At its last meeting on 19th October, the World Motor Sport Council validated, as expected, the draft 2024 calendar submitted by FIA Karting, or the CIK-FIA. This is hardly surprising, given that it is based on the same model as previous seasons, with nine events – one more than in 2023 – and six categories. The number of countries visited has risen from five to seven, with the introduction of a new circuit in Slovakia. Italy and Spain have each been selected twice, alongside France, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Portugal.
Mondokart.com has stepped up its partnership with the FIA Karting to cover all the European Championships, as well as the World Championships. The European KZ and KZ2 Championship has been extended from two to three events, with the new European KZ2 Master Championship for drivers aged 35 and over sharing the last two meetings.
Several circuits are returning to the FIA Karting calendar. This is the case of Val d’Argenton (FRA), which was last visited in October 2010 during the U18 World Championship and the Academy Trophy. The French circuit has since been taken over by former champion Arnaud Sarrazin and his PKS Loisir organisation, and renovation work has been undertaken. Alcañiz (ESP) and Val Vibrata (ITA) are also back on the programme after a 10-year absence. Finally, Brexit seems to have been digested as PF International (GBR) will host the OK and Junior World Championships, while Portimão (PRT) will host the KZ World Championship.
The classic, or old-fashioned, tracks are holding their own against the more modern circuits. Competitiveness should not be overlooked on narrower and more winding tracks such as Val d’Argenton, the Slovak Karting Centre used this year by the SWS International Final, or PFI. Franciacorta, Alcañiz, Kristianstad and Portimão, on the other hand, are more apt to be classified as wide and fast tracks, while Valencia offers a good balance between the two visions.
No news to date of the OK-N World Cup, previously announced to support the OK and Junior World Championships. For the moment, there is nothing to indicate whether the project is still on the table. We hope to have some information on this subject soon, as well as on the choice of tyres for the coming season, a decision usually announced at the same time as the publication of the calendar.
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