 | |
| Category | Kart racing |
|---|---|
| Region | Europe |
| Affiliations | CIK-FIA |
| Inaugural season | 1972; 53 years ago (1972) |
| Classes | OK,OK-J,KZ,KZ2,KZ2-M |
| Drivers' champion | |
| Official website | Official website |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Kart racing |
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Championships |
Governance |
TheFIA Karting European Championship, officially known as theMondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship for sponsorship reasons, is akart racing competition organised by theCIK-FIA. Alongside theKarting World Championship, it is one of two majorkarting competitions sanctioned by the FIA.
Several past European Champions have progressed to win theFormula One World Drivers' Championship:Michael Schumacher (1987,ICA),Jenson Button (1997,FSA),Lewis Hamilton (2000,FA),Sebastian Vettel (2001,ICA-J), andMax Verstappen (2013,KF andKZ). Other previous champions to winFIA World Championships inauto racing includeYvan Muller (1986,FK),Sébastien Buemi (2002,ICA-J),Kévin Estre (2004,ICA),James Calado (2005,ICA),Michael Christensen (2005,ICA-J), andNyck de Vries (2009,KF3).
In recent years, European Championship has been contested across a season, where the World Championship is hosted as a single event. As of 2024, the European Championship is held across twodirect-drive and threegearbox classes. The primary direct-drive class isOK, and the primary gearbox class isKZ.
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The Karting European Championship was first held in 1972, running a 100ccdirect-drive class won by Italian driver Gabriele Gorini, who retained his titles in 1973 and 1975. In 1979,Cathy Muller became the first woman to win a European title, doing so in the 100cc class. The direct-drive category was contested under 100cc Intercontinental A (ICA) regulations until the introduction of the 135cc Formula K (FK) class in 1982, superseding ICA.
Thegearbox category has since been added, first contested in 1974 in theFormula C (FC) class and won by Dutch driver Aad van Daalen. Between 1979 and 1981, a secondary gearbox class (FC-2) was held but did not return until Intercontinental C (ICC) was displaced as the lead gearbox class by FC in 1996. Gianfranco Baroni won four FC European Championships from 1976 to 1981.
FK ran from 1982 to 1990, and again in 1992, as the primary direct-drive class, until it was replaced by Formula A (FA) and its Super sub-class (FSA). In 1988 and 1989, the Formula Super 100 (S100) class was also contested as a main direct-drive competition.
Michael Schumacher won the 1987ICA European Championship, going on to become the first European Champion to also win theFormula One World Drivers' Championship in1994.
In 1989,Jos Verstappen became the first driver to win two European Championships in the same season with his wins in FS100 and ICA, a feat only repeated in 2013 by his sonMax.
ICC replaced FC as the primary gearbox class in 1983, having been the secondary class in 1982. Walter van Lent became the first non-Italian ICC European Champion in 1990, and the last in the primary gearbox class until Jonathan Thonon in 2008.
From 1993 to 2000, FSA became the pre-eminent class in the direct-drive category, being run alongside its secondary FA class, as well as ICA. The 2000 season was notable for marking the start ofthe fierce rivalry betweenCRG teammatesLewis Hamilton andNico Rosberg, who finished first and second in that year'sFA European Championship, respectively. FA succeeded FSA as the lead class upon the latter's European demise at the end of the 2000 season.
In the gearbox category, ICC was again replaced by FC as the main class in 1996, becoming the secondary class once more. FC would later be renamed to Super-ICC from 2002 onwards.
The 250ccSuperkart category was contested for the first time in 2002, going on to be contested at 18 successive European Championships.
In 2007, the primary direct-drive class becameKF1 and the primary gearbox class becameKZ1, as the CIK-FIA attempted to re-brand global karting. The secondary divisionsKF2 andKZ2 each replaced ICA and ICC; both classes had been contested since the early 1980s.
KF3 also succeeded Junior Intercontinental A (ICA-J) as the junior direct-drive class, later renaming to KF-J in 2013. In 2009, the entire podium—Nyck de Vries,Carlos Sainz Jr. andDaniil Kvyat—went on to graduate toFormula One, the only time this has happened at the European Championship.
Between 2005 and 2008, Marco Ardigò won four consecutivedirect-drive titles withTony Kart, remaining the only driver to complete afour-peat in the European Championship as of 2024. Ardigò is the only driver to have won five European Championships, adding a fifth title inKZ in 2016.
