Thrilling Battles and Shifting Fortunes at the Portimão FIA Karting Event
The Algarve International Circuit in Portimão hosted the second round of the 2025 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship, along with the inaugural FIA Karting Academy Trophy – Senior category. Over three days, the event faced fluctuating weather conditions, with the track alternating between dry and wet, which required drivers and teams to make crucial decisions about tyres and setup. While Thursday’s private testing enjoyed clear sunshine, the Qualifying session was met with overcast skies and frequent showers on Friday. The challenging grip conditions led to constant changes in the intermediate rankings during the Qualifying Heats. Fortunately, the Finals on Sunday benefited from a mostly dry track.
OK Category: Costoya Clinches Victory and Championship Lead
In the OK category, young Spaniard Christian Costoya (ESP) from Parolin Motorsport showcased his skills. He secured pole position in Qualifying with a strong final lap despite the shifting track conditions that morning. He maintained this lead through the Qualifying Heats, topping the intermediate classification. Just 14 years old and recently graduated from the Junior class, Costoya defied the odds to keep his position.
In the Final, Costoya launched perfectly from pole position. Although Noah Wolfe (GBR) pressured him, closing within two-tenths of a second, Costoya responded by ramping up his pace to defend his lead. Ultimately, Christian Costoya (ESP) ascended to the top of the podium, marking his first victory in this category and overtaking James Anagnostiadis (AUS) for the 2025 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship lead.
The battle for third place was fierce, involving many of the drivers, but Thibaut Ramaekers (BEL) managed to take the podiums final position. Roman Kamyab (GBR) made a remarkable recovery from 16th position to record the race’s fastest lap in the OK Final.
OK-Junior Category: Hoogendoorn Reverses Fortunes
The OK-Junior category also delivered exciting drama and a reversal of fortunes compared to the previous event in Spain. Switzerland’s Dan Allemann secured pole position during Qualifying, adeptly handling the varying wet and slick conditions. However, Turkey’s Iskender Zulfikari emerged as the leader in the Qualifying Heats after a flawless performance with two victories, making impressive strides from his starting position. Noah Baglin (GBR), the previous competition winner, displayed strong pace with three wins in the heats, even though a disqualification hindered his intermediate standing.
In the Final, Luka Scelles (FRA) briefly led but was eventually overtaken. Dean Hoogendoorn (NED), a teammate of Baglin at Prema Racing, clinched victory at Portimão after finishing second to Baglin in the last event. Noah Baglin (GBR) finished second, while Arada Endo (JPN) initially held second before Baglin overtook him. A notable incident occurred when Will Green (GBR), who recorded the fastest lap in the Final, collided with Endo while vying for third, resulting in both drivers retiring. This allowed Ilie Crisan (CAN) to claim third place after an impressive nine-position comeback.
Following this event, Noah Baglin (GBR) leads the OK-Junior Championship standings with 168 points, followed by Dean Hoogendoorn (NED) with 149 points. Prema Racing (ITA) leads the OK-Junior Team standings with 317 points.
FIA Karting Academy Trophy – Senior: Ferrari Claims Inaugural Win
The newly introduced FIA Karting Academy Trophy – Senior category made a promising debut at Portimão. Tillotson supply the carburettors for this class, a jet version of the homologated OKN carburettor that was developed for pooled engine categories to ensure a level playing field where competitors do not require experience with the package.
Sweden’s Mio Olert secured the first pole position in this category’s Qualifying session, which was conducted on rain tyres. In the Qualifying Heats, Japan’s Yuzuki Sato and Poland’s Wojciech Woda emerged as the leading drivers.
The Final began with light rain, leading to chaotic initial laps as most drivers were on slick tyres. Despite intense battles in the leading group and constant position changes, the final results were significantly influenced by multiple penalties enforced by the stewards. Italy’s Riccardo Ferrari (ITA) capitalized on this situation to secure his first victory, becoming the inaugural winner in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy – Senior. Amador Martinez Saenz (COL) and Yuzuki Sato (JPN) completed the top three after penalties were applied, while Devon Hagelen (NED) was disqualified. Mio Olert (SWE) recorded the fastest lap on Friday.
Riccardo Ferrari (ITA) now leads the FIA Karting Academy Trophy – Senior standings with 69 points, followed closely by Yuzuki Sato (JPN) with 63 points. The next competition for the Academy Trophy will take place in Italy, near Rome, a home race for the current leader.
Next up we head to Viterbo, Italy for Round 3 starting on June 5th. See you there!
