There is almost no stone left unturned when it comes to the knowledge of Kristianstad, meaning the times set in qualifying sessions across OK Junior and OK will more than likely be nail-bitingly close.
Kristianstad is the only event on the calendar to have an appearance in consecutive years, with its last showing being less than a year ago. For this, it can be expected that so many drivers will have unfinished business they would like to attend to, whether that's in the form of replicating previous results, like wins for Baglin, or making up positions instead of losses, like Lev Krutoholov.
A returning circuit, a returning atmosphere, and the returning challenge for all drivers. A penultimate opportunity to better the hopes of becoming a Champion of the Future. From Thursday, drivers will go head-to-head in competition. Live-streamed races can be viewed on YouTube from Friday onwards, with the main events scheduled for Saturday.