In 2013,Max Verstappen won both theKF andKZ European Championships with CRG, becoming the first—and to this date, only—driver to have won direct-drive and gearbox titles in the same season.
KF2 became the primary direct-drive category in 2010, replacing KF1—known as Super KF in 2009—and ending 28 seasons of secondary direct-drive classes being held at the European Championship. After nine seasons of KF regulations in the direct-drive category, the CIK-FIA shifted towardsOriginal Kart (OK) regulations from 2016 onwards.
In 2017,Spanish-born Moroccan driverSami Taoufik became the first non-European champion in a primary class, winning theOK European Championship withFA Kart.
The 2020 Superkart European Championship, originally scheduled to be hosted atLe Mans–Bugatti, was cancelled amidst theCOVID-19 pandemic in Europe, ending its 18-year tenure under the CIK-FIA banner.[1]
In 2020 and 2021, aged 14 and 15,Andrea Kimi Antonelli won back-to-backOK European Championships, becoming the youngest driver to win multiple primary direct-drive European titles.
The KZ2-Masters class debuted at the 2024 KZ European Championship as a senior gearbox division, limited to drivers aged 35 and above. Italian driver Riccardo Nalon won its inaugural edition, driving for Parolin.
Thedirect-drive andgearbox European Championships are contended on separate dates at variouskart circuits across Europe.
As of 2025, the direct-drive category is run across four separate three-day events, alongside theSenior Academy Trophy. On day one, drivers are sent out for free practice preceding qualifying practice, setting up the next day ofQualifying Heats (QH). These races then set the grids forSuper Heats (SH), which in-turn sets up theFinal (F), with points awarded in all three rounds.
As of 2025, the gearbox category is run across two separate three-day events, alongside theJunior Academy Trophy. As with the direct-drive category, the championship is contended via QH, SH and F, with points awarded in each.
The championship is currently broadcastlive onYouTube by the FIA with live footage, commentary and interviews for all rounds. The opening race of the 2021 direct-drive season atGenk had a record viewership of over 46 thousand people.[2]
The FIA provide live timing for each European Championship round via the FIA Karting website.
| Drivers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| * | Driver has competed inFormula One | ||
| † | Formula One World Drivers' Champion | ||
| ‡ | FIA World Champion in anauto racing discipline | ||
| Tyres | |||
| B | Bridgestone | LC | LeCont |
| C | Carlisle | M | Maxxis |
| D | Dunlop | MG | MG Tires |
| G | Goodyear | M | Mojo |
| K | Komet | V | Vega |
Direct-drive classes have been contested at the European Championship since its inaugural 1972 edition, when it was won by Italian driver Gabriele Gorini in the 100cc class.
Since 2016, the primary direct-drive class has beenOriginal Kart (OK). The class was previously called KF2, replacingKF1 as the primary class in 2010. KF1 had been called Formula A (FA) and Super 100 (FS100) from 1988 to 2006, which had been run secondary to its Super sub-class (FSA) and Formula K (FK) until 2000. FSA was the premier class from 1993 until its demise, with FK holding this honour from 1982 to 1992.
Marco Ardigò holds the record for most primary direct-drive European Championships, with four consecutive titles from 2005 to 2008 with Tony Kart.
Intercontinental A (ICA) was the secondary direct-drive class from 1982 to 2006, being replaced byKF2 until its succession as the lead direct-drive class in 2010.Formula A (FA) was also introduced as an alternative class to Formula K (FK)—and, later, Formula Super A (FSA)—running alongside ICA from 1990 to 2000.
Notable European Champions in the secondary direct-drive classes include seven-timeFormula One World Drivers' ChampionsMichael Schumacher andLewis Hamilton, as well as twoFIA World Endurance Champions:Kévin Estre andJames Calado.
Since 2016, the junior direct-drive class has beenOK-Junior (OK-J) for drivers aged 12 to 14 in the year. The class was called Junior Intercontinental A (ICA-J) from 1989 to 2006, KF3 from 2007 to 2012, and KF-Junior (KF-J) from 2013 to 2015.
Due to the fast progression of talented racing drivers, OK-J has traditionally hosted the mostFormula One prospects at the European Championship as notable drivers often graduate tojunior formulae prior to reaching senior karting divisions such asOK andKZ. Notably, the entire 2009 podium—Nyck de Vries,Carlos Sainz Jr. andDaniil Kvyat—progressed to Formula One. Despite this,Sebastian Vettel remains the only junior European Champion to also win theFormula One World Drivers' Championship.
