VDK Racing is the incredible story of two passionate brothers who managed to transform a small Belgian structure into a leading team at the highest international level. Three World Championship titles in less than 10 years, including the most prestigious in OK this season with Thibaut Ramaekers, is the feat achieved by an entire group led by Eric and Alain Verdaasdonk.

Mission accomplished in 2025 with the OK title
Identifying, training and taking a driver to the highest level: once again, the private VDK Racing team has succeeded in its mission with Thibaut Ramaekers. “Winning a major title in FIA Karting is a process that requires patience and commitment,” acknowledges Eric Verdaasdonk, team manager of VDK Racing. “Having talent and competitive equipment is not enough. A driver must believe in and adhere to the project presented to him by his team. In Thibaut's case, we quickly realised that he had the speed to win races, but he needed to develop physically and become more combative and aggressive in the pack. When he was racing in OK-Junior, we decided to enter him in IAME-X30 Junior events, where you have to fight constantly to make your mark. I said to him one day: you have everything it takes to be World Champion, but the work is only just beginning. He listened to us, his entourage trusted us and together we achieved our goal.”

“In Sweden, at the OK World Championship in Kristianstad, Thibaut Ramaekers was fifth on the grid for the final. I knew that on that day he was ready to go for the title, and he achieved his goal against big names. After our two World Championship titles with Victor Martins and Victor Bernier, then the European Championship title with Marcus Amand, all in OK-Junior, being crowned OK champion was really our goal. In 2022 in Sarno with Evan Giltaire, then in 2023 with Fionn McLaughlin, VDK Racing already had what it took to win the title, but the vagaries of racing decided otherwise. Needless to say, we were particularly delighted after Thibaut won the title!”

“At the beginning of 2025, he had just celebrated his 15th birthday and could have already moved up to F4 after his 3rd place in the European OK Championship. But for me, he wasn't ready, both mentally and in terms of fight spirit. Today, his karting training is complete, and I wish him all the best for the rest of his single-seater career. Our work will now continue with other drivers."

Valuable collaboration with Kart Republic and IAME
“It was during the 2019 season that VDK Racing decided to put its trust in KR chassis. We won our first two World Championship titles with IAME engines, with whom we have a special relationship. Getting closer to the Kart Republic factory then became an obvious step,” continues Eric Verdaasdonk. “The symbiosis is perfect. The exchange of data with the official team and satellite teams is constant, which allows us to progress quickly as soon as we arrive at a new event. We work hand in hand with Dino Chiesa. After that, it's up to each of us to make the difference on the track. Being able to count on these highly competitive KR-IAME packages is a real opportunity.”

A technical staff with recognised expertise
A team manager and his driver are nothing without an “army” of skilled technicians, and VDK Racing has been able to count on key people in areas such as data acquisition, video analysis, chassis development, mechanics, logistics, carburetion and motorisation. “Of course, I am very proud that VDK Racing has enabled Thibaut Ramaekers to make history, but I would also like to congratulate all our other drivers in the team for their efforts and the results they achieved in 2025.”

A very international 2026 programme for VDK Racing
The hunt for the podium will continue next season for the Belgian team, which will be equipped with two semi-trailers in order to field two separate large structures. One will be dedicated to the major OK and OK-Junior Championships, the second to the IAME-X30 events.

"We will always be committed to training young drivers and helping them progress. We are constantly listening to them and we are always trying to guide and advise them. It is important that they feel good mentally and confident. Many drivers have joined our structure without many results and we have taken them as high as possible. Van Doorne reached F1, Martins finished his F2 season with a victory, Bernier scored numerous podium finishes in F4 and FRECA, Amand won the Porsche Carrera Cup in 2025, McLaughlin was spotted by Red Bull while still karting, and Ramaekers has just made his F4 debut with the support of the RACB. We can be proud of this track record," concluded Eric Verdaasdonk.

