Reigning World Karting Champion Nyck De Vries dominated the opening round of the 2011 championship held at the Pro Kart Raceland in Wackersdorf, Germany at the weekend.

The 15 year-old claimed the victory of all four races held across the weekend in convincing fashion – his most dominant coming on Saturday with a 7.4 second margin in race two.

While dominant, the Zanardi driver was challenged in the final two races of the weekend with RK (Robert Kubica) driver Karol Basz maintaining pace during the early running of race three.

When Basz was challenged by German Sébastien Bailly, it provided De Vries with some breathing space.

In the final race of the weekend, run under a new format for the World Championship – which now consists of four races at each of the five rounds, De Vries dropped to fifth place at the start.

Showing true maturity as soon as gaps appeared, De Vries made his way forward and by the third lap he was in front never to be headed again. Basz again appeared to be a strong challenger but a contact late in the race dropped him down to eighth.

Bailly was again in the thick of things and a determined drive took him to the head of the chasing pack and a deserved second place.

In the European KZ1 Championship, held alongside the opening round of the 2011 World Karting Championship, it was Energy driver Paolo De Conto who followed his 2010 European Championship in KZ2 with a champion’s display in KZ1 this year.

While he held a healthy lead, De Conto’s life was made easier when second placed runner Marco Ardigo retired with a deflated tyre. CRG driver Jonathan Thonon followed him out for the same reason on the next lap.

In the European KZ2 Championship it was CRG driver Fabian Federer who scored a comfortable two-second victory over Swede Joel Johansson with Mirko Torsellini third.

The next round of the World Championship is scheduled for July 21-24 at Zuera in Spain.