During the third round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series, the drivers and teams defending the Kart Republic colours in OK and OK-Junior were able to learn the Viterbo circuit on Maxxis tyres and gather valuable information for the FIA Karting European Championship. Some excellent technical solutions were found, as Irishman Daniel Kelleher and Belgian Thibaut Ramaekers were able to prove with their magnificent recoveries to 2nd and 3rd positions in OK. In OK-Junior, Great Britain's Noah Baglin once again fought his way to the front.
OK: A double podium and seven KR / IAME teams in the top 10!
Scott Marsh (DPK Racing) made an impressive start to the competition, taking pole position and three wins in the Qualifying Heats. Kenzo Craigie (Prema Racing), Marco Garst (Koski Motorsport) and Thibaut Ramaekers (VDK Racing) also took 1st places in the heats. Marsh and Craigie, two KR / IAME drivers, were again in the lead at the chequered flag in the Super Heats.
The Final confirmed this high level of performance, with a total of 11 KR / IAME teams in the top 15, including seven in the top 10 and two on the podium. Daniel Kelleher (KR Motorsport), who started in 8th place, manoeuvred brilliantly to take 2nd place ahead of Ramaekers and Craigie. The rise of Alp Aksoy (Prema Racing) was rewarded with 6th place. Three other chassis from the Kart Republic factory made it into the top 10: James Anagnostiadis (Prema Racing), Peter Stiller (VDK Racing) and Scott Marsh. In the overall series standings, Martinese is in 2nd place ahead of Craigie, Turney, Ramaekers, Kelleher and Francis!
OK-Junior: Noah Baglin in the title race
The 1,294-metre Viterbo circuit was a fast-paced affair, with little respite for the drivers or their tyres, which were put to the test both in terms of temperature and degradation. Several KR / IAME-equipped drivers were at the top of the order in Free Practice, but Qualifying failed to deliver the desired verdict. From then on, the Qualifying Heats saw a succession of comebacks, sometimes marred by incidents or penalties.
Thanks to an excellent pace, Noah Baglin (Prema Racing) established himself in the leading group for a long time, notching up a superb victory in Super Heat 2. Having started 4th, he held on to this position at the finish and came very close to the podium. A few seconds behind, Dean Hoogendoorn (Prema Racing) made a remarkable comeback in 7th position. Devin Walz (KR Motorsport), Michael McGaughy (Koski Motorsport) and Asher Ochstein (Fusion Motorsport) are also to be congratulated on their top 15 finishes.
Comments from Glenn Keyaert, KR Global Motorsport Company
"This event, organised by RGMMC at Viterbo, was very instructive and we are optimistic about our chances of winning the third round of the FIA Karting European Championship, both in OK and OK-Junior. All our teams were able to test numerous technical solutions, and we received positive feedback from the drivers. Finding the optimum performance window is never easy, and we'll be paying close attention to the track temperature, which could rise further over the next few days. I'm also pleased to see that we remain in a good position to win the Champions of the Future Euro Series 2025 in both categories.”