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2024 karting champion crowned! Second NGK & NTK EMEA Karting Grand Final won by Italy’s Maurizio Sini in Portugal 2024

Three kart drivers on a race track in front of NGK & NTK branded flags
Niterra and motorsports go hand in hand. For 40 years the company has drawn on its expertise as a world-leading ignition and vehicle electronics specialist to support racing at every level. Thanks to extensive sponsorships across sports such as Formula 1, the World Rally Championship, the Dakar Rally, MotoGP, Motocross, Superbike and the Speedway World Championship, competitors worldwide look to Niterra’s automotive brands NGK Ignition Parts and NTK Vehicle Electronics to power them onto the podium.

So it was a natural step when Niterra inaugurated its own EMEA Karting Grand Final in 2023, inviting the fastest EMEA Aftermarket customers from various regions to test their racing skills in karts sparked by cutting-edge NGK spark plugs. That event was so successful that the company hosted its second EMEA Karting Grand Final at the impressive Kartódromo Internacional do Algarve (KIA) track in Portimão, Portugal on 19-20 October 2024.

Why karting? It's well known that many of today’s elite racing drivers began their careers in karting – but it’s also a widely accessible sport that has become increasingly popular to amateurs in recent years. Featuring small, open-wheel vehicles raced around a track, karting is a cost-effective, scaled-down form of circuit racing. The karts may be far less powerful than a Formula 1 car, but drivers need similar skills to master engine control, vehicle handling, reaction times and race tactics as they speed around the winding courses. It is also a physically demanding sport, requiring cardiovascular fitness for endurance, core strength to support body position, and upper body power to control the steering wheel and gears.

For a chance of competing in the NGK & NTK EMEA Karting Grand Final, Aftermarket customers from five regions – Italy, Greece, Central Asia, the Middle East and France – tested their mettle in national and regional heats earlier in the year. The fastest drivers, comprising the top two or three karters from each national qualifier, were then invited to the prestigious 2024 Grand Final weekend in sunny south Portugal. 
 

Off the starting grid

Having proven all the necessary skills in their local heats, the top local drivers qualified for an entertaining weekend in Portimão, a city on Portugal’s beautiful Algarve coastline. Arriving on Saturday 19 October 2024, the guests paused for a welcome drink at their 5-star resort hotel overlooking the Atlantic. It was then straight to the kart track for a bite to eat and an insight about their host Niterra, including technical training on NGK Ignition Parts and NTK Vehicle Electronics. Afterwards the competitors went out onto the track for an inside look at the company’s advanced spark plugs, fitted inside the Niterra-branded race kart engines. But whose plugs would power them to victory?  

Following an initial warm up and training, the finalists lined up on the grid for three qualifying rounds around the 900m track, each fighting for the best starting position… no easy task, when the Kartódromo Internacional do Algarve track is renowned as being one of the most demanding in Europe. Soon the karts were racing the Grand Final under the blue Algarve sky. Anyone who couldn’t be trackside also had the chance to follow the highlights later, on Niterra’s YouTube and Social Media channels.
 

Taking the trophy

It was a hard-fought final, raced under floodlights, but of course only one driver could be first past the chequered flag to become NGK & NTK EMEA Karting Champion 2024. In a dazzling display of tactics, racing skills and sheer speed, Maurizio Sini from Italy took the trophy. Close on his tail, second place went to Giulia Milanese from Italy – the first woman to participate in the Grand Final. Réginald Noc from France followed in third. 

After the race, a still-energised Maurizio Sini – a semi-professional kart driver – took a moment to tell Niterra what it took to win: “The rumours were true… I think we could all tell that Kartódromo is a tough track!” he smiled. “The final alone was 20 minutes of intense driving, including extremely sharp bends that really got the adrenaline going. With the other competitors being so skilled, the leading kart changed several times. So staying ahead in the final stretches was an absolute thrill for me. I hope to be back next year to make it a double win!” 

The celebrations were then followed by a relaxing evening discussing the day’s racing over dinner and drinks on the hotel’s ocean-view terrace. 

The weekend was topped off by an exciting, off-road Land Rover experience in the nearby mountains, with blue skies overhead. As well as a spot of technical training on Land Rover vehicles, the participants were treated to an off-road demonstration tour, putting NGK glow plugs to the ultimate test in some of the Algarve’s most extreme terrain. 

So it was ‘Obrigado’ (thank you) and ‘Adeus’ (goodbye) to Portugal from all competitors after an entertaining weekend… but only one driver could say ‘Ganhei a Grande Final de Karting’ (I won the Karting Grand Final)!

Want to see more?
Watch our recap video of the Grand final in Portugal on Youtube! 
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