In Germany, the suspense lasted until the very end for the Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship in KZ. Mattéo Spirgel's victory in the Final, combined with Pedro Hiltbrand's retirement, tipped the balance in favour of the French driver at the expense of the Spaniard. In KZ2, Maksim Orlov finished his Championship with a flawless performance: three Finals, three victories! His victory is undisputed. In the FIA Karting Academy Trophy - Junior, thanks to his success in the Final at Mülsen, Finland's Oiva Vettenranta drew level on points with France's Maël Le Marchand, the winner at Valencia. Everything will be decided at the final competition in Italy in September.
For its very first FIA Karting event, the Arena-E in Mülsen and its organising team can be proud of the work accomplished and the success of the event. Sunny and very pleasant weather accompanied the 123 participants from the Timed Qualifying to the Finals, and the public turned out in large numbers to watch the races, which took place at a steady pace on Saturday and Sunday. The 1,315-metre track produced some spectacular races, which were watched with interest by CIK-FIA President Akbar Ebrahim in the German region of Saxony.
In all three categories, LeCont tyres ensured high-quality racing and the satisfaction of the competitors.
KZ: Victory and title for Mattéo Spirgel
Arriving in Mülsen with a significant points deficit behind Pedro Hiltbrand (ESP), Mattéo Spirgel (FRA) didn't really have any calculations to make. After securing pole position, he just had to focus on racing at the front of the field and hope that his rival didn't score too many points. Spirgel won all three of his heats and finished second in Sunday morning's Super Heat behind Senna Van Walstijn (NED), which was enough to secure him the top spot on the starting grid for the Final. He got off to a perfect start and led from start to finish, keeping a close eye on Giuseppe Palomba, who was just a few tenths of a second behind him as the laps went by.
Starting in sixth place, Pedro Hiltbrand (ESP) made an excellent start to the Final and settled comfortably into third place shortly before the halfway point. Winner of the first two rounds of the Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship in Valencia and Sarno, Hiltbrand was virtually champion before being let down by his engine six laps from the finish. European KZ2 Champion in 2024, Spirgel achieved the feat of being crowned European champion once again, but this time in the premier class of gearbox karts. Rather unlucky on Saturday, Danilo Albanese (ITA) climbed from eighth to third and held off Emilien Denner (FRA), who set the fastest lap of the race. A collision deprived Senna Van Walstijn and Cristian Bertuca (ITA) of a possible top result.
Final standings of the 2025 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - KZ AFTER the third and final competition*
1- Spirgel, Matteo (FRA - Sodi / TM Kart) 248 pts
2- Hiltbrand, Pedro (ESP - Birelart / TM Kart) 227 pts
3- Palomba, Giuseppe (ITA - Maranello / TM Kart) 212 pts
4- Nomblot, Jean (FRA - Sodi / TM Kart) 152 pts
5- Bertuca, Cristian (ITA - Birelart / TM Kart) 147 pts
6- Trefilov, David (GER - IPK / TM Kart) 130 pts
7- Albanese, Danilo (ITA - KR / IAME) 110 pts
8- Vasile, Daniel (ROU - Birelart / TM Kart) 110 pts
9- Denner, Emilien (FRA - IPK / TM Kart) 107 pts
10- Gustafsson, Viktor (SWE - CRG / TM Kart) 94 pts
*The provisional Championship standings remain suspended due to the appeal lodged by Trefilov's entrant in Valencia (first competition of the Championship).
Team standings after Mülsen*
1- Sodikart (FRA) 429 pts
2- Birelart Racing (ITA) 374 pts
3- Formula K SRP Factory Team (GER) 237 pts
4- Maranello Kart S.r.l. (ITA) 212 pts
5- KR Motorsport Srl (ITA) 155 pts
6- Tony Kart Racing Team (ITA) 139 pts
The team rankings will be finalised after the World Championship in Franciacorta in October.
