OK-Junior: Dean Hoogendoorn European Champion

In Rodby, the changeable weather conditions did not make the drivers' job any easier and made the teams' work difficult. Nevertheless, it was necessary to stay the course throughout the competition, which the Kart Republic family accomplished in Denmark. From the Qualifying Heats onwards, the victories came thick and fast, with Dutchman Dean Hoogendoorn (Prema Racing) leading on Saturday evening.

The Final was then contested on rain tyres. In these conditions, Frenchman Luka Scelles (VictoryLane) showed his talent by climbing onto the second step of the podium. Hoogendoorn took no unnecessary risks to maintain his lead in the overall standings. Mission accomplished! With a solid 4th place, he was crowned 2025 OK-Junior European Champion. By scoring points for 5th place, Noah Baglin (Prema Racing) secured his place on the final podium of the Championship. In addition, Prema Racing leads the Team Championship, which will be decided at the World Championship in Franciacorta.

OK: Double European podium confirmed for KR

All the teams in KR-IAME colours stepped up their game in Rodby. After adjusting the settings for dry conditions, they had to adapt to rain on Sunday. This was confirmed with victories for Zac Drummond (Fusion Motorsport) and Kenzo Craigie (Prema Racing) in Super Heats A and B. In the Final, the track was wet in places, with the racing line drying out, making tyre choice difficult. 15 of the 36 finalists opted for treaded tyres, which ultimately proved to be the right solution, as light rain returned during the Final.

Starting in 10th place, Kenzo Craigie (Prema Racing) did well to finish on the third step of the podium. Zac Green (DPK Racing) gained 15 places on his return to finish in 5th position ahead of Zac Drummond (Fusion Motorsport), who did well in the Championship by finishing 3rd. Congratulations also to Oliver Kinnmark (Koski Motorsport) for his place in the top 10 after gaining 21 places. Starting 3rd after an excellent meeting, Iacopo Martinese (Cetilar Racing) was less successful, as was Thibaut Ramaekers (VDK Racing).

Of course, consistency throughout the Championship was required to finish in the top three, which James Anagnostiadis (Prema Racing) and Zac Drummond managed to achieve, finishing in 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the FIA Karting European Championship. In the team standings, Prema Racing and KR Motorsport are in the top two places.

Comment from Dino Chiesa, head of KR Global Motorsport Company

"We have just competed in two difficult European Championships against tough competition, and I would like to highlight the overall success of the drivers equipped with the chassis developed by the Kart Republic factory. In each of the four events, we had at least one driver on the podium in both OK and OK-Junior, which represents 12 podiums out of a possible 24. These are in addition to the impressive result achieved in the final standings of the FIA Karting European Championship, which saw four podiums out of six available places. Congratulations to Dean Hoogendoorn for his OK-Junior title, but also to Noah Baglin, James Anagnostiadis and Zac Drummond. These congratulations also go to the teams, IAME, the engine manufacturers and all those who work behind the scenes in the organisations. Our equipment proved to be fast and consistent throughout all the events.

Looking back at the Rodby event, it was certainly disrupted by the weather conditions, but I must say that some of the decisions made by the race management and marshals were quite disconcerting, whether it was the timing of the OK Final, the blue chevron flags or when a driver wanted to restart legitimately. I hope we won't see such decisions in an event as important as a World Championship. An international race should not resemble a lottery."

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.