The origins of a triple World Karting Champion team
VDK is first and foremost the story of a family that lives and breathes motorsports. The name comes from the small team created by André Verdaasdonk when he was racing on the circuit in the 1980s. At that time, his sons Alain and Eric grew up to the sound of racing engines. It is hardly surprising to find them in a karting paddock a few years later with a passion already firmly established. In their case, it wasn't behind the wheel that they made a name for themselves, as Eric Verdaasdonk explains. "During my professional career, I have had the opportunity to work at Karting Bruning, which imported IAME engines in Belgium. I quickly became interested in motorisation, and then felt the urge to go further and create a competition team. I studied medical electronics and was at a crossroads in my professional career. I could either continue in that field or get into karting. I chose the latter, taking back the name VDK Racing!"

Soon, his brother Alain decided to join him. “He was working for the Belgian airline Sabena, which went bankrupt. The timing was right, and that's how we ended up developing our karting competition team. I focused on managing the drivers and the engines, while Alain specialised in chassis development.” It was at this point that they took the young and promising Jonathan Thonon under their wing. First with the Top Kart and Comer brands, then with CRG and Maxter. Alongside the talented Belgian driver, VDK Racing went on to become Belgian Champion, French Champion and European Champion.

While Thonon attained the status of official driver with the CRG factory, VDK Racing will not stop there, continuing to train countless drivers, build its structure and forge an impressive track record. A few years before his rise to Formula 1 and his Formula E World Championship title, Stoffel Van Doorne finished second in the CIK/FIA World Cup in KF2 in 2009 with VDK. Victor Martins and Victor Bernier were crowned World Champions in OK-Junior in 2016 and 2018 respectively, driving Kosmic chassis from the OTK group. Then Marcus Amand became European OK-Junior Champion in 2019. At the same time, the team has won in many other categories and competitions, such as Evan Giltaire's international title at the IWF in Le Mans in 2022. For the FIA, the most prestigious title remains the one awarded in the OK category, which VDK Racing won in 2025 with Thibaut Ramaekers. An achievement, but certainly not the end of the adventure...

Contact VDK Racing: +32 495.54.18.48. E-mail: [email protected]

Interview: Thibaut Ramaekers
“This World Champion title comes at the best possible time for me”

You are now OK World Champion. When did you realise that you had won the most important race of your karting career?
I must admit that on Sunday evening after the victory, I was still on cloud nine. First of all, I had to wait the pressure was off. Of course, I could see the joy of the whole team around me, but it was when I returned to Belgium that I really understood. I received lots of congratulatory messages and a special welcome when I returned to school. It was very emotional. For Cetilar Racing, VDK Racing, Kart Republic, IAME, my partners, my daily supporters, the RACB (the Belgian motor racing federation) and therefore my future, winning this world title was very important. The OK World Championship in Sweden was my last big karting event, and this success came at the best possible time, just before my move to single-seaters, which was already planned.

With the VDK Racing team, did you make the World Championship in Kristianstad your main goal for the season?
Every time I line up for a race, it's with the aim of winning. I've had the opportunity to show my abilities over the last seasons in FIA Karting. In 2023, I finished runner-up in the European OK-Junior Championship with two victories, just a few points behind Oleksandr Bondarev. The following year, I won in Slovakia and finished third in the European Championship. This season, the European Championship did not meet my expectations, so I arrived in Sweden feeling very determined.

How did you handle the pressure of the final in Sweden? You were only sixth on the first lap and had to face renowned and combative drivers such as Turney and Drummond, for example…
I knew I had the equipment to win and I was really focused on my mission. I immediately went into conquest mode. I managed to overtake almost one driver per lap and found myself in the lead on lap 8. I knew Joe Turney was behind me, so I never looked back and drove as fast as I could without making any mistakes. It paid off!

You have strong ties with the VDK Racing team. Can you tell us about that?
If I have become the driver I am today, it is thanks to Alain and Eric Verdaasdonk, as well as the rest of the team. When I joined VDK Racing, the team made it clear to me that I still had a lot to learn despite the excellent results I had already achieved in Mini. I trusted them, I had to question myself, but I don't regret it. I have always benefited from super competitive equipment. I owe them a lot and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

What is your programme for 2026?
It will be announced very soon, but I will be racing in Formula 4, as I did a few weeks ago in the Saudi Arabian F4 Championship. It was an excellent experience in preparation for next season. I learned a lot, finishing 4th in the Championship and 2nd best rookie.

Photos by KSP Reportages, Joël Gaboriaud and Kart Mag

 © Renaud Didier