Five Australians will line up for this weekend’s opening round of the European Karting Championships in Valencia for the OK Junior and Senior Championships, with Victorian, James Anagnostiadis joining the legendary PREMA Racing team.

PREMA is somewhat of a Formula 1 factory – no less than eight participants in this weekend’s Rolex Australian Grand Prix have raced for the Vicenza squad, including Oscar Piastri. Its Formula 2 lineup in Melbourne includes recent Ferrari F1 debutante, Ollie Bearman and Mercedes-AMG F1 aspirant, Kimi Antonelli – it will also field cars in Formula 3 for Gabriele Mini, Dino Breganovic and Arvid Lindblad.

Anagnostiadis joins a strong lineage of well-credentialed Australians that have raced for PREMA. In addition to Piastri, James Wharton (a former Ferrari Academy driver), was recently announced for the team’s 2024 Formula Regional European Championship and Ryan Briscoe raced Formula 3 for four years in the early 2000s for the team.

The Melbourne racer – who won the final round of the Champions of the Future Academy Program in Abu Dhabi last year – relocated to the UK during the Australian summer after sister, Aiva, was selected to be part of the Alpine F1 Academy’s Rac(H)er program. 

Joining Anagnostiadis on the 109-strong OKJ grid will be William Calleja, who recently won the WSK Super Masters Series in the Mini category, and now makes the move up to international Junior competition.

Both face stiff competition to try and make it to Sunday’s Super Heats, with over half the entrants having to pack up before the Final.

In the Senior OK category, Xavier Avramides will continue his European escapades as part of the official Tony Kart factory team.

Joining him in OK – which boasts a 91 kart entrant list – will be Lewis Francis and Dante Vinci.

The latter duo will be part of a KR Motorsports Australian double attack.

The FIA European Karting Championships are also using a 100% sustainable fuel made from second hand biocomponents, developed by P1 Racing Fuels.

Action gets underway Friday with qualifying and the first round of heats before another two heats Saturday, through to the Super Heats and Finals on Sunday. 

Speedcafe.com/karting will livestream both Saturday and Sunday’s action. Saturday’s stream begins at 8:15pm AEDT and Sunday’s from 8:05pm AEDT (times subject to change).

VIDEO: Preview – FIA Karting European OK & OKJ Championships round 1: