The FIA Karting European Championships for OK and OK-Junior came to an end in Denmark, confirming the competitiveness of the KR-IAME teams throughout the four events, which resulted in many podium finishes in Campillos, Portimao, Viterbo and Rodby (12 in total throughout the Championship), as well as in the overall standings... Title for Dean Hoogendoorn and podium for Noah Baglin in OK-Junior, double podium in OK with James Anagnostiadis and Zac Drummond.
OK-Junior: Dean Hoogendoorn European Champion
In Rodby, the changeable weather conditions did not make the drivers' job any easier and made the teams' work difficult. Nevertheless, it was necessary to stay the course throughout the competition, which the Kart Republic family accomplished in Denmark. From the Qualifying Heats onwards, the victories came thick and fast, with Dutchman Dean Hoogendoorn (Prema Racing) leading on Saturday evening.
The Final was then contested on rain tyres. In these conditions, Frenchman Luka Scelles (VictoryLane) showed his talent by climbing onto the second step of the podium. Hoogendoorn took no unnecessary risks to maintain his lead in the overall standings. Mission accomplished! With a solid 4th place, he was crowned 2025 OK-Junior European Champion. By scoring points for 5th place, Noah Baglin (Prema Racing) secured his place on the final podium of the Championship. In addition, Prema Racing leads the Team Championship, which will be decided at the World Championship in Franciacorta.
OK: Double European podium confirmed for KR
All the teams in KR-IAME colours stepped up their game in Rodby. After adjusting the settings for dry conditions, they had to adapt to rain on Sunday. This was confirmed with victories for Zac Drummond (Fusion Motorsport) and Kenzo Craigie (Prema Racing) in Super Heats A and B. In the Final, the track was wet in places, with the racing line drying out, making tyre choice difficult. 15 of the 36 finalists opted for treaded tyres, which ultimately proved to be the right solution, as light rain returned during the Final.
Starting in 10th place, Kenzo Craigie (Prema Racing) did well to finish on the third step of the podium. Zac Green (DPK Racing) gained 15 places on his return to finish in 5th position ahead of Zac Drummond (Fusion Motorsport), who did well in the Championship by finishing 3rd. Congratulations also to Oliver Kinnmark (Koski Motorsport) for his place in the top 10 after gaining 21 places. Starting 3rd after an excellent meeting, Iacopo Martinese (Cetilar Racing) was less successful, as was Thibaut Ramaekers (VDK Racing).
Of course, consistency throughout the Championship was required to finish in the top three, which James Anagnostiadis (Prema Racing) and Zac Drummond managed to achieve, finishing in 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the FIA Karting European Championship. In the team standings, Prema Racing and KR Motorsport are in the top two places.
Comment from Dino Chiesa, head of KR Global Motorsport Company
"We have just competed in two difficult European Championships against tough competition, and I would like to highlight the overall success of the drivers equipped with the chassis developed by the Kart Republic factory. In each of the four events, we had at least one driver on the podium in both OK and OK-Junior, which represents 12 podiums out of a possible 24. These are in addition to the impressive result achieved in the final standings of the FIA Karting European Championship, which saw four podiums out of six available places. Congratulations to Dean Hoogendoorn for his OK-Junior title, but also to Noah Baglin, James Anagnostiadis and Zac Drummond. These congratulations also go to the teams, IAME, the engine manufacturers and all those who work behind the scenes in the organisations. Our equipment proved to be fast and consistent throughout all the events.
Looking back at the Rodby event, it was certainly disrupted by the weather conditions, but I must say that some of the decisions made by the race management and marshals were quite disconcerting, whether it was the timing of the OK Final, the blue chevron flags or when a driver wanted to restart legitimately. I hope we won't see such decisions in an event as important as a World Championship. An international race should not resemble a lottery.”