Published on Friday, September 12, 2025

Kelleher and Hoogendoorn start the World Championship in Pole Position

In Sweden, everything is in place for a great sporting event with the 2025 Mondokart.com World Championship – OK & Junior. The rain on Thursday morning at the start of private practice quickly gave way to much more pleasant weather, and the Qualifying sessions took place in excellent conditions at the Kristianstad circuit. An initial ranking has emerged, with most of the favourites in contention. Recently crowned European Champion, Dutchman Dean Hoogendoorn set the fastest time in OK-Junior. In OK, Ireland's Daniel Kelleher was the fastest. A total of 30 Qualifying Heats are on the schedule before Sunday's Final stages.

OK: Daniel Kelleher makes a strong impression

The 105 participants were divided into three groups and Daniel Kelleher made perfect use of the 1221 metres of the Åsum Ring to set an excellent lap of 49.185. The Irishman did not know it yet, but this benchmark time would not be beaten. Group 2 leader Thomas Pradier (FRA) fell short by just 29 hundredths of a second, while the track proved slower for Group 3. In this group, Davide Bottaro had the satisfaction of taking first place, but only with a time of 49.729.

After injuring his hand a week earlier, Matthew Higgins (GBR) succeeded in climbing to 6th place behind Jindrich Pesl (CZE) and Thibaut Ramaekers (BEL). The next three places were taken by... the top three in the 2025 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship: Christian Costoya (ESP), James Anagnostiadis (AUS) and Zac Drummond (GBR)! Lev Krutoholov (UKR) completed the top 10, while Swedish hopeful Oliver Kinnmark finished 13th on home soil. Second in the International Esports Trophy held two days earlier, Jensen Burnett (CAN) secured an impressive 12th place behind Aston Sharp (GBR).

Top 12 in OK Qualifying
1- Kelleher, Daniel (IRL - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 49.185
2- Pradier, Thomas (FRA - Tony Kart / Vortex / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 49.214
3- Bottaro, Davide (ITA - CRG / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 49.729
4- Pesl, Jindrich (CZE - Tony Kart / Vortex / Maxxis) Gr.4 - 49.360
5- Ramaekers, Thibaut (BEL - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 49.306
6 - Higgins, Matthew (GBR - Energy / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 49.748
7- Costoya, Christian (ESP - Parolin / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 49.398
8- Anagnostiadis, James (AUS - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.4 - 49.479
9- Drummond, Zac (GBR - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 49.799
10- Krutoholov, Lev (UKR - Energy / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 49.417
11- Sharp, Aston (GBR - Birel Art / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 49.503
12- Burnett, Jensen (CAN - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.4 - 49.851

OK-Junior: Dean Hoogendoorn confirms his great form

In an OK-Junior category with 109 participants divided into four groups, Qualifying Practice represented a first major challenge for the young karting hopefuls. With three podium finishes, including a victory in the first part of the season, Dean Hoogendoorn (NED) was crowned Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Champion. In Kristianstad, he could not have dreamed of a better start to the World Championship event, taking pole position in 50.646 in Group 1. In the next session, his team-mate Noah Baglin (GBR) closed the gap to 64 hundredths with 50.710 and was faster than the leaders of the other two groups: Evan Purcell (GBR) with 50.894 and Turner Brown (USA) with 50.959.

Brown was not the only driver from the American continent to shine. Behind Benjamin Manach (ESP) in fifth place were Argentina's Martin Bertolaccini, Mexico's Emiliano Hernandez and Canada's Ilie Crisan. You had to go down to 36th place to find the top Swede in the form of Melker Milell, cousin of Noah Milell, KZ World Champion at the Kristianstad circuit in 2021.

Top 12 in OK-Junior Qualifying
1- Hoogendoorn, Dean (NED - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 50.646
2- Baglin, Noah (GBR - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 50.710
3- Purcell, Evan (GBR - LN / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 50.894
4- Brown, Turner (USA - LN / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.4 - 50.959
5- Manach, Benjamin (ESP - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 50.703
6- Bertolaccini, Martin (ARG - Tony Kart / TM / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 50.802
7- Hernandez, Emiliano (MEX - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 50.931
8- Crisan, Ilie (CAN - Tony Kart / Vortex / Maxxis) Gr.4 - 51.075
9- Giusto, Giacomo (ITA - Parolin / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 50.741
10- Kumpen, Henri-Constant (BEL - Tony Kart / Vortex / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 52.847
11- Calleja, William (AUS - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 51.009
12- Gorski, Leonardo (POL - Henza Kart / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.4 - 51.133