The two standout stars of the second and final gearbox round of the 2026 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship won not only the event but also the title at Sarno today (5 July) – as Emilien Denner and Kimi Tani sped to glory under the scorching southern Italian sun.

From the moment he topped the timesheets in the first Free Practice Session around the Circuito Internazionale Napoli, Denner was the driver to beat in the headlining KZ category, and the Frenchman duly dominated Sunday’s Super Heat and all-important Final to secure his first major title since 2019.

In KZ2, Tani made history as he maintained the outstanding form that carried him to a full set of Qualifying Heat wins to similarly prevail in both his Super Heat and the Final, in so doing, becoming the first Finnish driver to lift the European Championship laurels in the class.

Maintaining the theme, there was also a standout star in Academy Junior, for which Sarno marked the second of three rounds this season. John Han’s peerless performance for Hong Kong has vaulted the talented young gun to the top of the title table.

KZ

Following Emilien Denner’s penalty for moving before the start in the first of yesterday’s Qualifying Heats, it was Viktor Gustafsson that started the KZ Super Heat on pole position – but the Swede’s advantage did not last long.

By virtue of a superior getaway when the lights went out, Denner was in front by the time the field arrived at Turn One, thereafter comfortably controlling proceedings throughout to deservedly earn himself the top spot on the grid for the Final.

There, another lightning-fast launch propelled the Formula K SRP Factory Team star into an immediate lead, and by the end of the opening lap alone, he was already over a second clear of his closest pursuer. Like he has done so often this weekend, Denner then managed the race to perfection, and his reward was not only victory, but – against all odds, having entered the event sitting just seventh in the points – the 2026 European Championship trophy.

“I didn’t know I was champion until afterwards!” he confessed, overcome with emotion once the chequered flag fell. “I was just really focused on winning the race – that already made me really happy, as we have been through quite a difficult time as a team.

“We’ve worked so hard and I’ve come close to either a European or World Championship title so many times, so to win the European Championship is just amazing. Hopefully now, our bad luck is gone and we can continue in this way.”

Reigning champion Matteo Spirgel made it a French one-two and was another driver to defy expectations. The Sodikart star finished an excellent third in the Super Heat despite having to contend with older tyres than the majority of his front-running rivals, and in the Final, he then swiftly overhauled Viktor Gustafsson to make second place his own.

On home soil, Giuseppe Palomba rounded out the rostrum in third after emerging on top of a fierce multi-kart battle, pulling off impressive passes on Gustafsson, Daniel Vasile and Jean Nomblot as he scythed through the pack.

Nomblot finished fourth ahead of Gustafsson, who was ultimately unable to convert his front row starting slot into a successful title tilt, while the three pre-eminent championship protagonists arriving at Sarno – Stan Pex, Adrian Malheiro Suñe and Danilo Albanese – all similarly saw their championship hopes evaporate.

The Italian – the points leader in the title hunt going into the last day of the season – came closest, taking the chequered flag eighth in the Final to secure the runner-up spoils in the overall standings behind Denner, with Gustafsson winding up third ahead of Pex, Vasile and Malheiro Suñe.

Result of the KZ Final:
1.    Emilien Denner (FRA, Formula K)

2.    Matteo Spirgel (FRA, Sodikart)

3.    Giuseppe Palomba (ITA, Maranello Kart S.r.l.)

4.    Jean Nomblot (FRA, Sodikart)

5.    Viktor Gustafsson (SWE, CRG)

Provisional Driver Standings in the 2026 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship (KZ) after Round 2/2:
1.    Emilien Denner (FRA, Formula K) – 133 points

2.    Danilo Albanese (ITA, KR Motorsport) – 122 points

3.    Viktor Gustafsson (SWE, CRG) – 121 points

4.    Stan Pex (NED, SP Motorsport) – 103 points
5.    Daniel Vasile (ROU, Maranello Kart) – 92 points

Provisional Team Standings in the 2026 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship (KZ) after Round 2/2:
1.    CRG Racing Team – 211 points
2.    Sodikart – 197 points
3.    Formula K SRP Factory Team – 142 points
4.    KR Motorsport – 122 points
5.    SP Motorsport – 118 points

KZ2

Kimi Tani might have only been fifth in the championship classification heading into the weekend, but the ice-cool Finn expertly handled the heat to master the Circuito Internazionale Napoli in the KZ2 category from the moment racing began.

The story was no different on Sunday. After confidently keeping title rival Matheus Morgatto at bay in the first of the two Super Heats to extend his winning run, the talented teenager fended off an early challenge in the Final prior to stretching his legs, going on to take the chequered flag almost three seconds to the good – in so doing, becoming not only the first of his countrymen but also the first Parolin driver ever to claim a European KZ2 crown.

