2024 K1 Speed Junior World Championship Recap!

K1 Speed’s Inaugural Junior U.S. / World Championship!

K1 Speed history was made this past weekend when we held our inaugural K1 Speed Junior U.S. Championship and K1 Speed Junior E-World Championship at our center in Ontario, California.

 

Amongst the many in attendance were 40 of the fastest junior racers in the country from 18 different states and 23 different K1 Speed centers. All children had finished in the Top 3 of their State Championship, earning the right to go for glory.

 

To help mitigate home track advantage, Ontario’s two indoor tracks were combined to create the longest indoor karting track in the state, AND run in the reverse direction. The karts used were BRAND NEW all-electric Junior Karts equipped with lithium-ion batteries, which meant drivers could push hard without fear of losing any battery performance towards the end.

 

The race format for both the U.S. Championship and World Championship was identical: two 8-lap qualifying sessions and one 8-lap final race for position. Only the best single lap time from either qualifying session was counted for the racer’s starting position.

 

Read on to see what happened and who finished where!

The 2024 Junior U.S. Championship

Since there were too many drivers to all run on track at once for the U.S. Championship, the 40 racers were divided equally into four groups of 10 on the track. This meant qualifying for the U.S. Championship not only decided the starting grid position for a racer, but the race group they would end up in: the fastest 10 racers from qualifying would be in the A-Main Race,  the second-fastest 10 in the B-Main Race, third-fastest 10 in the C-Main race and the fourth-fastest 10 in the D-Main Race.

 

Only the fastest racers in the A-Main race would compete for the U.S. Championship title and a chance at the Top 3 to progress to the next day’s World Championship event. So the pressure was on! At the end of qualifying, we had our four race groups by qualifying position.

Starting Grid for A-Main Race

 

1. Race Palumbo, Thousand Oaks, California: 53.29
2. Giovanni Blackerby, Canton, Ohio: 53.30
3. Michael Novikov, Ontario, California: 53.35
4. Jackson Fooks, Richmond, Virginia: 53.36
5. Julius Fillingame, Canton, Ohio: 53.38
6. Brooks Outlaw, Austin, Texas: 53.45
7. Jimmy Sanchez, Irvine, California: 53.58
8. Isaac Schmitz, Dallas, Texas: 53.59
9. Hudson Demazza, Nashville, Tennessee: 53.76
10. Cody Bergren, Denver, Colorado: 53.77

 

Starting Grid for B-Main Race

 

1. Eryck Wojciechowski, Buffalo Grove, Illinois: 53.84
2. Jack Ensell, Boston, Massachusetts: 53.85
3. Preston Blevins, Concord, North Carolina: 53.88
4. Rocco Jones, Oxford, Michigan: 54.00
5. Brayden Wooten, Atlanta, Georgia: 54.03
6. Zaar Iqbal, Houston, Texas: 54.05
7. Haley Stone, Denver, Colorado: 54.13
8. Arjun Kay, Redmond, Washington: 54.18
9. Thomas Mackintosh, Boston, Massachusetts: 54.21
10. Kellen Montejo, Atlanta, Georgia: 54.27

 

Starting Grid for C-Main Race

 

1. William Paez, Concord, North Carolina: 54.28
2. Asher Hing, Portland, Oregon: 54.32
3. Henry Baguet, Fort Lauderdale, Florida: 54.38
4. Jackson “Flash” Johns, Orlando, Florida: 54.41
5. Holden Anderson, Portland, Oregon: 54.43
6. Parker Dunn, Indianapolis, Indiana: 54.48
7. Jackson Jones, Concord, North Carolina: 54.52
8. Ithan Deloche, Cinnaminson, New Jersey: 54.69
9. Tate Patterson, Denver, Colorado: 54.75
10. John Manca, Redmond, Washington: 54.93

 

Starting Grid for the D-Main Race

 

1. Victoria Deluca, Fort Lauderdale, Florida: 54.96
2. Brennen Holliday, Atlanta, Georgia: 55.00
3. Elijah Willingham, Portland, Oregon: 55.111
4. Pierce Joy, Addison, Illinois: 55.114
5. Lilly Bell, Buffalo Grove, Illinois: 55.14
6. CJ Klok, Las Vegas, Nevada: 55.29
7. Brayden Blakeman, Las Vegas, Nevada: 55.43
8. James Forsythe, Nashville, Tennessee: 56.86
9. Theodore Cho Reiter, Cinnaminson, New Jersey: 56.99
10. Leo Li, Redmond, Washington: 58.52

Once the four race groups were cemented based on qualifying times, the races for position commenced. Groups D through B, while not racing for the opportunity to progress to the World Championship, still fought hard and clean for their final standings in the U.S. Championship.

 

Then, came the A-Main race event. Thousand Oaks’ Race Palumbo held on for 8-laps of pressure as Ontario’s own Michael Novikov kept the nose of his kart firmly on the rear bumper of Palumbo for most of the race distance. Canton’s Giovanni Blackerby, though passed by Novikov, kept his nose firmly on the back of Novikov’s kart waiting for any mistake from the leading two that could gift him the championship. But it was not to be. Palumbo saw the checkered flag first, thus becoming the very first K1 Speed Junior U.S. Champion! Blackerby finished right behind Palumbo in second and Novikov in third to become the Top 3 finishers and therefore the representatives of the United States in the following day’s inaugural K1 Speed Junior E-World Championship!

