As the 2025 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship - OK & Junior got underway on Friday 4th April at the Campillos International Kart Center, the Qualifying sessions were eagerly awaited to provide an initial overview of the season’s talents. Despite threatening skies, with an occasional few drops of rain, the 173 drivers were able to use slick tyres from the first to the last session. In southern Spain, Chiara Battig (SUI) took pole position in the OK class, while Iskender Zulfikari (TUR) was fastest in the OK-Junior class.
 

The tension was palpable as the first drivers got ready to take their karts to the pre-grid at the Campillos circuit, especially as rain began to fall. The shower soon stopped, leaving the drivers to take to the track, which although tricky, was virtually dry. In each category, the drivers were divided into three groups and only a light shower slightly disrupted the last OK session. The Maxxis tyres played their role perfectly in the uncertain weather conditions. The competition promises to be a long one, with a total of 30 Qualifying Heats lasting until Saturday evening, before a big day on Sunday devoted to the Super Heats and Finals.

Chiara Battig: a woman on pole position in OK

Chiara Battig's performance is rare enough to merit a mention, but could be repeated more frequently in the future, given the increase in the number of women competing in karting in recent years, especially at the highest international level. Already very fast in Free Practice, the Swiss driver set the fastest time in Group 2 with 1:00.039 at an average speed of 94.7 km/h, bettering the time set in Group 1 by Thibaut Ramaekers (BEL) of 1:00.376. On a track dampened by light rain, Thomas Pradier (FRA) did well in Group 3 with a lap of 1:03.487. Behind Battig, Ramaekers and Pradier, the following positions went to Dries Van Langendonck (BEL), Jindrich Pesl (CZE) and Lev Krutoholov (UKR).
 

Chiara Battig's comment: ‘I was pretty confident when I set off for Qualifying, as I regularly set excellent lap times during Free Practice. The track didn't offer as much grip as I would have liked, but I managed a perfect lap. I have to admit that I was lucky to be in the group that benefited from the best conditions. That's part of the game! I'm very happy, because it's another pole position for me after the one I achieved at the FIA Motorsport Games in 2024 in Valencia in the Junior category.’
 

Top 10 OK qualifiers
1- Chiara Battig (SUI - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 1:00.039
2- Thibaut Ramaekers (BEL - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 1:00.376
3- Thomas Pradier (FRA - Tony Kart / Vortex / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 1:00.487
4- Dries Van Langendonck (BEL - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 1:00.204
5- Jindrich Pesl (CZE - Tony Kart / Vortex / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 1:00.412
6- Lev Krutoholov (UKR - Energy / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 1:00.053
7- Filippo Sala (ITA - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 1:00.210
8 - Borys Lyzen (POL - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 1:00.445
9- Zac Drummond (GBR - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 1:00.228
10- Jensen Burnett (CAN - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 1:00.228

Turkish driver Iskender Zulfikari the early leader in OK-Junior

By the time Qualifying got underway in the OK-Junior class, all the young drivers were aware of the importance of this phase if they were to have any hope of a good result in Andalusia. In 1:02.483, Henry Domain (GBR) set the first reference time in Group 1, ahead of Ilie Crisan (CAN) and Bosco Arias (ESP) by extremely narrow margins of 26 and 43 thousandths respectively.
 

Track conditions improved slightly for Group 2, where Iskender Zulfikari (TUR) emerged on top with a time of 1:02.017. William Calleja (AUS) closed to within a tenth of a second ahead of Luka Scelles (FRA). Dean Hoogendoorn (NED), announced as one of the favourites, confirmed his position at the top of Group 3 with a lap of 1:02.302, although he failed to beat Zulfikari's remarkable time. The gaps between the drivers in this final group were particularly small, with Antonio Pizzonia (ITA), Noah Baglin (GBR) and Dan Allemann (SUI) all within a tenth of Hoogendoorn.
 

Iskender Zulfikari's comment: ‘The team and I did a lot of fine-tuning to find the best possible balance between chassis, engine and tyres. I managed to position myself ideally so I was not hampered on my last flying lap and it paid off. When I arrived this morning, I felt that I was capable of going for this pole position and I'm delighted to have achieved my objective.’
 

Top 10 OK-Junior qualifiers
1- Iskender Zulfikari (TUR - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 1:02.017
2- Dean Hoogendoorn (NED - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 1:02.302
3- Henry Domain (GBR - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 1:02.483
4- William Calleja (AUS - Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 1:02.126
5- Antonio Pizzonia (ITA - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 1:02.319
6- Ilie Crisan (CAN - Tony Kart / Vortex / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 1:02.509
7- Luka Scelles (FRA - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 1:02.370
8 - Noah Baglin (GBR - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.3 - 1:02.337
9- Bosco Arias (ESP - LN / TM Kart / Maxxis) Gr.1 - 1:02.526
10- Luuk Taal (NED - KR / IAME / Maxxis) Gr.2 - 1:02.411
 

The provisional schedule for the Campillos race

Saturday 5th April
09.00 - 10.13: Warm-up
10.20 - 17.55: Qualifying Heats
 

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 website. A live stream will be broadcast on Saturday and Sunday.