| Category | Kart racing |
|---|---|
| Region | International |
| Affiliations | CIK-FIA |
| Inaugural season | 1981; 44 years ago (1981) (asIntercontinental A) |
| Drivers' champion | |
| Teams' champion | |
| Official website | Official website |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Kart racing |
|---|
 |
Championships |
Governance |
Original Kart (OK) is akart racing class for drivers aged 14 and over, sanctioned by theCIK-FIA. OK is the primarydirect-drive class inFIA championships.
The class was originally calledIntercontinental A (ICA), first introduced in 1981 at theEuropean Championship as a secondary direct-drive class toFormula K. The class was first contested at theWorld Cup in 2006. In 2007—after 26 seasons of racing—ICA was replaced byKF2 and became the primary class in 2010, replacingKF1 at theWorld Championship. The KF2 class was renamed toKF upon the demise of KF1 in 2013, and was replaced by OK regulations in 2016.
OK is contested as the primary direct-drive class at theKarting World Championship and theKarting European Championship.
In 1981, Intercontinental A (ICA) was introduced alongsideFormula K as a secondarydirect-drive class for theEuropean Championship.
Stefano Modena completed back-to-backICA European Championships in 1984, a feat that would not be repeated untilAndrea Kimi Antonelli under OK regulations in 2021.
TheICA World Cup was introduced in 2006, the final year of ICA regulations, won by French driver Mike Courquin.
In January 2007, theCIK-FIA decided to replace the 100 cc water-cooledtwo-stroke ICA engines with 125 cc Touch-and-Go (TaG) water-cooled two-stroke KF2 engines, producing 34–36 hp (25–27 kW). Now the secondary class toKF1—which had replacedFormula A—the KF2 class karts used hand-operated front brakes via a lever. The chassis had to be CIK-approved, with a minimum weight of 160 kg and 158 kg for national and international events, respectively. KF2 karts were equipped with an electric starter and acentrifugal clutch. The engine waslimited to 15,000 rpm.
In 2010, karts of the KF2 category were mandated at theKarting World Championship as the primary direct-drive category, alongside the European Championship, replacing KF1 in both.[1] KF1 returned to the World Championship in 2011 and 2012, reverting KF2 back to World Cup status, but met its demise at the end of the 2012 season. With the end of KF1 regulations, KF2 became known as simply KF and returned to the World Championship as the primary class once more.
In 2016, Original Kart (OK) regulations replaced KF in the direct-drive category, after its perceived failure within the kart racing community and restrictive regulations resulted in reduced entries at international competitions.[2] OK karts had much of the electronics removed, and had to be push-started.
There are eight main technical features of the OK regulations:[3]
Engines, chassis, bodywork, brakes and tyres are subject to the homologation system put in place by the CIK-FIA. Each year, the tyres and the fuel for each category, as well as the KZ and KZ2 carburettor, are chosen after a call for tenders.
OK has been contested at theEuropean Championship since 1981 and theWorld Championship/World Cup since 2006, becoming the primary direct-drive class in 2010.
Italian driver Lorenzo Travisanutto is the only driver to win multipleOK World Championships. Notable OK World Champions include2020–21 Formula E World ChampionNyck de Vries andFormula One driverLando Norris.
ItalianFormula One driversStefano Modena andAndrea Kimi Antonelli are the only drivers to win multipleOK European Championships. Notable OK European Champions includeFormula One World Drivers' ChampionsMichael Schumacher andMax Verstappen.
| 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 |
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