Great participation again this year for the ROK Cup Superfinal, now in its 23rd edition. The international final of the Vortex series got back to the renowned South Garda Karting circuit in Lonato del Garda (Italy), with over 300 Rokkers from 44 countries competing in eight categories.

The racing week began on Tuesday 14th October with unofficial practice sessions and continued until Saturday 18th October, when the finals were held to assign the titles.

These are the drivers who have been added to the golden book of the event: Jayden Francisco (Mini ROK U10), Niccolò Perico (Mini ROK), Matteo Melis (Junior ROK), Giuseppe Gaglianò (Senior ROK), Andrea Sorbello (Expert ROK), Cristiano Mantovani (Expert ROK Plus), Nicolas Marchesi (Super ROK) and Karol Pasiewicz (Shifter ROK).

As always, the prize money was impressive, in line with the international ROK Cup Superfinal prestige. The top five finishers in each category took to the podium for the trophy presentation, with the winners receiving a Vortex engine and those in second to fifth place receiving spare parts vouchers. In addition, the champions of the single-speed categories received the free entry to the 2025 ROK Cup Asia Final.

Below are the details, category by category, of the various stages of the 2025 ROK Cup Superfinal.

MINI ROK U10

Qualifyings
After its debut last year, the Mini ROK U10 category is back at the starting line of the ROK Cup Superfinal, with a total of 50 verified drivers, all with engines distributed by lots by the Promoter. Jayden Francisco (Canada) led the qualifyings, thanks to the best time of 55.459 seconds recorded in group 1. Leo Kralev (Bulgaria) was the fastest in Group 2 in 55.645 seconds and finished second.

Heats
With one win and two second places, Francisco remains at the top of the category at the end of the qualifying heats. Oliver Williamson (Australia) scored two wins out of three races and moved up from 15th to second place. Alvaro Medeiros (Brazil), with three second places, is third in the intermediate standings. Edoardo Traina (Italy) moves up from 16th to fourth, while Natan Lukas is fifth, ahead of Josh Bergman (United States), sixth, and Kralev, seventh.

Pre-final
In Saturday morning's Pre-final A, Francisco secured his victory, finishing ahead of Lukas and Kralev. The Pre-final B was won by Bergman, with Filip Stec (Poland) second and Williamson third. The combined top-five was as follows: Francisco, Williamson, Bergman, Medeiros and Lukas.

Final
Francisco took advantage of his pole position at the start and could thus keep the lead after the first few metres, with Bergman as his main pursuer. The American driver remained constantly glued to his Canadian rival until he overtook him with less than two laps to go. Francisco, without losing his concentration, responded to Bergman a few corners from the finish, thus winning the title. Kralev, taking advantage of the duel between the two North American drivers, tried to steal second place from Bergman, but had to settle for the third place, ahead of Giovanni Ventorino (Italy). Stec took fifth place, just 0.002 seconds ahead of Williamson. The standings remain sub-judice from third place onwards.

MINI ROK

Qualifyings
There are 54 drivers at the starting grid of the Mini ROK category, also with engines drawn by lots and provided by the Promoter. Alessandro Nanni (Italy) leads the group at the end of the qualifyings, with the fastest time of 54.887 seconds in group 1. Aleksander Pelikanski (Poland) is the fastest in group 2 (55.012) and is second in the combined standings.

Heats
With a perfect series of three wins out of three races, Niccolò Perico (Italy) jumps to the top of the category after the qualifying heats. Pelikanski retains second place in the intermediate standings, while the pole-sitter Nanni - despite two wins - drops to third place. Asher Pavan (Canada) and Iver Spence (New Zealand) are fourth and fifth respectively.

Pre-finals
Perico makes no mistakes in the pre-final A either, winning ahead of Spence in second and Gergő Buzás (Romania) in third. In Prefinal B, Giuseppe Noviello (Italy) finished 0.617 seconds ahead of Ava Jean Lawrence (United Arab Emirates). The starting grid therefore saw Perico, Pelikanski, Noviello, Nanni, Spence and Lawrence in the first three rows.

Final
Perico jumps perfectly and tries soon to gain a good gap over Noviello and Spencer, his first pursuers. The Italian driver and the Neo-Zealand one start an intense duel, favouring the poleman which from the half race is able to gain a good gap. Perico thus conquers the Mini ROK title, with Noviello second and Spencer third. Marco Verde (Italy) and Jan Gardzielik (Poland) complete the-5.

JUNIOR ROK

Qualifyings
Over 80 drivers are attending the Junior ROK category at Lonato del Garda. The qualifyings, divided into three sessions, end with Leonardo De Grandi (Italy) in pole position, setting a time of 49.092 seconds in group 3. Tomasz Cichoracki (Poland), leading group 2 with a time of 49.264 seconds, is second. Kacper Kluk (Poland), the fastest in group 1 in 49.474, is third.

