Noah Baglin was crowned the World FIA Junior World Champion, during the OKJ Championship in Sweden on Sunday, despite challenging conditions.

On Sunday, the weather preoccupied the drivers and teams. In the morning, the Super Heats saw changing conditions, leading to a few twists and turns with the occasional use of rain tyres, as well as the use of slicks on a tricky track. While some favourites dropped back, other drivers took advantage to gain a few places on the starting grid for the Final. In OK-Junior, the top two from the Qualifying Heats confirmed their positions, with Noah Baglin (GBR) winning Super Heat A and Dean Hoogendoorn (NED) winning Super Heat B.

Finally, the skies cleared and the two Finals were able to take place with Maxxis slick tyres, in the “option” version in OK-Junior and “prime” in OK.

OK: Silver for Turney ahead of Craigie in fifth
Starting from pole position in the Final, James Anagnostiadis (AUS) was quickly overtaken by Zac Drummond (GBR). The leading group remained compact, with Daniel Kelleher (IRL) and Lev Krutoholov (UKR) lying in wait. A head-to-head battle ensued between the two drivers, demonstrating experience (24-year-old Turney) versus the next generation (15-year-old Ramaekers) Slightly faster, the Belgian got the better of the Briton to clinch the coveted FIA Karting World Championship title, finishing seven tenths ahead of his rival at the chequered flag.

Ranked 57th in Qualifying and 14th on the grid for the Final, 2024 OK-Junior World Champion Kenzo Craigie (GBR) climbed up to fifth place ahead of Zac Drummond. Aston Sharp (GBR) made the most progress in the Final, gaining 22 places to finish eighth behind Zac Green (GBR).

OK-Junior: Noah Baglin leads from start to finish
With a perfect start and a particularly fast first lap that quickly gave him a lead of more than a second, Noah Baglin left his rivals to battle it out among themselves during the Final. He had a flawless race, triumphing at the end of the 21 laps with a lead of more than four seconds. Evan Purcell (GBR) tried to hold back the chasing pack, but then fell down the rankings.

Baglin began his Karting career in what was the MSA Bambino Championship aged six, before racing in the Wera Tools British Kart Championship in the IAME cadet class. Having narrowly missed out on last year’s FIA WC title to fellow Brit Kenzo Craigie, this weekend saw him take podium, for the driver who currently races for the Prema team, using the Kart Republic Chassis and IAME Engines.

Behind the host nation Sweden, the UK has 18 drivers within 47 nationalities from six continents across the championship – in the Senior Class Joe Turney was 2^nd, with Brits placing within five out of the top 10 drivers, while in Juniors two drivers were within the top 10 – including winner Baglin.

Dan Parker, Head of Karting, Motorsport UK, “We are incredibly proud of Noah on becoming FIA World Junior Karting Champion, and of all the UK drivers who competed so competitively over the weekend. For the UK to win the Junior World Championship for the second year in a row is an amazing achievement, and with the second-highest number of drivers in the field, it’s a testament to the incredible hard work and dedication of everyone involved in karting at all levels across the UK. The consistent performance of our drivers on the global stage plays a vital role in reinforcing the UK’s reputation as one of the world’s leading nations in karting.”