The qualifying heats of the 2026 Rotax MAX Challenge Winter Cup came to a close today at KartCenter Campillos under dramatically changed weather conditions. After yesterday’s stable sunshine, drivers faced wind, cold temperatures and rain, reshuffling the competitive order across all categories.

Atlassian Williams F1 Team is pleased to welcome reigning Italian F4 Champion Kean Nakamura-Berta to the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy.

Karting graduate Jay Leverton has been confirmed as the first driver in Idola Motorsport’s line-up for the 2026 GB4 Championship.

The 2026 Rotax MAX Challenge Winter Cup continued today at KartCenter Campillos with the completion of the Qualifying Practices and the first Qualifying Heats, providing the first clear competitive indications across all categories.

Within CRG’s headquarters, the guidelines for the first full season that the Lenovo Kalì Kart team will face in 2026 have been outlined. The official Kalì Kart team (a brand owned by CRG), which has been racing under the prestigious colors of its title sponsor Lenovo since last September, looks to 2026 with high ambitions, bringing to the track a broad and structured project focused particularly on youth categories.

The Rotax racing season in Europe officially kicks off once again at KartCenter Campillos, as the Rotax MAX Challenge Winter Cup returns to its traditional home for the 2026 edition. Scheduled from January 6 to January 10, the event will see five categories in action: Mini MAX, Junior MAX, Senior MAX, DD2 and DD2 Masters.
 

The Rotax racing season in Europe officially kicks off once again at KartCenter Campillos, as the Rotax MAX Challenge Winter Cup returns to its traditional home for the 2026 edition. Scheduled from January 6 to January 10, the event will see five categories in action: Mini MAX, Junior MAX, Senior MAX, DD2 and DD2 Masters.

The 2026 Rotax MAX Challenge Winter Cup has officially taken shape at KartCenter Campillos, with 135 drivers successfully verified for the opening event of the new season.

Ahead of the start of the next racing season, their sports division presents the 28 drivers who will take part in the main international competitions in the MINI, OKJ-N, OKJ, OK, and KZ/KZ2 categories.

Al Ain Raceway is proud to officially announce the launch of the RMC MENA Trophy 2026, an exciting new multi-round championship created to elevate karting competition across the Middle East and provide a direct, prestigious pathway to the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals. Designed to reward performance, consistency, and strategy, the championship will feature three point-scoring events, with the best two results counting toward the final standings, ensuring intense competition throughout.

The MP Group has further strengthened its position in the Northern European karting scene by acquiring Chrono Karting, the leading organiser in Dutch karting with the Dutch 2-stroke (Dutch Rotax Max Challenge) and 4-stroke championships among its portfolio. With the acquisition of Chrono Karting, the MP Group aims to enable Dutch karting talent to make the transition to motor racing in a structured and professionally supervised manner.

Fortec Motorsports has confirmed that Franciszek Cegielski will join the team in 2026, making his car racing debut in the GB4 Championship.

The Rotax racing season in Europe officially kicks off once again at KartCenter Campillos, as the Rotax MAX Challenge Winter Cup returns to its traditional home for the 2026 edition. A venue that has become synonymous with the Winter Cup over the years, Campillos will host the first major showdown of the new season.

Happy Holidays, KartXpress wishes you a healthy and successful 2026

Multi-category race winner Nikita Bedrin will join VRD Racing for a GB3 Championship title challenge in 2026. The 19-year-old has won races in every category he has contested, including Formula 4, Formula Regional Middle, and the FIA F3 Championship.

The opening of the 2026 WSK Promotion season at La Conca with the Official Collective Tests on January 16-18 will be followed by the first round of the WSK Super Master Series from January 21 to 25.

The Italian group will play a leading role in the newly created FIA Karting Arrive & Drive European Championship and FIA Karting Arrive & Drive Asian-Pacific Championship over the next two years, supplying Kosmic Kart chassis and Vortex Engines

Patricio Gonzalez will continue to race in GB3 next year, staying with the VRD Racing squad, having contested the second half of the 2025 season with the Anglo-American team. The 17-year-old Mexican driver was able to quickly get up to speed in GB3, earning a best qualifying result of seventh at Donington Park, and a best race result of sixth at the same venue.

In 2025, in only their second year in the USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire, Zanella Racing and Leonardo Escorpioni achieved both of the goals that they’d set out for themselves in the off-season. Escorpioni won six races in the USF Juniors series enroute to the Driver Championship, while he and his teammates worked together to bring Zanella Racing the prestigious Team Championship as well. After celebrating with Zanella in 2025, the 15-year-old will remain with the Orlando, FL based operation for 2026, bringing his $250,000 scholarship with him as the team expands into the USF2000 series.

Drivers from the national and international realms of X30 and KZ karting are now welcome to enter the Winter Series of the 2026 Karting Champions League, the championship that offers the ideal way for everybody to get into a racing rhythm for the regular season.

PREMA Racing is happy to announce that Kingsley Zheng will join the team in 2026. The Chinese racer will enter the Italian Formula 4 and E4 championship, while more appearances for him will be announced soon.

Ginetta Junior Championship runner-up Fred Green will graduate to the GB4 Championship with Elite Motorsport in 2026.

Just a few days after entries opened in early December, a strong number of teams have already registered for the 24 Hours Karting of Italy, promoted by CRG and scheduled for March 14–15 at the Castelletto di Branduzzo circuit (Italy). Several countries are already represented, with teams coming from China, the Czech Republic, Spain, Romania, France and Belgium, just to name the first registered entries. The 2026 edition is shaping up to have a clearly international profile in both admitted categories: PRO, dedicated to more experienced teams, and SILVER, designed for more amateur crews with all drivers over 18 years of age.

PREMA Racing is delighted to announce that Niccolò Maccagnani will be joining the team for the 2026 Formula 4 season. The Italian racer will take part in the Italian Formula 4 and E4 championships, making his debut in two of the world's most competitive junior single-seater series, with more appearances set to be announced at a later date.

WSK Promotion is pleased to announce a major partnership that marks a significant turning point toward sustainability in the world of karting: Aspen Group France, part of the Swedish Lantmännen group and a leader in high-purity alkylate fuels, has been chosen as the Official Fuel Supplier for all its competitions starting from the 2026 season.

2026 Ginetta Junior Scholarship winner Devon Hagelen has chosen to join Elite Motorsport for his prize season in the Ginetta Junior Championship next year.

PREMA Racing is proud to announce that the team will be partnering with Palou Motorsport for the 2026 Eurocup-3 Championship.

Rotax Karting is excited to announce a new chapter in its U.S. operations with the appointment of KSG as a key business partner. KSG will take over the responsibilities of both existing distributors – RTX and J3 –, bringing economic leverage, a deep passion for motorsport, and a unified network to elevate the Rotax karting business in the U.S. to an even higher level.

Fortec Motorsports has confirmed that Thomas Ingram Hill will return to the team for the 2026 season as he aims to fight for the GB4 Championship title.

Sem and Maurits Knopjes have both been crowned world champions at the 2025 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Bahrain. Sem clinched the world title in the DD2 category, while his father Maurits secured the championship in the E20 Masters class. It is the first time in the event’s history that a father and son claimed world titles in the same year.