In OK, the KR brand never goes very long without winning a title. This time, it was Dmitry Matveev's turn to be crowned at the end of a well-controlled meeting. At Franciacorta, it wasn't just the KR Motorsport team that took the podium, as VDK Racing with Thibaut Ramaekers and DPK Racing with Niklas Schaufler in OK-Junior finished their season in style. The end of November was a busy month for the KR Global Motorsport Company, as the Italian factory provided turnkey equipment for the launch of the Champions of the Future Academy in Abu Dhabi, an event which proved a great success.
What better way to end the season than by celebrating a driver on the top step of the podium. While many are already looking ahead to 2024, KR has confirmed the competitiveness of the equipment. The brand from the Padua region amassed many titles throughout the season, both in the categories using FIA Karting homologated equipment (Mini, OK-Junior, OK or KZ) and in the brand cups.
A successful end to the OK season for KR
After Alex Powell (Prema Racing), winner of Champions of the Future, Kirill Kutskov (DPK Racing), World Champion and winner of the WSK Euro Series, Dmitry Matveev clinched the title in the WSK Final Cup. The final part of the season clearly demonstrated the competitiveness of the KR-IAME packages. At Franciacorta, Matveev took pole position ahead of Taym Saleh (Sauber Academy), before holding on to the lead after the Qualifying Heats and Super Heats. In the Final, he only had to secure 2nd place to achieve his goal.
European OK-Junior Vice-Champion Thibaut Ramaekers made a successful transition to OK, finishing 3rd overall. He finished the Final in the same position, winning the best lap of the race. P6 after the heats before running out of steam in the Super Heat, Xavier Avramides was one of the meeting's stars, as was Oleksandr Bondarev.
In the OK-Junior class, KR Motorsport also drew an extremely positive conclusion to the 2023 season. Oleksandr Bondarev was crowned European Champion, Stepan Antonov won the WSK Super Master Series and Iacopo Martinese (Cetilar Racing) won the WSK Euro Series. The Final at Franciacorta will not be remembered, although Niklas Schaufler (DPK Racing) was runner-up. The Austrian climbed no less than 21 places in the Final to move up from 23rd to 2nd place!
Further International recognition for Kart Republic in Abu Dhabi
Promoter RGMMC has launched a new international series which will run over seven meetings in 2024 and has chosen the KR Global Motorsport Company to provide the exclusive equipment for the OK-N Senior and OK-N Junior categories. To launch the concept, an opening event was held from 19th to 22nd November on the Al Forsan circuit in Abu Dhabi. More than 60 KR-IAME karts were shipped to the Middle East for this grand premiere.
"We were very pleased with the way the equipment worked, with very good feedback from the competitors," admitted the RGMMC manager. "The races were very intense, with extremely small gaps between the drivers. Our partnership with the F1 Academy enabled us to attract a large number of female drivers, who made up around 15% of the field, which is much higher than the events we are used to. The 'arrive and drive' concept, which ensures a level playing field and identifies promising talent, was also very much appreciated."