Since winning the KZ European Championship title in 2023, Danilo Albanese has been one of the most consistent drivers on the podium in this highly competitive category at FIA Karting events. Finishing 2nd in Spain in 2024, 3rd at the World Championship in Franciacorta in 2025 and then 3rd at Genk in 2026, the Italian driver has now concluded the European Championship in 2nd place. This consistency in results clearly demonstrates the competitiveness of Kart Republic’s factory equipment and that of the KR-IAME package in the gearbox categories.
In the top three right from Qualifying
At the Sarno circuit, which has quite different characteristics to Genk, and significantly higher temperatures in Italy compared to Belgium, the Kart Republic team’s technicians faced very different challenges. The work proved complex at times, particularly for the IAME engine specialists tasked with adapting to the fuel used in FIA Karting. Danilo Albanese built up momentum in Free Practice, before setting the 3rd-fastest time in Qualifying, just 1 thousandth of a second behind 2nd place.
Still P3 after the qualifying heats
Once again very fast in the heats, securing promising P2 and P3 positions, the Italian unfortunately had a difficult Super Heat and dropped to 8th on the grid for the Final. In the Final race, the positions settled fairly quickly, with gaps widening between the drivers. Following his podium finish at Genk, Danilo Albanese this time secured points for 8th place at Sarno, making him the 2026 FIA Karting KZ European Vice-Champion.
Comment from Dino Chiesa, head of KR Global Motorsport Company
“I am pleased to see that we are building on the excellent results we have achieved in recent years in FIA Karting’s KZ class. Kart Republic fielded just one driver in this category in 2026, and we have managed to add another line to our list of achievements with this European Vice-Champion title secured by Danilo Albanese, whom I congratulate on his performances at Genk and Sarno. In the overall standings, we have two KR chassis in the top four thanks to the expertise of the SP Motorsport team and to Stan Pex, who finished 4th in the Championship.”
“In KZ2, Kart Republic was also aiming for a podium finish with Arthur Lehouck following his brilliant performance at Genk. Unfortunately, a puncture during Qualifying prevented him from competing to his full potential, despite setting some of the fastest times in Free Practice.”
“What I’ll also take away from this European Championship is the frustration felt by our technical team, who had to restrict themselves in their quest for maximum performance. The fuel chosen by the International Federation forces us to operate within a very narrow performance window. The aim for engine manufacturers is no longer to be as competitive as possible, but to avoid breaking the engine. This is not at all in the spirit of the KZ class, which should, on the contrary, push the discipline’s technicians to achieve the highest possible level of performance. Of course, the situation is the same for everyone, but I think the KR Motorsport team is not the only one to regret this state of affairs.”