2018 FIA Karting Best-Of: A second European Champion title for Jorrit Pex

Some time after crossing the finish line of the Lonato Competition, Jorrit Pex learned that he was the new FIA Karting European Champion – KZ of 2018, following a penalty received by his main opponent. It was a nice surprise for the Dutchman, who had already won this Championship in 2012.

World Champion in 2015 and now a double European Champion, your CV continues to grow…

Winning a Karting title at this level is still a lot of effort and it’s true that if I look back, I can be proud of my career, which also includes other victories in National Championships and various International Competitions. This year, I think I have been competitive throughout the season. At the opening of the European Championship at Salbris, I achieved pole position, I was leading the Qualifying Heats with three wins out of three and I think that victory was possible in the Final. But after contact with another Driver, I was left behind and finished 2nd.

Why was the Lonato Competition more difficult?

We worked hard to be competitive. I was 3rd in Qualifying and 4th after the Heats, but I could do no better than 5th in the Final. However, if we look closely at the times, I was only missing a tenth to do better. This is KZ, the gaps are always extremely tight between the top Drivers! In the end, I was the most consistent during the entire Championship, as I won with 50 points, against 39 for the 2nd Driver.

At a Pex, you race with your family, how do you organise it?

I first raced with Yard, my older brother, who drove for several years and finished 2nd in the KZ2 World Cup in 2011. Stan, my younger brother, joined me in the KZ category at the end of 2016 and we chose to remain faithful to our team, with my father as team manager. Of course, we are helped by the CRG and TM Racing factories, but we try to do most things on our own. It is also very pleasant and rewarding to share emotions and passion for karting with your family. In the end, we are as competitive as the factory teams. However, we do not have the opportunity to test outside the races because we have to work the rest of the time!

Is Stan a team-mate or an opponent?

Both! Since 2017, he has become very hard to beat. But it’s good to be in the same category today. Technically, we improve faster and we progress by comparing our performance. We push each other to be faster than the other at each new race. I hope it will last as long as possible!

Info FIA Karting / © Photo KSP