New track to kick off the DKM season
Mariembourg, Belgium, hosts the German Kart Championship for the first time. There is a full field of 188 drivers, and this is the first showdown in the “Road to DTM” competition.
After a winter break spanning over six months, the engines are set to roar back to life in the German Kart Championship (DKM) this weekend. The top German karting series takes its drivers to the 1.366-kilometre kart track near Mariembourg (Belgium). 188 competitors will line up in Belgium on 19th and 20th April, guaranteeing exciting racing as they battle it out for the first points of the season. The anticipation is palpable: for many drivers and teams, this is the first outing at the track near the French border. New this season is Aspen+, a specially developed racing fuel to be used in every kart. Fans can follow both race days via a live timing service and livestream at adac.de/motorsport or on the ADAC Motorsport YouTube channel.
The DKM remains the international spearhead of German karting in 2025 and will again reward the best-placed driver in the DKM born in 2008 or later with funding as part of the “Road to DTM”. This sees ADAC e.V. continue its extensive youth development concept and entitles the winner to a free starting place in ADAC GT4 Germany in the 2026 season. In addition to the DKM, the German Junior Kart Championship (DJKM) is also open to international drivers and has enjoyed a pleasing rise in the number of competitors. The four remaining national categories – the German Mini Kart Championship (DMKM), DMSB Shift Kart Cup (DSKC), and the X30 Juniors and X30 Seniors in the IAME Series Germany – round off the attractive support programme for the German Kart Championship.
As well as the new track, there is also a new standard fuel in the German Kart Championship. Aspen+ has been developed especially for small engines without exhaust gas treatment and has already successfully established itself in the karting scene in the USA and Sweden. When it comes to tyres, the partners remain unchanged: the DKM, DJKM, DMKM and DSKC will continue to run on Vega tyres, while the IAME Series Germany will use Komet tyres in the X30 Juniors and X30 Seniors classes.
As early as Saturday, after qualifying, the pole-setters in all classes will receive a Pole Position Award from racing glove manufacturer 32Five. Qualifying is followed by the heats, which will determine grid positions for the super heats on Sunday. The top 36 drivers in each class will then go head-to-head in the finals.