“I don’t know what to say!” a speechless Tani commented afterwards. “I struggled a bit in the first round at Genk, but we managed to finish third in the final and now here, we dominated throughout. Honestly, I’ve never felt like this before.”

Morgatto ultimately secured the runner-up position in the championship classification at the conclusion of a weekend during which he was a leading protagonist from the outset. The Brazilian kept Tani on his toes towards the end of the pair’s Super Heat on Sunday, and after initially falling to fifth in the Final, he went on to get the better of Sem Knopjes and – following a prolonged duel – Qualifying Practice pace-setter, Maximilian Schleimer.

That earned Morgatto the last podium spot, pipped to second place in the race by Genis Civico Espona, which secured the Spaniard fourth position in the title table, 11 points adrift of Tony Kart team-mate Schleimer in third, with the German crossing the finish line fifth in the Final behind Knopjes.

The top two in the standings arriving in Italy – Elie Goldstein and Arthur Lehouck – slipped to fifth and seventh in the end. The Belgian found himself tipped into a spin in his Super Heat prior to stopping on the last lap, before fighting through from 20th to ninth in the Final, while the Frenchman was never truly in the mix at Sarno, taking the flag in a distant 30th position.

Result of the KZ2 Final:

1.    Kimi Tani (FIN, Parolin)

2.    Genis Civico Espona (ESP, Tony Kart)

3.    Matheus Morgatto (BRA, CPB Sport)

4.    Sem Knopjes (NED, Birel Art Racing)

5.    Maximilian Schleimer (GER, Tony Kart)

Provisional Driver Standings in the 2026 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship (KZ2) after Round 2/2:

1.    Kimi Tani (FIN, La Motorsport di Nordera Luca) – 161 points

2.    Matheus Morgatto (BRA, CPB Sport) – 148 points

3.    Maximilian Schleimer (GER, Tony Kart) – 135 points

4.    Genis Civico Espona (ESP, Tony Kart) – 124 points

5.    Elie Goldstein (BEL, TBKart) – 98 points

Provisional Final Team standings in the 2026 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship (KZ2) after Round 2/2:

1.    Tony Kart Racing Team – 259 points

2.    CPB Sport – 236 points

3.    Birel Art Racing – 186 points

4.    CRG Racing Team – 160 points

5.    La Motorsport di Nordera Luca – 100 points

Academy Junior

John Han finished the job he had started in the Academy Junior class at Sarno as he completed his clean sweep of every session to catapult to the summit of the championship standings – but the Hong Kong driver was made to work for his winner’s trophy by his high-calibre rivals.

From pole position in the Final – the category’s only race of the day – Han seized the initiative right away before conceding the lead to Faris Mohamed Haroun at mid-distance, with home hero Domenico Coco and Sebastián Galeano Grinó similarly in close attendance.

Unbowed, the Genk runner-up maturely bided his time before launching a successful counter-attack on lap 11 – and taking Coco with him. A shuffle behind gifted Han an immediate margin over the chasing pack, and from there on, the rising star was untroubled, proceeding to take the chequered flag just over a second clear to vault into a commanding 38-point championship lead ahead of the title-deciding contest back in Italy at Viterbo on 8-11 October.

“Wow – what a weekend!” he enthused. “We were just on it throughout. Having such good results at Genk and here will hopefully make things a bit easier for me at Viterbo.”

Coco’s second place at Sarno after surviving minor contact has elevated the delighted Italian to the same position in the title table, with a last corner collision between Hanoun and Noah Grignet in the tussle for third resulting in a disqualification for the Frenchman and promoting the Czech Republic’s Jindrich Svoboda to the last spot on the podium.

Sebastián Galeano Grinó was a consistent front-runner on his way to fourth for Paraguay, with Thailand’s Peerapongpan Sutumno rounding out the event top five.

There was disappointment, however, for Genk winner and early-season pace-setter, Zoltan Coigny. The Swiss ace struggled for speed over the weekend and exited the Final two-thirds of the way through – leaving him to walk away empty-handed and dealing a hefty blow to his championship chances. Following his Sarno misfortune, Coigny will head to Viterbo needing to overturn a daunting 67-point deficit if he is to clinch the Academy Junior crown.

Provisional Driver Standings after Round 2 of the 2026 FIA Karting Academy Trophy Junior:

1.    John Han (HKG) – 142 points
2.    Domenico Coco (ITA) – 104 points

3.    Zoltan Coigny (SUI) – 75 points

All rounds of the Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship are LIVE and FREE to watch on the FIA Karting YouTube channel.