Heats
The subsequent qualifying heats change the situation in the standings. With three wins and one second place in five races, Cichoracki becomes the new leader of the category. Alex Rogowsk (Poland) climbs from 25th place to second. Natan Rybczynski (Poland), with two wins to his name, is third. Iven Ammann (Switzerland) and Borys Blaszczyk (Poland) occupy fourth and fifth place respectively. Kluk slips to eighth, while De Grandi is 20th.

Pre-finals
Pre-final A ends with a Polish hat-trick: Aleksander Mrozik (Poland) first, Cichoracki second and Rybczynski third. The pre-final B, on the other hand, sees Riccardo Brangero (Italy) win, ahead of Matteo Melis (Italy) by 0.252 seconds. The results therefore set the following top six for the final starting grid: Cichoracki, Rogowsk, Rybczynski, Ammann, Melis and Mrozik.

Final
The race began with Cichoracki ahead of Rybczynski and Melis, but after just two laps it was Melis who took the lead. Only Blazej Kostrzewa (Poland), who had started from ninth position, managed to keep up with the Italian, who proved unbeatable. The chequered flag confirms Melis' victory and Kostrzewa's second place, while Cichoracki wins an intense duel against Brangero for third place. Rogowsk finishes in fifth place.

SENIOR ROK

Qualifyings
The Senior ROK weekend began with Andrea Giudice in pole position with a time of 47.699 seconds set in group 2. Giuseppe Gaglianò, first in group 2 with a time of 47.791 seconds, placed second in the combined classification. Colin Wazny (Poland) followed in third and Andrea Barbieri (Italy) in fourth.

Heats
Thanks to three victories and a second place, Gaglianò is able to slip Giudice, author of three successes and a third place, the first place of the ranking at the end of the qualifying heats. Barbieri, in third place, overtakes Wazny, who is fourth. Riccardo Salemi (Italy) is in fifth place, followed by Samuele Di Filippo (Italy) in sixth.

Pre-finals
Gaglianò made no mistakes in pre-final A and took the win with a lead of over two seconds over Iwo Beszterda (Poland) in second. Giudice responded to his rival by triumphing in pre-final B, finishing ahead of Wazny with a lead of 0.543 seconds. The standings remain virtually unchanged, with Gaglianò in first place and Giudice, Barbieri, Wazny, Salemi and Di Filippo following.

Final
In Saturday afternoon's decisive race, Gaglianò made the most of his pole position to maintain the lead after the first few corners, while Giudice was forced to battle with his teammates Barbieri and Salemi for second place; however, after a few laps, he lost ground due to a technical problem. Barbieri then took over as Gagliano's closest pursuer, also setting the fastest lap, but the race leader held on to win. Beszterda took third place, ahead of Wazny and Christian Romeo (Italy). Giudice finished seventh, behind Di Filippo in sixth. Salemi, on the other hand, was forced to retire two laps from the end.

EXPERT ROK

Qualifyings
With a time of 48.732 seconds, Filippo Repetto (Italy) kicked off the Expert ROK weekend with pole position in qualifying. Marco Massironi (Italy) was second, just 0.024 seconds behind his compatriot. Third place went to Andrea Sorbello (Italy), fourth to Carlos Fonseca (Costa Rica) and fifth to Paolo Baselli (Italy).

Heats
Sorbello took the lead in the intermediate standings at the end of the qualifying heats, with a series of four wins out of four races. Repetto dropped to second place, while Adrian Marcinkiewicz (Poland) moved up from seventh to third. Baselli and Daniel Zajac (Poland) completed the top five.

Pre-final
At the start, Andrea Sorbello remains firmly in the lead, while a collision between Repetto and Marcinkiewicz – which also involves the blameless William Xiao (China) – takes the Italian out of the race and forces the Pole to start again from the back of the field. During the pre-final, Alessandro Viganò (Italy) attempts to close the gap on leader Sorbello, but the latter manages the race well and secures victory. However, at the end of the post-race checks, Viganò is disqualified for a technical irregularity, thus giving second place to Zajac and third to Baselli. The starting grid for the final is as follows: Sorbello, Baselli, Zajac, Michele Zampieri (Italy), Repetto and Marcinkiewicz in the first three rows.

Final
Baselli got off to a better start than Sorbello and took the lead, with Zajac, Repetto and Zampieri behind him. After losing ground in the early laps, Sorbello began to close the gap on leader Baselli, who had been penalised with a three-second penalty for an irregularity in the starting procedure, and overtook him on lap 11. Sorbello flew to victory, while Baselli crossed the finish line in second place but was relegated to third behind Zampieri due to the penalty. Repetto finished fourth, ahead of Viganò in fifth.

EXPERT ROK PLUS

Qualifyings
Paolo Zotta (Italy) dominated qualifying in the Expert ROK Plus class with a time of 49.176 seconds. Tino Donadei (Italy) followed in second place, with Gianluca Todeschini (Italy) third, Marco Beretta (Italy) fourth and Stelios Kythreotis (Cyprus) fifth.

