Despite crossing the line fourth, Riccardo Ferrari became the first winner of the new FIA Karting Academy Trophy “Senior” on the weekend at the Portimao round of the European OK and OK-Junior championships.
The Italian was awarded the win in the spec category (all drivers on Exprit/Vortex OK-N karts) after the top three each received a penalty.
Australian Annabel Kennedy contested class. On a greasy track but with most drivers on slicks, the Gold Coaster moved up to ninth at one point, and ultimately crossed the line 14th.
Of the other Australians, James Anagnostiadis qualified third in OK but dropped to a P9 start in the final. He quickly moved to fourth, but a couple of spits of rain while in battle for third saw the Mercedes-backed driver run wide, dropping a wheel off and shuffled back to 13th. Pro karter Joe Turney was also caught out by the rain drops, spinning out of the race. Anagnostiadis crossed the line 9th.
In Junior, William Calleja had a great run in the heats with a couple of seconds and fourths, plus victory in his Super Heat to line up P2 for the Final. Unfortunately, a scrappy opening lap dropped him towards the tail of the field. He clawed his way back to 15th across the line and was officially 11th after all the penalties had been applied.
Aussie Wrap
James Anagnostiadis (OK, KR/IAME)
Q: 3 (of 85). Ranking after heats: 9. Final: 9th.
Lewis Francis (OK, KR/IAME)
Q: 34 (of 85). Ranking after heats: 18. Final: 25th (penalty)
William Calleja (OK-Junior, Exprit/TM)
Q: 9 (of 86). Ranking after heats: 2. Final: 11th.
Sebastian Eskandari-Marandi (OK-Junior, Tony Kart/Vortex)
Q: 17 (of 86). Ranking after heats: 27. Final: 21st (penalty)
Annabel Kennedy (Academy Senior, Exprit/Vortex)
Q: 25 (of 36). Ranking after heats: 26. final: 13th (penalty)
- full results HERE
from FIA Karting
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The debut of the new FIA Karting Academy Trophy – Senior lived up to all its promises. On the Algarve International Circuit, the races were both close and open and Italy’s Riccardo Ferrari became the first winner in the category. The drivers had to contend with changing weather conditions over three days, but the Finals benefited from a mostly dry track. In the Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship, Spain’s Christian Costoya in OK and Dutchman Dean Hoogendoorn in OK-Junior took the top step of the podium.
OK: Costoya wins despite pressure from Wolfe
After taking pole position for the Final, Christian Costoya (ESP) got off to a perfect start, which was not the case for the outside line led by Lev Krutoholov (UKR) and Joe Turney (GBR). Starting fifth, Noah Wolfe (GBR) immediately passed these two drivers, as well as his compatriot Zak Drummond, to set off in pursuit of Costoya. Wolfe managed to come back to within two tenths of the leader, before Costoya raised his pace again to protect himself from an attack from his rival. Third in the previous competition in Spain, the Spaniard from the Parolin Motorsport team took advantage of the situation to take over from James Anagnostiadis (AUS) in the lead of the Championship. Fifth at the start of the race after a good start, the Australian lost time when he had to avoid Turney, who was forced to retire. Winner in Campillos, Anagnostiadis could do no better than ninth.
There was a superb battle for the third step of the podium. Drummond held on despite the five drivers in his wake: Daniel Kelleher (IRL), Roman Kamyab (GBR), who came back from 16th position with the fastest lap of the race, Thibaut Ramaekers (BEL), third in the Championship, Dries Van Langendonck (BEL) and Jensen Burnett (CAN). Viktor Gustafsson, the 2022 FIA Karting World Champion in KZ, finished 10th among the young drivers.
