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TKART magazine Must Have | The accessories and details of the Kart Republic KR2 by VDK Racing, winner of the FIA Karting World Championship OK 2025
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THE ACCESSORIES AND DETAILS OF THE KART REPUBLIC KR2 BY VDK RACING, WINNER OF THE FIA KARTING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OK 2025

Jacopo Colombo
07 October 2025 • 8 min. read

From 12 to 14 September 2025, the Åsum Ring in Kristianstad, Sweden — a circuit famous for the section, between the end of the first sector and the start of the second, where karts seem to “take off”, as shown in this reel on the TKART Instagram account — hosted the FIA Karting World Championship for the OK and OKJ single-speed categories. In the OK, the CIK-FIA’s top category for single-speed karts, the title was won by Belgian driver Thibaut Ramaekers, of the VDK Racing team, at the wheel of a Kart Republic KR2 chassis powered by an IAME Reedster V engine and fitted with Maxxis MA01 Prime slick tyres. The final, held on Sunday 14 at 13:35, was contested in dry conditions, with some remaining puddles from the morning rain and an ambient temperature of about 18 °C. After starting from fifth place on the grid, Ramaekers managed to climb up to take the lead of the group. Thanks to a consistent pace, he was able to control his advantage and took the chequered flag with a gap of almost one second over his pursuers. With the support of Eric Verdaasdonk, Team Manager of VDK Racing, we were able to discover which elements and accessories characterised the World Champion kart.

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Chassis

For the race weekend in Sweden, the VDK Racing team used the KR2 chassis from Kart Republic, without testing alternative chassis, as reported by team manager Eric Verdaasdonk. The KR2 is the reference model of the Italian brand for the single-speed categories, characterised by chassis tubing with 30 mm side rails and 32 mm cross tubes. An in-depth analysis of the 2022 model year of this chassis (virtually identical to the current version of the model) is available in the article “Under Review | KR2 M.Y. '22: Kart Republic's single-speed chassis evolves to keep winning”.
Having clarified the chassis used, Verdaasdonk explained the direction followed by the team in refining the setup: “We tried to find the right compromise between rear axle grip and front-end grip, without sacrificing top speed”. This choice must be understood in light of the characteristics of the Kristianstad circuit, 1,220 metres long, with a main straight of about 170 metres, followed by a flowing yet technical layout. Adding to the challenge was the highly changeable weather throughout the weekend, which forced teams to adapt quickly to the continuous variations in track grip.

Indicative price


Approximately 1,425 euros (VAT excluded)

To buy: drakekart.com
Photo credit Kart Republic

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