1. Race Palumbo, Thousand Oaks, California
2. Michael Novikov, Ontario, California
3. Giovanni Blackerby, Canton, Ohio
4. Brooks Outlaw, Austin, Texas
5. Jackson Fooks, Richmond, Virginia
6. Isaac Schmitz, Dallas, Texas
7. Julius Fillingame, Canton, Ohio
8. Jimmy Sanchez, Irvine, California
9. Hudson Demazza, Nashville, Tennessee
10. Cody Bergren, Denver, Colorado
11. Eryck Wojciechowski, Buffalo Grove, Illinois
12. Jack Ensell, Boston, Massachusetts
13. Preston Blevins, Concord, North Carolina
14. Haley Stone, Denver, Colorado
15. Rocco Jones, Oxford, Michigan
16. Brayden Wooten, Atlanta, Georgia
17. Thomas Mackintosh, Boston, Massachusetts
18. Zaar Iqbal, Houston, Texas
19. Arjun Kay, Redmond, Washington
20. Kellen Montejo, Atlanta, Georgia
21. William Paez, Concord, North Carolina
22. Henry Baguet, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
23. Asher Hing, Portland, Oregon
24. Parker Dunn, Indianapolis, Indiana
25. Jackson Jones, Concord, North Carolina
26. Holden Anderson, Portland, Oregon
27. Tate Patterson, Denver, Colorado
28. Jackson “Flash” Johns, Orlando, Florida
29. Ithan Deloche, Cinnaminson, New Jersey
30. John Manca, Redmond, Washington
31. Brennen Holliday, Atlanta, Georgia
32. Elijah Willingham, Portland, Oregon
33. Victoria Deluca, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
34. Lilly Bell, Buffalo Grove, Illinois
35. Pierce Joy, Addison, Illinois
36. CJ Klok, Las Vegas, Nevada
37. Brayden Blakeman, Las Vegas, Nevada
38. Leo Li, Redmond, Washington
39. Theodore Cho Reiter, Cinnaminson, New Jersey
40. James Forsythe, Nashville, Tennessee

The 2024 Junior E-World Championship

The following morning after the U.S. Championship event, the top three American racers met their two Canadian challengers for the title, Owen Bell from K1 Speed Mississauga and Jordan Chan from K1 Speed Toronto. The two Canadian drivers had come to K1 Speed Ontario the evening before to experience the track for themselves and get the same amount of track time as their American counterparts to ensure a fair race between competitors on this historic day.

 

The American drivers were first, second, and third in the first qualifying session, with Blackerby and Palumbo swapping their positions from the final U.S. Championship standings – this time Blackerby first, Palumbo third, and Novikov once again splitting the pair. But Canada had a stronger showing in the second qualifying session as Chan topped the times in the second qualifying session. However, the Americans’ times from the first session were enough to cement the first three spots, with Chan and Bell close behind and ready to strike.

1. Giovanni Blackerby, Canton, Ohio, USA: 53.32
2. Michael Novikov, Ontario, California, USA: 53.40
3. Race Palumbo, Thousand Oaks, California, USA: 53.51
4. Jordan Chan, Toronto, CANADA: 53.62
5. Owen Bell, Mississauga, CANADA: 54.13

In a journey that started at the beginning of 2023, the five junior racers lined up on the grid for the moment they’d been waiting for: the chance to become K1 Speed’s very first Junior E-World Champion. From the green flag, Blackerby commanded the lead and it wasn’t long before U.S. Champion Palumbo passed Novikov for second and was glued to the young racer from Ohio, determined to take another title home.

 

Palumbo hounded Blackerby, constantly searching for a gap. Finally, at around the race’s half-distance, Palumbo thought he found one, but it was not be, as the American Champ’s front nose accidentally struck the rear of Blackerby, spinning the lead driver. Action was immediately halted on track and positions restored to how they were before the incident. Then, the following lap on a different section of turns, Palumbo once again thought he spied an opportunity, but ended in the same outcome. This time, Palumbo was given final warning – the next time, he’d be sent to the back.

 

Meanwhile, Jordan Chan had moved himself into the podium places, with compatriot Owen Bell right behind him in fourth position. Hometown hero Novikov, struggling in his kart, was holding on valiantly to the pair making the best of his situation. Then, the white flag.

 

Palumbo just couldn’t find that clean gap to overtake, and Blackerby defended brilliantly the entire race to hold onto first position when the checkered flag fell and to become the very first K1 Speed Junior E-World Champion and take home the $8,000 prize! While disappointed he couldn’t take both titles, Palumbo is still bringing home not only serious bragging rights as US Champ, but $4,000 and the runner-up trophy. And though it was an American one-two, Chan put the Maple Leaf on the podium, bringing home the final trophy and $2,000 prize (worth even more in Canada!).

1. Giovanni Blackerby, Canton, Ohio, USA
2. Race Palumbo, Thousand Oaks, California, USA
3. Jordan Chan, Toronto, CANADA
4. Owen Bell, Mississauga, CANADA
5. Michael Novikov, Ontario, California, USA

Of course, the weekend wasn’t without its differences of opinion, tears shed, and hearts broken. But what the weekend did show was that every child rightfully had earned their spot to compete at the championships and demonstrated to everybody that they truly were the best K1 Speed junior racers in the United States and World. For that, every young racer that participated can be proud of their achievements, even if the final results maybe didn’t show off their true potential.

 

Next year, the titles are up for grabs yet again and already, thousands of kids around the country and in different countries are competing for their chance at glory in the 2025 K1 Speed Junior E-World Championship. Will your kid be the next world champion?

 

There are 8 rounds to go in this year’s season, and with the Top 3 from each city moving on to the State Championship, there’s still time for your child to be on the road to the World Championship next year. To learn more about how your child can become our next champion, visit our World Championship page today by clicking the button below.