Hoogendoorn and Baglin dominate the OK-Junior Final

Following his victory in the Super Heat, which was run on wet tyres, Will Green (KR Motorsport) took pole position on the grid for the Final race, although the slicks were back in use. Luka Scelles (VictoryLane) got off to a superb start and led the opening laps. Dean Hoogendoorn (Prema Racing), who had already set the fastest time in the Final of the race held the previous week, shifted up a gear and cruised to victory. Noah Baglin (Prema Racing), who was penalised in one heat although he had crossed the finish line as the winner, then drove at a very fast pace to move back up to 2nd position.

Drew Walz (KR Motorsport) climbed from 9th to 5th place. Only an incorrect fairing position deprived his brother Devin of a place in the top 10. Antonio Pizzonia (Fusion Motorsport) confirmed his progress in 7th place ahead of Luka Scelles, Michael Mcgaughy (Koski Motorsport) and Remigiusz Samczyk (Fusion Motorsport).

OK-Junior statistics

86 drivers entered, 45% KR chassis
36 finalists, 44.5% KR-IAME combinations
Qualifying heats: 11 wins
Super Heat 1: Five KR chassis in the top eight
Super Heat 2: Six KR chassis in the top eight
Final: P1, P2 and seven KR-IAME in the top ten
Fastest lap in Final: Green (KR-IAME) 58"504
Championship after Portimão: P1 Baglin, P2 Hoogendoorn
Teams Championship: P1 Prema Racing, P3 KR Motorsport, P5 VictoryLane

Five KR-IAME teams in the top six of the Championship

Zak Drummond (Fusion Motorsport) was the best-placed KR-IAME-equipped driver on the grid for the Final race, and it was he who took 3rd place on the podium. Joe Turney (KR Motorsport) also had every chance of a top three finish before retiring. Winner at Campillos, James Anagnostiadis (Prema Racing) was ideally placed in 5th position at the start of the race to increase his points capital, but had to avoid Turney and lost precious places.

The battle for the top three also involved Daniel Kelleher (KR Motorsport) and Thibaut Ramaekers (VDK Racing), ranked P4 and P6 respectively. Dries Van Langendonck (Prema Racing), who finished 31st in the Timed Qualifying session, made a brilliant recovery to move up to P7. Several drivers are well placed in the European Championship ahead of the races at Viterbo in Italy and Rodby in Denmark, with Anagnostiadis 2nd ahead of Ramaekers, Drummond, Van Langendonck and Kelleher!

OK statistics

85 drivers entered, 54% KR chassis
36 finalists, 50% KR-IAME combinations
Qualifying heats: 7 wins
Super Heat 1: 12 KR chassis in the top 16
Super Heat 2: Four KR chassis in the top 10
Final: Four KR-IAME chassis in the top seven
Championship after Portimão: P2 Anagnostiadis, P3 Ramaekers, P4 Drummond, P5 Van Langendonck, P6 Kelleher
Teams Championship: P1 Prema Racing, P3 KR Motorsport, P4 VDK Racing, P6 Fusion Motorsport, P7 VictoryLane

Comments from Dino Chiesa, Head of KR Global Motorsport Company

"We've already had races disrupted by the weather, but this one was really very special. The grip of the circuit kept changing from heat to heat, and the choice between rain tyres and slicks was never easy. In the end, both Finals benefited from a dry track, but with little grip. In these conditions, I would like to congratulate the technical staff of all our teams, who remained focused in order to make the best possible decisions. Few drivers experienced a race without any problems. This was the case for Dean Hoogendoorn and Noah Baglin. They lost Championship points in the heats, but managed to finish P1 and P2 in the OK-Junior Final, so that's very positive."

"In such conditions, mistakes were hard to avoid for everyone involved in this competition, even the officials. In fact, we saw some officials make mistakes, for example when giving the starts. Today, in a race of this importance, every detail counts, every heat, because there are points to be taken throughout the event."

"In OK, not everything came together to win, but a lot of drivers finished in the top 10 and we remain very well placed in the Championship standings."

About KR Global Motorsport Company

At the end of the 2017 season Dino Chiesa officially presented the new Kart Republic entity and its characteristic logo. The yellow, orange and red colours reflect the colours of the Serenissima Republic which, from 697 to 1797, marked the history of the Padua region, home of the KR brand. The wing refers to those of the lion of St. Mark, the symbol of Venice, the capital of the Venetian Republic.

On 1st January, the KR chassis received CIK-FIA homologation. The success was immediate! In the very first season, the German Hannes Janker became European OK Champion in 2018. A few weeks later, the Italian Lorenzo Travisanutto (KR-IAME) became FIA Karting World Champion. The KR chassis quickly became a reference in the most important international events, as well as in many countries around the world. The successes in FIA Karting followed one another. At the 2022 World Championship in Campillos, less than four years after its launch, KR was the most represented brand in the paddock.

Over the years, the Kart Republic factory has continued to develop, launching the Alonso Kart brand in 2020 and relaunching the famous DAP name in early 2023. The various activities of the Italian company are now grouped under the "KR Global Motorsport Company". The head of the company, Dino Chiesa, is one of the most influential figures in the world of karting. The Italian engineer is also one of the best talent scouts in the world of karting. He has helped the rise of drivers such as Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Nyck De Vries. Many Formula 1 team academies trust him, including those of Mercedes, Red Bull, Alpine and Sauber. The famous Prema Racing team has just announced its entry to the world of karting, in partnership with Kart Republic.