Heats
Donadei was a real powerhouse in the qualifying heats: with four wins out of four races, the Italian jumped to the top of the intermediate standings. Cristiano Mantovani (Brazil) moved up from eighth to second, ahead of Beretta in third, Andre Cortado (Brazil) in fourth and Todeschini in fifth. Zotta, on the other hand, dropped from first to eighth.

Pre-final
In Saturday morning's pre-final, Donadei once again leaves his rivals trailing in his wake to take the win. Zotta finishes second but is disqualified for a technical irregularity. Todeschini crosses the line third but also receives a ten-second penalty for dangerous driving. Kythreotis and Beretta are therefore promoted to second and third respectively. The top four positions in the final standings were: Donadei, Mantovani, Beretta and Francis Yik Ka Chun (Hong Kong).

Final
Donadei got off to a great start, immediately taking the lead in the final. However, the Italian was closely marked by Cortado and Mantovani in the early laps, but then Zotta emerged, overtaking the two Brazilians, catching up with the race leader and taking the lead. The race ended with Zotta's victory, but due to a shortcut at the start, he was penalised with five seconds added to his final time. The win thus went to Mantovani, who managed to beat Donadei to the finish line by just 0.057 seconds. Beretta was third, Zotta dropped to fourth and Cortado finished fifth.

SUPER ROK

Qualifyings
The single qualifying session saw Nicolas Marchesi (Italy) clearly dominate the rest of the drivers with a time of 47.192 seconds. Bartosz Grzywacz (Poland) followed in second place, with Riccardo Ferrari (Italy) third, Guido Bidoli (Namibia) fourth and Matteo Berruti (Italy) fifth.

Heats
Marchesi had a perfect run in the qualifying heats, with four wins in the four heats scheduled. Ferrari collected four second places and positioned himself behind his compatriot in the intermediate standings. Alex Desario (Italy) took third place, overtaking Blake Nash (United States), fourth, and Mattia D'Abramo (Italy), fifth. Grzywacz, on the other hand, dropped to ninth place.

Pre-final
Marchesi maintained the lead at the start of the pre-final, but an accident at the rear of the field forced race control to impose a ‘slow’ regime on the entire track and, shortly afterwards, to temporarily suspend the action on the track. At the restart, Marchesi was still in first position, but a technical problem and subsequent contact with Desario ended the race for both of them. Grzywacz took advantage of this, winning ahead of Laghezza (who was later penalised with a three-second penalty for an accident), D'Abramo and Berruti. The overall standings before the final were as follows: Ferrari, Marchesi, D'Abramo, Laghezza, Berruti, Desario, Nash and Grzywacz.

Final
Ferrari took advantage of his pole position to immediately attempt to break away, followed by Berruti and Marchesi. As the laps went by, Marchesi moved up to second place and set off in pursuit of the leader. At the start of the last lap, the two came to a decisive confrontation and Marchesi managed to overtake Ferrari, going on to win the race. Bidoli managed to grab third place but received a three-second penalty for his front fairing being in the wrong position. Nash was thus promoted behind Marchesi and Ferrari, while Berruti and Sarp Kayol (Turkey) finished fourth and fifth respectively.

SHIFTER ROK

Qualifyings
The chrono trials awarded pole position to Karol Pasiewicz (Poland), who managed to beat his compatriot Sebastian Janczewski (Poland) thanks to a best time of 46.648 seconds. Marco Chiarello (Italy) was third in the standings, ahead of Roberto Manduchi (Italy) in fourth and Nicola Rossini (Italy) in fifth.

Heats
Thanks to four wins out of four heats, Pasiewicz remains at the top of the category at the end of the qualifying heats. Manduchi, on the other hand, moves up to second place, while Brando Pozzi (Italy) moves up from sixth to third. Janczewski and Chiarello occupy fourth and fifth place respectively.

Pre-final
Another perfect performance for Pasiewicz in Saturday's pre-final, with the Pole finishing 1.645 seconds ahead of Pozzi. Janczewski took third place, followed by Rossini, who made up three places from his starting position. The final line-up therefore saw Pasiewicz in pole position, Manduchi alongside him in second place, Pozzi in third, Janczewski in fourth, Chiarello in fifth and Rossini in sixth.

Final
When the lights went out, Pasiewicz got off to a perfect start from pole position, but immediately had to defend himself from Pozzi. The Italian attempted several attacks and even took the lead for short periods, but the Pole responded decisively. Their duel allowed Chiarello, Rossini and Janczewski to join the fray from lap 11 onwards. On lap 16, Rossini (who had moved up to third place in the meantime) tried to attack Pozzi, but the move ended up favouring Janczewski's double overtaking manoeuvre. Pasiewicz defended his lead until the finish line and took the victory ahead of Janczewski, who was just 0.253 seconds behind. Rossini finished third, while Pozzi - fourth at the finish line - received an eight-second penalty (for an accident and for the front fairing being in the wrong position). Manduchi and Chiarello, who finished fourth and fifth, benefited from the double penalty.

 Press Release © OTK Kart Group