European regulars Lewis Francis and James Anagnostiadis will lead the charge in OK, while William Calleja and Sebastian Eskandari-Marandi line up in OKJ. Recently crowned Australian champions Liam Carr and Braxton Regan, along with AKC front-runner Mason Lucchitti, will also make their FIA Karting debuts in OKJ.
Of the seven Australians, only Calleja and Eskandari-Marandi will not be aligned with Kart Republic, the powerhouse team that has redefined the sport in recent years. In Australia alone, Kart Republic chassis have claimed six of the eight national titles in 2024, making it 14 from the last 24.
That dominance was reinforced at last weekend’s Champions of the Future event at the Asum Ring, where Kart Republic won in both categories, locked out the top eight in OK, and filled 14 of the top 20 positions. In OKJ, they secured eight of the top 20.
Whilst Kart Republic have been on the most dominant run ever seen at an FIA Karting level it is not all down to just their equipment.
Currently the KR team house seven drivers that are part of Formula 1 junior programs, along with Joe Turney, who has largely been considered the best karting driver in the world for the last few years.
Pair that with an onslaught of talent from around the world, and the Dino Cheisa team appears almost untouchable.
Still, challengers are lining up. Calleja and Marandi will look to take the fight to KR with OTK karts, while Oskari Walle, Iskender Zulfikari, and Zdenek Babicek — brother of Kimi Antonelli’s partner Eliska Babickova — are also tipped to feature in OKJ.
In OK, 2022 KZ world champion Viktor Gustafsson will try to topple Kart Republic on home soil with CRG, while Christian Costoya’s Parolin squad will be aiming to repeat their FIA European Championship success earlier this year.
For any driver outside the Kart Republic stable, however, breaking their stranglehold in Kristianstad will be a formidable task.
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