EKN's David Cole is beginning the push to bring FIA Karting World Championship to the USA (Photo: FIAKarting.com)

It is near the end of the 2023 season, and what a year it has been. From January to November, karting has been extremely busy with events being held every weekend all across the country. That said, the 2024 season is already here with December races launching new championship programs with the Cup Karts North America Winter Nationals and the WKA Daytona KartWeek, all before we ring in the New Year.

2024 marks the 20th season for myself covering the sport under the eKartingNews banner. It all began at the end of 2004, getting my first taste of Superkarts! USA SuperNationals before diving into the 2005 season with the Stars of Karting and United States Superkart Championship series, along with the many one-off races, including the Rock Island Grand Prix. It will also be the 50th season that my father has competed in the sport, making next year a very noteworthy one for me and my family.

Next year is also the 68th year since the sport of karting was invented. The year was 1956, and Art Ingels built the first kart in his Southern California garage, holding the first karting events in the Rose Bowl Stadium parking lot. From there, the sport grew across the country, into Europe, and around the world.

The 2023 edition of the KZ, KZ2 World Cup and KZ2 Masters World Cup welcomed over 230 drivers (Photo: FIA Karting)

For the most part, the focus of the sport on the global stage has centered around Europe, with most of the manufacturers for chassis, engine, and components being located in that region of the world. While I appreciate what the sport has become over the last 67 years, I think the celebration of the 70th anniversary of karting should be a big one. That milestone is closing fast.

And with that, I believe there should be a world karting championship held in the United States of America in 2026.

The 2024 FIA Karting World Championship is scheduled for the PF International Kart Circuit in the United Kingdom. The last 10 world karting championship events have been held in Italy, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, UK, Bahrain, Italy, and France. Bahrain is the only event held outside of Europe – which was the same location as the recent 2023 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals.

There were many notable events from the early years of karting, from 1956 to 1963, that were held on the world stage. However, the first CIK Karting World Championship took place in 1964, organized in Rome and won by Guido Sala of Italy.

From 1964 to today, the only FIA Karting World Championship that was held in the United States was in 1986, contested on the 103rd Street Sports Complex in Jacksonville, Florida. In gearbox competition, the official World Cup and world championship events began in 1983, with the majority held in Europe aside from the 1998 FMK/FIA Formula C World Karting Championship – highlighted in recent articles we produced (HERE and HERE).

There have been other notable events held in North America and the United States that were world-level races. The WSK held events in New Jersey, and of course, the 2013 Rotax Grand Finals made its way to the NOLA Motorsports Park for the event’s only trip to the continental 48 states.

The 2023 Rotax Grand Finals brought together 384 drivers from over 60 countries to Bahrain (Photo: Rotax Karting)

Now, looking at the OK / OK Junior World Championships, this would be the more difficult event to pull off in the United States. As we have seen, the new OK-N platform is the only ‘direct drive’ option in the USA. While the alure of the world championship coming to the USA would strike up the idea of more OK or OK Junior racing in the states, there is no retail resale market out there for the engine product left by the competitors and teams racing in the categories. On the flip side, bringing back the KZ World Championship to the USA may be the better option, with the shifterkart platform utilized here rather than the OK or OK Junior. The racing product that is brought over for these events – including chassis and engines – would likely stay in the USA for retail sale as we have seen done in the past, rather than trying to return to its respective factory.

The FIA Karting OK / OK Junior World Championship event is typically held during the month of September or October. At the 2023 edition, there were 111 drivers in OK and 123 entrants in the OK Junior. This year’s KZ event featured 48 in the headline division, 119 in the KZ2 World Cup, and 70 in the new KZ2 Masters World Cup.

Each event has similar total numbers, which we can estimate to be around 200-250. This sets the available facilities that can hold this event to those that host USPKS or SKUSA races. When thinking about a facility, we also need to consider airport size, tourism in the area, and any special uniqueness. The focus is to make this an event, not just another race. Suggest the competitors arrive early enough to do trips to local attractions and have media tours with local news outlets, welcoming the regional and national media as well.

Here are a few of my options.

1998 Formula C World Championship held at Charlotte Motor Speedway won by Gianluca Beggio (Photo: Birel ART)

New Castle Motorsports Park can welcome 400 drivers from all over the world. The perk to NCMP would be setting up a tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for all the drivers, mechanics, and families. Can you imagine a photo of all the drivers set up on the fronts straight of the oval, staged near the yard of bricks? That would make for a great photo.

What about where the 1998 event was for the Formula C event? Return world karting championship to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. With no one able to bring in their haulers, the garages at CMS can hold all the competitors from outside the USA as they did 25 years ago. If you have never seen a garage full of karts, this would be the event to attend. Spark up the Briggs & Stratton 300 under the lights on the front straight of the oval, and maybe a rental kart charity race at Trackhouse Motorplex to introduce that facility to the world.

Keeping with the NASCAR theme, what if Daytona International Speedway dropped in the upgrades needed to make the karting track inside the high banks FIA approved? In my opinion, there is no other feeling than rolling through the tunnel at Daytona. Bringing world karting talent once again to the beaches of Florida 40 years after the world championship event in Jacksonville and inside Daytona would be an experience.

What about the west coast? The Phoenix Kart Racing Association and the Utah Motorsports Campus stand out as large enough facilities to welcome the number of competitors. Sonoma Raceway would be a great destination; however, the paddock size limits the ability to host such a large event. Everything is big in Texas, and the Speedsportz Racing Park welcomed the USPKS this season with 284 entries. While the circuit is very demanding and produces great racing, how can the Houston area entice people from around the world to visit?

One track that has already welcomed drivers from around the world is the NOLA Motorsports Park. The space at the New Orleans facility is there, and the ability to create a challenging circuit exists. And there is no party like a night on Bourbon Street.

The 2013 Rotax Grand Finals were held for the first time on USA soil at the NOLA Motorsports Park (Photo: Rotax Karting)

And not just the FIA Karting world championship events. What about bringing back the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals to the USA once again. Race Rotax and RTX Karting are doing an amazing job bringing the Rotax brand back into the spotlight here in the United States, and Team USA performed well once again in Bahrain for the 2023 event that welcomed 384 drivers to the ‘Olympics of Karting’. Italy is hosting in 2024, with what I can expect to be another European-based facility in 2025. Let’s bring all the Rotaxians back to the USA for the 27th edition of the Rotax Grand Finals in 2026

Of course, the biggest hurdle is logistics, and that would likely be the negative pushback from the FIA and the manufacturers. Teams and distributors here in the USA would need to take on the bulk of the tasks to ensure their products are here and ready to battle, in addition to setting up trackside services with either existing teams or form new ‘tent’ programs for the one-off event. For some of the smaller brands, it would be the opportunity to develop a relationship here in the USA with new partners. All of this is similar to what we see at the SuperNationals each year.

The OK World Championships, the KZ World Championships or the Rotax Grand Finals – one of those events needs to be in the USA come 2026. If not now, we need to make sure there is something held in the USA in 2031 for the 75th anniversary, and I hope to be around still in 2056 for the 100th celebration!

EKN is working on a LIVE Roundtable discussion next week, welcoming in members of the industry, track managers, team owners and more about undertaking and hosting a world karting championship in the United States. Stay tuned for more!

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