| Category | Kart racing |
|---|---|
| Region | International |
| Affiliations | |
| Inaugural season | 2020; 6 years ago (2020) |
| Official website | FIA Karting |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Kart racing |
|---|
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Championships |
60 Mini, also known asMinikart or simplyMini, is an internationalkart racing class sanctioned by theCommission Internationale de Karting (CIK-FIA) for drivers aged 8 to 12. Debuting ininternational competition in 2020,60 Mini is the only under-12direct-drive classhomologated by the FIA, as well as the only yet to host aWorld orEuropean Championship.
The 60 cc Mini class originated inItaly in 1984. Its prominence in national and international championships across Europe led to its recognition by theCIK-FIA in 2020, serving as a feeder category toOK-Junior andOKN-Junior. Several notable drivers have started their international careers in a Mini class, including four-timeFormula One World Drivers' ChampionMax Verstappen.
ACI Sport have also recognised the derivativeMini Group 3 (Gr.3) class since 2020, usingIAME 60 Mini engines. The ACI have also operated aMini U10 class for drivers aged 10 and under—recognised by theCIK-FIA asMini-XS—since 2023.Mini ROK is anothersingle-manufacturer category operated byVortex. The development of the class in the early 21st century has led to concerns about young driver safety, prompting the FIA to regulate its lap times from 2026 onwards.
TheCommission Internationale de Karting (CIK-FIA) was founded in 1962 as a sistercommission to theCSI, later known asFISA and theFIA, to govern internationalkart racing competition.[1] It hosted the firstCIK-FIA World Championship in 1964, which has been held annually since.[2] TheCIK-FIA began itshomologation of distinct classes in the discipline in 1974, when the first 125 ccgearbox category was created for theEuropean Championship:Formula C (FC).[3]
The 100 ccdirect-drive category was clarified in 1976, whenFormula Europe was introduced to control technical evolutions and costs.[4] The direct-drive classes were adapted in 1981, when the 135 ccFormula K (FK), 100 ccIntercontinental A (ICA), andJunior Intercontinental A (ICA-J) were introduced to the World Championship, European Championship, andWorld Cup, respectively.[5] Component technical approvals have been mandated by the CIK-FIA since then.[6] The 250 ccsuperkart category received World Championship–status in 1983, having reached international competition as early as 1976.[7][4]
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The 60cc "Minikart" class debuted at theTorneo delle Industrie in 1984, which was won byLuca Donati; it has remained in the competition every year since.[8]
By the 21st century, theMinime (lit. 'Minimal') category had appeared in France and been contested at a national level byFormula One driversJules Bianchi,[9]Pierre Gasly,[10]Charles Leclerc,[11] andEsteban Ocon.[12] In theBenelux region, the Mini category had reached a national level and was a starting point for four-time World Drivers' ChampionMax Verstappen.[13] TheMini Max category operated byRotax also developed during this period for drivers aged 9 to 12.[14]
The Mini category first appeared at theAndrea Margutti Trophy in 2010,[15] whereAlessio Lorandi emerged victorious.[16] TheGrand Finals of theRotax Max Challenge saw the debut of Mini Max in its 2016 edition at Sarno.[17] SeveralFormula One prodigies emerged in the category throughout the 2010s, includingAndrea Kimi Antonelli,[18]Gabriel Bortoleto,[19]Isack Hadjar,[20]Arvid Lindblad,[21]Nikita Mazepin,[22] andLogan Sargeant.[23] The rise in Mini's prominence has been attributed to the reduced 15-year minimum age to compete inFormula 4 imposed by theFIA.[24]
60 Mini was formally recognised by theCIK-FIA in 2020 to coordinate and unify Mini classes within a single technical regulation.[25] The president of theCIK-FIA,Felipe Massa, underlined the importance of drivers learning their craft on a level playing field.[25]ACI Sport recognised the derivative Mini Group 3 (Gr.3) regulations that year.[26]
In 2023, theCIK-FIA introduced the Mini-XS class for drivers under the age of 10, which was recognised by the ACI as Mini U10 for Gr.3 regulations and debuted at theFIA Motorsport Games in2024.[26][27]
As the Mini category gained prominence in global competition, it also received scrutiny for young driver safety. Described as "a loved and hated category" by Giuliano Ciucci Giuliani ofVroomkart, significant technical evolutions since its debut have vastly increasedengine performance.[28] Test data fromKalì Kart in 2024 showed that a 60 Mini kart atFranciacorta could reach top speeds of 106–108 km/h (66–67 mph), with faster cornering speeds than those present inOK-Junior (OK-J).[24] TheCIK-FIA responded by significantly reducing the performance of Mini engines, which they further requested from theACI Sport–homologated Mini Group 3 (Gr.3).[29] The change led to the flight of young drivers to the more accessible and advancedOKN-Junior (OKN-J), having already experienced the higher performance of Gr.3; Fabio Marangon ofVroomkart commented that "it is not the karts that are going too fast, it is our world that has reached an unacceptable speed", with young drivers continually advancing through thepyramid of motor racing from 12 to 18.[30] Drivers such asAndrea Kimi Antonelli andArvid Lindblad have taken less than seven years to progress from Mini toFormula One.[31][32]
