Chiara Battig still in the lead in OK, Noah Baglin takes the lead in Junior
Before the Super Heats and Finals gave their verdict on the Spanish circuit of Campillos, the Qualifying Heats rearranged the rankings. A new leader emerged in OK-Junior in the form of Britain's Noah Baglin, while Switzerland's Chiara Battig proved herself unbeatable in the intermediate rankings, following her superb pole position on Friday.
A total of 30 Qualifying Heats, 15 in each category, enlivened Friday and Saturday's 2025 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championships - OK & Junior. A very short rain shower disrupted Friday afternoon, forcing the drivers in an OK heat to put on Maxxis rain tyres. The track quickly dried out for the rest of the competition, while the sun made some welcome appearances on Saturday.
The 1,580-metre Spanish circuit at Campillos put on a magnificent show, with constant overtaking at every level of the field. Of the 89 OK and 84 OK-Junior entrants, only the top 72 made it through to Sunday morning's Super Heats. These will then select the 36 finalists in each category.
Chiara Battig keeps the lead in OK
Chiara Battig (SUI) was equally impressive in the Qualifying Heats, with five top three finishes including three victories. Thibaut Ramaekers (BEL) put in an almost identical performance, but lost around ten places in one heat, leaving him in second place. 25th on Friday, James Anagnostiadis (AUS) moved up 22 places thanks to five perfectly controlled runs.
In fourth place in the intermediate ranking with one win, Thomas Pradier (FRA) still has every chance of progressing in the final part of the competition, as does Dries Van Langendonck (BEL), who demonstrated his high potential by winning his last heat. Among the significant improvements, Kenzo Craigie (GBR) moved up from 42nd to 11th place. Jindrich Pesl (CZE), Christian Costoya (ESP), Iacopo Martinese (ITA), Eloi Gonzalez (ESP), Roman Kamyab (GBR), Marco Garst (DEN) and Filippo Sala (ITA) brought the number of different drivers to win a Qualifying Heat to 11.
Top 10 after the OK Qualifying Heats
1- Chiara Battig (SUI - KR / IAME / Maxxis)
2- Thibaut Ramaekers (BEL - KR / IAME / Maxxis)
3- James Anagnostiadis (AUS - KR / IAME / Maxxis)
4- Thomas Pradier (FRA - Tony Kart / Vortex / Maxxis)
5- Dries Van Langendonck (BEL - KR / IAME / Maxxis)
6- Zac Drummond (GBR - KR / IAME / Maxxis)
7- Filippo Sala (ITA - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis)
8- Jensen Burnett (CAN - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis)
9- Elliot Kacynski (SWE - Tony Kart / TM Kart / Maxxis)
10- Oliver Kinmark (SWE - KR / IAME / Maxxis)
Baglin takes over from Zulfikari at the top of the OK-Junior standings
Seven different drivers shared the Qualifying Heat wins, including two drivers who were not among the top 15 in Qualifying Practice: revelations Benjamin Manach (ESP) and Giacomo Giusto (ITA). Iskender Zulfikari (TUR) took pole position and went on to win four races in a row. An incident led to a retirement in his final heat, dropping him back to third in the intermediate rankings.
With three wins, a second place and a third, Noah Baglin (GBR) took the lead ahead of Bosco Arias (ESP). Winners of two and three heats respectively, Henry Domain (GBR) and William Calleja (AUS) are in fourth and fifth positions, although Calleja was the victim of an incident. With two disqualifications, Ilie Crisan (CAN) was the big loser of the day, dropping from sixth to 21st place.
Top 10 after the OK-Junior Qualifying Heats
1- Noah Baglin (GBR - KR / IAME / Maxxis) 235 pts
2- Bosco Arias (ESP - LN / TM Kart / Maxxis) 214 pts
3- Iskender Zulfikari (TUR - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) 213 pts
4- Henry Domain (GBR - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) 206 pts
5- William Calleja (AUS - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) 206 pts
6- Dean Hoogendoorn (NED - KR / IAME / Maxxis) 205 pts
7- Luka Scelles (FRA - KR / IAME / Maxxis) 201 pts
8- Devin Walz (USA - KR / IAME / Maxxis) 188 pts
9- Arata Endo (JPN - Tony Kart / TM Kart / Maxxis) 187 pts
10- Evan Purcell (GBR - KR / IAME / Maxxis) 185 pts
The provisional schedule for the Campillos race
Sunday 6th April
09.00 - 10.05: Warm-up
10.10 - 11.45: Super Heats
13.00 - 15.15: Finals and podiums
The Campillos event can be followed on the www.fiakarting.com website. The races will be broadcast via live streaming.