George Russell is the only driver to win multiple junior direct-drive European Championships, winning back-to-back in 2011 and 2012.
From 1992 to 2001, theGreen Helmet Trophy was contested for cadets aged 7 to 13 under 100cc Intercontinental A (ICA) regulations, originally known as theRainbow Trophy. TheKarting Academy Trophy is regarded as its spiritual successor.
| Year | European Champion | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Runner-up | Third place | Class | Stroke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 |  Ennio Gandolfi | Kalì | Comer | V |  Nicolas Kiesa* |  Marco du Pau | Cadet | 100cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993 | Giorgio Pantano* | Kalì | Parilla | V |  Doug Bell | Thomas Pichler | Cadet | 100cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994 | Cadet | 100cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Cadet | 100cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Nelson van der Pol | Cadet | 100cc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Michael Koel | Mike Conway‡ |  Marvin Bylitza | Cadet | 100cc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 |  Álvaro Parente | Tony Kart | Vortex |  Robert Kubica* | Georigi Garittsen | Cadet | 100cc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 |  Cyndie Allemann | Swiss Hutless | Italsistem | B | Marcel Jeleniowski | Paul di Resta* | Cadet | 100cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Valentino Sebastiani | Marcel Jeleniowski | Mario Josten | Cadet | 100cc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 |  Erik Janiš | Birel | TM | V | Nico Hülkenberg* | Marco Mapelli | Cadet | 100cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | European Champion | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Runner-up | Third place | Class | Stroke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source:[17] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
125ccgearbox classes have been contested at the European Championship since 1974, when it was won by British driver Aad van Daalen in the Formula C class.
Since 2002, the primary gearbox class in the European Championship has beenKZ, previously known as Super-ICC (S-ICC) until 2006 and KZ1 until 2012. KZ superseded Formula C (FC), which had been the primary class since 1974. Intercontinental C (ICC) was contested in place of FC from 1983 to 1995.
Italian drivers have historically dominated the KZ class, winning 39 of the 52 championships altogether, as of 2024. Gianfranco Baroni and Francesco Laudato hold the joint-record for most KZ European Championships, each with four. In 2002, the championship was sharedex-aequo by Laudato and Sauro Cesetti, who both scored 86 points.Max Verstappen is the only driver to win both the KZ European Championship and theFormula One World Drivers' Championship.
Since 2007, the secondary gearbox class in the European Championship has beenKZ2, replacing Intercontinental C (ICC) in international competition. Formula C-2 (FC-2) was contested from 1979 to 1981.
Italian drivers Valerio Sapere and Fabian Federer are the only drivers to win multiple KZ2 European Championships, achieving their second victories in 2000 and 2016, respectively.
Since 2022, the FIA have sanctioned a Masters sub-class forKZ2 at the World Championship, limited to drivers aged 35 and above. TheKZ2-Masters class held its inaugural European Championship season in 2024, won by Italian driver Riccardo Nalon.
| Year | European Champion | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Runner-up | Third place | Class | Stroke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Riccardo Nalon | Parolin | TM | D |  Anthony Abbasse |  Kristijan Habulin | KZ2-M | 125cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Antonio Piccioni | TK | TM | D | Kristijan Habulin | Fabio Bifulco | KZ2-M | 125cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source:[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
From 2002 to 2019, the 250ccSuperkart category was contested at the European Championship. This category also includes the Superkart-2 (SK-2) division, contested in 2003 and 2004.
The Superkart (SK) class was contested for 18 seasons, predominantly being dominated by British and French drivers.Peter Elkmann won the most Superkart European Championships, with four.
A secondary superkart class was contested three times between 2003 and 2006. Asingle-cylinder category was re-introduced in 2016.
| Year | European Champion | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Runner-up | Third place | Class | Stroke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Andrew Agnew | Anderson |  Rotax | B | Michal Bartak | Malcolm Crowe | SK-2 | 250cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Michael Sadurski | PVP |  Gas Gas | B | Gavin Bennett | Nathan Freke | SK-2 | 250cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | No secondary superkart class contested | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Guido Kleinemeyer | PVP | Gas Gas | B | Wolfgang Fritz | Marcel Maasmann | SK-2 | 250cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 – 2015 | No secondary superkart class contested | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Gavin Bennett | Anderson |  DEA | D | Paul Platt | Donald Kennedy | SK-SC | 250cc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source:[6][23] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