2025 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship – OK standings after Competition 2
1- Christian Costoya (ESP – Parolin / TM Kart / Maxxis) 144 pts
2- James Anagnostiadis (AUS – KR / IAME / Maxxis) 121 pts
3- Thibaut Ramaekers (BEL – KR / IAME / Maxxis) 115 pts
4- Zac Drummond (GBR – KR / IAME / Maxxis) 102 pts
5- Dries Van Langendonck (BEL – KR / IAME / Maxxis) 100 pts
6- Daniel Kelleher (IRL – KR / IAME / Maxxis) 84 pts
OK Team standings after Portimão
1- Prema Racing (ITA) 245 pts
2- Parolin Motorsport (ITA) 250 pts
3- KR Motorsport (ITA) 133 pts
4- VDK Racing (BEL) 119 pts
5- Forza Racing (GBR) 114 pts
6- Fusion Motorsport (GBR) 102 points
OK-Junior: Hoogendoorn and Baglin reverse positions
The first competition of the season at Campillos ended with Noah Baglin (GBR) taking victory ahead of Dean Hoogendoorn (NLD). Four weeks later, Hoogendoorn made the difference against his Prema Racing team-mate. At the start of the Final, Luka Scelles (FRA) leapt from seventh place to take the lead after just a few corners. The Frenchman hoped for victory for five laps, before seeing his rivals catch up with him. Dean Hoogendoorn, who had just passed Dan Allemann (SUI) and Noah Baglin (GBR), was the first to get the better of Scelles. Arada Endo (JPN) followed suit, before giving up second place to Baglin.
Between the two frontrunners, the positions didn’t change. After losing five places from pole position, Will Green (GBR) spent most of his Final trying to make up ground. Having set the fastest lap, he had just caught up with Endo in an attempt to steal third position, when the two drivers collided and retired. This incident made Ilie Crisan’s day, as he inherited the third step of the podium after a magnificent nine-place comeback. A similar comeback for Henry Domain (GBR) in fourth place ahead of Drew Walz (USA) and Allemann. Remigiusz Samczyk (POL) made one of the biggest improvements, moving up from 26th to 10th place behind Antonio Pizzonia (ITA), Scelles and Michael Mcgaughy (USA).
2025 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship – Junior standings after Competition 2
1- Noah Baglin (GBR – KR / IAME / Maxxis) 168 pts
2- Dean Hoogendoorn (NED – KR / IAME / Maxxis) 149 pts
4- William Calleja (AUS – Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) 111 pts
5- Henry Domain (GBR – Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) 102 pts
6- Iskender Zulfikari (TUR – Exprit / TM Kart / Maxxis) 84 pts
6- Ilie Crisan (CAN – Tony Kart / Vortex / Maxxis) 81 pts
OK-Junior team standings after Portimão
1- Prema Racing (ITA) 317 pts
2- Forza Racing (GBR) 245 pts
3- KR Motorsport (ITA) 149 pts
4- Ward Racing (SWE) 116 pts
5- VictoryLane (FRA) 99 pts
6- Tony Kart Racing Team (ITA) 82 pts
Academy Senior: Victory before home race for Ferrari
The Final of this new category got underway amid a few drops of rain, although the drivers had chosen to equip their karts with slick tyres, with the exception of Simon Antonio Bulbarella. The Argentinian created a sensation by moving up from 34th to fifth place in just three laps. But his euphoria was short-lived as the racing lines dried up. The lack of grip on the track during the first few laps was enough to cause chaos in the field. Wojciech Woda (POL), who started second and was forced to retire, was one of the main losers at the end of the rainy spell in Portimão. Agustín Sepúlveda (CHI) was first in the lead before dropping several places, and had to make do with seventh place. His successor in the lead of the race, Arthur Hoang (BEL), also had to retire with many regrets.
The battle continued intensely in the leading group, with constant changes of position in the top five. On the last lap, Amador Martinez Saenz (COL) passed Yuzuki Sato (JPN), while Devon Hagelen (NED) and Riccardo Ferrari (ITA) watched closely. In the end, a number of penalties were handed out, which had a profound effect on the standings. Ferrari took advantage of the situation to claim his first victory in this FIA Karting Trophy. An excellent result for the Italian, knowing that the next competition will take place in his home country at Viterbo near Rome. Martinez Saenz and Sato completed the top three, while Hagelen was disqualified by the stewards. Behind Niklas Vejen (DEN) in 4th place, Nik Sculac (SLO) made a brilliant 23-place recovery, leaving Friday’s poleman and fastest lap scorer Mio Olert (SWE) just behind him. The last three places in the top ten went to Andrey Adaykin (-), Neil Russell (SUI) and Jules Avril (FRA).
2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy – Senior standings after Competition 1
1- Riccardo Ferrari (ITA) 69 pts
2- Yuzuki Sato (JPN) 63 pts
3- Niklas Vejen (DEN) 51 pts
4- Amador Martinez Saenz (COL) 50 pts
5- Mio Olert (SWE) 34 pts
6- Agustín Sepúlveda (CHI) 33 pts
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- Follow the evolution of the International Karting Ranking (IKR) after the Portimão Competition.