KZ2: Maksim Orlov remains undefeated
Winner in Spain and then in Italy, and already assured of the Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship title in KZ2 even before the start of the Final, Maksim Orlov was determined to fight to the end for victory, even though he was only starting from fifth position. He gradually caught up with the leader, Marek Skrivan (CZE), overtook him in an unstoppable manner and sped to his third consecutive victory. Skrivan then had to give way to Jayden Thien (NED) and Timo Jüngling (GBR), who secured a triple victory for the Sodi-TM team of CPB Sport. French manufacturer Sodikart therefore won both titles up for grabs in Mülsen.
Skrivan fell further down the rankings after a difficult Final, with Noah Wolfe (GBR) coming back to fourth place after losing places at the start. Markus Kajak (EST) made a magnificent comeback from 17th to sixth place behind Maximilian Schleimer (GER), who achieved the best result of the German drivers at Mülsen.
Final classification of the 2025 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - KZ2 after the third and final competition
1- Orlov, Maksim (Sodi / TM Racing) 275 pts
2- Kajak, Markus (EST - IPK / TM Kart) 152 pts
3- Schleimer, Maximilian (GER - Sodi / TM Kart) 133 pts
4- Thien, Jayden (NED - Sodi / TM Kart) 116 pts
5- Skrivan, Marek (CZE - IPK / TM Kart) 108 pts
6- Schormans, Kasper (NED - Sodi / TM Kart) 105 pts
7- Jüngling, Timo (GBR - Sodi / TM Racing) 91 pts
8- Goldstein, Elie (BEL - TB Kart / TM Kart) 90 pts
9- Wolfe, Noah (GBR - Birelart / TM Kart) 86 pts
10- Bunatyan, Tigran (IPK / TM Kart) 83 pts...
KZ2 Team standings after Mülsen*
1- CPB Sport (FRA) 526 pts
2- Birelart Racing (ITA) 237 pts
3- Formula K SRP Factory Team (GER) 237 pts
4- CL Racing Team (ITA) 118 pts
5- IPK Factory Team (CZE) 114 pts
6- TBKart Racing Team srl (ITA) 96 pts
The team rankings will be finalised after the World Cup in Franciacorta in October.
Academy - Junior: Vettenranta wins in spite of Frigg
Finishing first in the last race of the morning (B/D), Nik Brecelj (SLO) narrowly took pole position for the Final ahead of Oiva Vettenranta (FIN), while Nicola Frigg (SUI) moved up to third after his victory in Heat A/C. The start of the Final proved fatal for local driver Emilio Bernd (GER), who had hoped to shine from sixth position on the grid. Vettenranta and Frigg immediately took the lead over Brecelj, while positions changed constantly in the middle of the pack. An incident midway through the race led to a slow procedure, bringing the karts back together and adding even more excitement to a Final that was already thrilling.
Frigg, who had overtaken Vettenranta on the second lap and created a small gap, found himself under pressure from his rival. The Finn took his chance and regained the lead three laps from the finish before going on to win. Vettenranta also took advantage of this to draw level on points with Maël Le Marchand in the overall standings. The Frenchman had to settle for a seventh place start due to a collision on Sunday morning, before dropping further back to 13th place. In the FIA Karting Academy Trophy - Junior standings, Julian Rivera Salas still has a chance with 83 points, compared to 84 for his two rivals. In Mülsen, Rivera Salas finished eighth in the Final, which saw Marc Alexander Reistrup (DNK) come back from ninth place to complete the podium, narrowly missed out on by Finlay Lines (GBR). Further back, a group of 10 drivers led by Bautista Panetta (ARG) finished within less than two seconds of each other!
2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy - Junior standings after the second of three competitions
1- Vettenranta, Oiva (FIN) 84 pts
2- Le Marchand, Maël (FRA) 84 pts
3- Rivera Salas, Julian (ECU) 83 pts
4- Lines, Finlay (GBR) 64 pts
5- Frigg, Nicola (SUI) 63 pts
6- Stasionis, Nojus (LTU) 60 pts
7- Poulsen, Erik (SWE) 60 pts
8- Bernd, Emilio (GER) 48 pts
9- Rodriguez Fuente, Hernan (ESP) 47 pts
10- Reistrup, Marc Alexander (DEN) 45 pts...
The full results from Mülsen can be found on the fiakarting.com website.