KR tops the statistics

No fewer than 340 drivers took part in the WSK Promotion at South Garda Karting, and it was the KR brand that topped the statistics with 92 chassis entered, i.e. 27% of the field across all categories. From Mini to KZ2, as well as the IAME brand cup, many drivers and teams put their trust in KR.

Pole position and victory in the Final for Matveev in OK

Dmitry Matveev put in a solid performance at Lonato. The young KR Motorsport driver took pole position and rarely left the top spot during the meeting. However, he dropped back to 2nd at the start of the Final, but regained the lead on the seventh lap, before storming to victory. Still a Junior at the recent World Championship, Salim Hanna confirmed his rapid adaptation to the OK category by finishing 5th in the Prema Racing colours. European OK-Junior Champion at the wheel of a KR-IAME, Oleksandr Bondarev made his OK debut and did not fail to shine. He won the Super Heat, before the first lap of the Final unfortunately proved to be the end of his race. There were plenty of KR chassis in the Final, such as those of Gerasim Skulanov (DPK Racing) and Enea Frey (VDK Racing), who finished P10 and P11 respectively.

Two top five finishes including a podium in OK-Junior

Already crowned 2023 OK World Champion with Kirill Kutskov, the DPK Racing team once again distinguished itself, this time by allowing Niklas Schaufler to climb onto the second step of the podium in Lonato. The Austrian also set the fastest lap of the Final. A candidate for victory, Iacopo Martinese finished P4 after starting P5. The Kart Republic factory was delighted to see the Victory Lane team adopt the KR chassis. With the French team, Rocco Coronel proved to be very fast. The Dutchman was P10 at the chequered flag, before being demoted due to a penalty. Of the 12 drivers in the Final with KR chassis, David Cosma-Cristofor finished P9 and Matt Corbi (VDK Racing) P11.

"The WSK Final Cup has got off to an excellent start for the KR Global Motorsport Company," commented Tom Joyner, one of the Italian brand's competition managers. "We'll be at Franciacorta to fight for the titles in both OK and OK-Junior. At Lonato, we benefited from excellent weather conditions, even if the temperature remained cool, particularly in the morning. The track was often slippery, with little grip. The technical staff from the various teams using the chassis did an excellent job of adapting to the situation. I would like to congratulate Dmitry Matveev on his victory in OK. Congratulations also to Bogdan Cosma Cristofor of the Driver Racing Kart Team who won the X30 Junior class with his KR chassis, even though he was still racing a Mini a few days earlier!"

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.