Gunskirchen – The 2026 Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy officially got underway at the Cremona Circuit, hosting the opening round of the championship. With 227 verified drivers competing across the five Rotax categories - Mini MAX, Junior MAX, Senior MAX, DD2 and DD2 Masters - the event confirmed the strong appeal of the series and set the tone for the four-round European season.
The Italian venue once again delivered a demanding challenge for drivers and teams, with changing track conditions throughout the weekend playing a key role in shaping the results. Dry running dominated the early stages, while intermittent rain during the heats and Finals introduced an additional strategic factor, rewarding those able to adapt quickly.
Friday – Qualifying Opens The Competition
Friday marked the beginning of competitive action with Qualifying Practices and the first heats, immediately highlighting the depth of the field.
In Mini MAX, Joshua Cooke (KR Sport) secured the overall pole position. In the second qualifying group, Robin Raikkonen (Kartshop.CH) set the fastest lap, his group proving only marginally slower than Cooke’s. The first heats already confirmed the competitiveness of the class, with Cooke and Mik Klinkers (Bouvin Power) sharing the early victories.
Junior MAX saw Majus Mazinas (KR Sport) emerge as the overall pole sitter. The Lithuanian led Group 2, where rookie Emerson MacAndrew-Uren (Dan Holland Racing) secured second. In Group 1, the fastest lap came from Leo Gonzalez (MKC Motorsport). The first heats saw wins split between Kai Clarke (Strawberry Racing) and MacAndrew-Uren.
The large Senior MAX field was divided into four qualifying groups. Macauley Bishop (Dan Holland Racing) secured the overall pole position, while the other groups saw fastest laps from Dragos Avasilcutei (MKC Motorsport), Harry Freeman (KR Sport) and Luca Schlegl (Kraft Motorsport). The first heats produced several winners, including Avasilcutei, Jeremy Reuvers (KC Campillos) and Nik Trobec (KSB Racing) with two victories each, while Tino Sidler (KR Sport) and Scott Marsh (Strawberry Racing) also claimed wins.
In DD2, Hugo Dupont (Gkart53) secured pole position, while Nicolas Picot (Privateer) once again set the benchmark in DD2 Masters. The opening DD2 heat was won by Jakub Bezel (Kraft Motorsport), while Picot secured victory in Masters.
Saturday – heats decide the prefinals grid
Saturday was dedicated entirely to the remaining qualifying heats, which determined the starting grids for Sunday’s Prefinals. A total of 22 heats were contested during the day, with rain in the afternoon reshuffling the order in several categories.
In Mini MAX, Mik Klinkers (Bouvin Power) climbed to the top of the standings after the heats, moving ahead of Friday’s pole sitter Cooke. Behind them, the British contingent remained strong, with James Roots (Dan Holland Racing) and Austin Oman (Sam Pollitt Racing) also well positioned. Robin Raikkonen (Kartshop.CH) completed the top five.
In Junior MAX, the lead changed hands several times before Emerson MacAndrew-Uren (Dan Holland Racing) emerged at the top of the standings, ahead of Marcel Popakul (RS Competition). Strong recovery drives defined the category: Kai Clarke (Strawberry Racing) climbed from 13th to third, Jack Collison (Hunter Motorsport) gained 26 places to finish fourth, while Luca Holmes-Balac (Strawberry Racing) moved up from 22nd to fifth. It was a difficult heat phase for Friday’s pole sitter Mazinas, who dropped down the order.
The highly competitive Senior MAX category saw Scott Marsh (Strawberry Racing) lead the field at the end of the heats. Starting from 19th place, the British driver adapted well to the slippery track conditions. Lewis Gilbert (Potenza Racing) finished second overall and secured pole position for Prefinal B, while Nik Trobec (KSB Racing) moved up to third ahead of Brad Vanderveken (Bouvin Power). Harry Freeman (KR Sport) completed the top five.
In DD2 / DD2 Masters, local driver Michael Rosina (MKC Motorsport) secured pole position for the Prefinal ahead of Jakub Bezel (Kraft Motorsport) and fellow Italian Leonardo Baccaglini (Schepers Racing). In DD2 Masters, Nicolas Picot (Privateer) remained the reference driver.
Sunday – Finals Confirm The First Winners
Sunday brought the weekend to a close with Prefinals and Finals, once again influenced by changing weather conditions.
The combined DD2 / DD2 Masters Final produced an Italian 1–2 finish, with Michael Rosina (MKC Motorsport) taking victory ahead of Leonardo Baccaglini (Schepers Racing). Jakub Bezel (Kraft Motorsport) completed the overall podium.
In DD2 Masters, Nicolas Picot (Privateer) secured another win ahead of Dimo Notafrancesco (Kartteam Meier) and Miro Svagusa (P.Performance Karting).
In Mini MAX, James Roots (Dan Holland Racing) initially crossed the line first, but a post-race penalty reshuffled the result. The win therefore went to Joshua Cooke (KR Sport), who also secured the first Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals ticket of the season. Logan Rolfe (KR Sport) finished second ahead of Charlie Page (Privateer).
The Junior MAX Final was affected by rain in the closing laps. A red flag stopped the race and froze the classification. Kai Clarke (Strawberry Racing) crossed the line first, but a penalty after the race promoted Zdenek Babicek (Dan Holland Racing) to victory. Luca Holmes-Balac (Strawberry Racing) and Rares Pascu (Dan Holland Racing) completed the podium.
In Senior MAX, rain once again proved decisive. Drivers who opted for wet tyres gained a clear advantage, and Nico Trobec (KSB Racing) made the right strategic call to secure victory ahead of Tobias Normann (RS Competition) and Jack West (MLC Motorsport). Yoeri Schoens (RS Competition) finished fourth.
Next up: Wackersdorf
Mixed weather conditions and intense racing made for an exciting opening round of the 2026 Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy at Cremona.
The championship now moves on to Round 2, scheduled for Wackersdorf, Germany, during the weekend of May 3, where the fight for the Euro Trophy titles will continue.
Final Podiums
Rotax Max Challenge Euro Trophy 2026, Round 1
Mini MAX
1- Joshua Cooke
2 - Logan Rolfe
3 - Charlie Page
Junior MAX
1 - Zdenek Babicek
2 - Lucas Holmes-Balac
3 - Rares Pascu
Senior MAX
1 - Nico Trobec
2 - Tobias Normann
3 - Jack West
DD2
1 - Michael Rosina
2 - Leonardo Baccaglini
3 - Jakub Bezel
DD2 Masters
1 - Nicolas Picot
2 - Dimo Notafrancesco
3 - Miro Svagusa