OK success concludes positive season for VictoryLane
Racing in the FIA Karting OK and OK-Junior categories for the first time in 2024, the VictoryLane team rounded off its season in style with victory for Rocco Coronel at Cremona in the final round of the WSK Final Cup. The latest success in the most competitive category in world karting confirms the direction taken by the team this season, its working methods and its decision to join forces with the Kart Republic and IAME brands.
A controlled Final for Rocco Coronel
3rd in the OK-Junior World Championship with the team that trained him over the last two seasons, Rocco Coronel made an impressive debut in OK at the WSK Final Cup. Already in the top eight at Lonato, he got his competition off to the best possible start with pole position, just a month after his 14th birthday. Winner of his three heats with particularly competitive equipment, the Dutchman managed the Final with great maturity to impose the VictoryLane colours at the chequered flag, moving up to 4th in the overall standings.
Overall top performances
The VictoryLane team had the confidence of many for this final WSK Promotion series of the season, with eight drivers in OK, two in OK-Junior and one in OK-N Junior. Canadian Alexandre Chartier and Joseph Smith battled it out at the front after Qualifying in the top 10 in OK. Switzerland's Chiara Bättig set two fastest laps in the race, including one in the Super Heat. In the Final, she climbed back up to 9th place. Hungary's Tamas Gender Jr continued to progress, while Ukraine's Mark Brovko earned his place in the Final. Frenchman Louis Cochet came 14th in his second OK race. The team sends its best wishes for a speedy recovery to Florentin Hattemer, who crashed in the first heat.
In OK-Junior, Luka Scelles was able to fight for the podium in Lonato for his second attempt in OK-Junior. He was fast again at Cremona and finished the WSK Final Cup in a promising 7th place. An excellent 5th in Qualifying, Dutchman Luuk Taal unfortunately had to retire in the Final. Despite his limited international experience, Téo Policand put in a very fine performance in the OK-N Junior class, climbing from 18th to 11th place in his KR-IAME.
Comments from Nicolas Martins, VictoryLane team manager: "The whole team can be really proud of what we've achieved in our very first year in the OK and OK-Junior categories. Since our top-five finish in the WSK Champions Cup in OK-Junior in January, many extremely positive things have happened, right up to Rocco Coronel's victory in OK at Cremona in the WSK Final Cup. I'm thinking of this success in Champions of the Future, the home podium in the FIA European Karting Championship at Val d'Argenton and the even more rewarding top three in the World Championship at PFI, which enabled us to finish 4th in the OK-Junior team rankings. Our decision to join the Kart Republic group was one of the key elements in this adventure which, I would remind you, has only just begun. We're battling it out at every event against much more experienced teams. I'd like to thank IAME and engine manufacturer KVS for their expertise, as well as our team manager Aurélien Fath and all his technical staff, who have done an incredible job. On the one hand on the equipment, but above all on the development of the drivers. Our working methods have proved their worth, and this has encouraged us to be even more ambitious in 2025. VictoryLane will be a force to be reckoned with.”