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OTK Kart Group

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(Redirected from Vortex Engines)

Italy OTK Kart Group
Founded1958; 68 years ago (1958), as Tony Kart S.n.c.
Founder(s)Antonio Bosio
BasePrevalle, Lombardy, Italy
Team principal(s)
  • Roberto Robazzi (Chairman)
  • Tony Kart Racing Team
  • Giacomo Aliprandi
  • Marco Ardigò
  • Francesco Celenta
  • Simo Puhakka
  • Alessandro Sferrella
Drivers'
Championships
Websitetonykart.com

OTK Kart Group S.r.l., also known as Original Tony Kart (OTK), is a go-kart manufacturer based in Prevalle, Lombardy, Italy. Founded in 1958, OTK has won 35 CIK-FIA World Championships between 1986 and 2023 with its Tony Kart, Vortex, FA Kart, Kosmic, and Exprit brands.

With 35 titles, OTK is the second-most successful chassis manufacturer in the history of the World Championship, behind CRG. Across its 68-year existence, OTK has also won 14 CIK-FIA World Cups, three CIK-FIA International Super Cups, and 44 CIK-FIA European Championships. Notable World Champions on OTK machinery include multiple-time winners Davide Forè and Marco Ardigò, as well as Formula One drivers Jarno Trulli, Lando Norris, and Logan Sargeant.

History

[edit]

Tony Kart S.n.c. was founded in 1958 by Antonio "Tony" Bosio (23 February 1923 – 12 June 2015) in Prevalle, Lombardy, Italy.[1][2][3] Bosio's craftsmanship was admired by drivers, who frequently visited his workshop.[4] In 1965, Bosio built a special Tony Kart based on other land speed record designs with a 100 cc Parilla engine; at Monza, driver Livio Bolis set a record speed for a go-kart of 214.286 km/h (133.151 mph).[5][6] Bosio also collaborated with the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) on the construction of bobsleighs.[7] His work was credited with several innovations in kart design, such as the "floating" brake caliper.[4]

Tony Kart chassis were originally painted Savoy blue before switching to Tony Kart Green in 1983, following the purchase of the company by Roberto Robazzi and Carlo Cancarini.[1] Powered by a Pavesi engine, Fabrizio Giovanardi took Tony Kart's first CIK-FIA World Championship three years later, winning the Formula C (FC) gearbox class.[8] Under control of the Robazzi family, Tony Kart continued to dominate throughout the "Golden Era" of the 1980s and 1990s, establishing itself as the second-most successful chassis brand in World Championship history behind CRG.[8] Several Formula One prodigies featured in Tony Kart machinery throughout this period, including Michael Schumacher, Ralf Schumacher, Jarno Trulli, Sebastian Vettel, and Lucas di Grassi.[9][10]

OTK expanded beyond the Tony Kart brand in the mid-1990s. In 1995, it founded Vortex Engines, evolving Tony Kart into a factory team.[11][12] The following year, it established the Kosmic Kart brand and, throughout the 2000s, established Redspeed Kart and Exprit Kart, as well as the Trulli—the first collaborative chassis with a Formula One driver.[13][14][15][1][16] From 2009 to 2020, OTK partnered with two-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion Fernando Alonso on the FA Kart chassis.[17][18] It later established the LN Kart brand with Lando Norris in 2021 and CS55 Racing with Carlos Sainz Jr. in 2024.[16][19][20] In 2020, OTK acquired Gillard—the only British brand to win a non-superkart World Championship—and established EOS Racing Kart.[21][22][23] OTK has operated factory-backed teams with the Tony Kart, Kosmic, and Exprit brands.[24][13][15]

A 70% stake in OTK was acquired by QCapital and BIC Capital in 2022, supported by Crédit Agricole Italia, with the Robazzi family retaining 30% and strategic control.[25][26][27] By 2023, OTK generated over 90% of its sales outside of Italy, with subsidiaries located in the United States, Japan, and Singapore, utilising over 130 distributors in 70 countries with €45 million in revenue.[25] In 2023, OTK acquired Vega Tyres, which produced over one million tyres per year, representing 40% of the competitive tyre market.[25][28] Two years later, it merged with TM Kart, an engine manufacturer with 19 World Championships, 15 of which were in the gearbox categories; the Flenghi family of TM subsequently joined the ownership group of OTK.[27][22] It further strengthened partnerships with OMP Racing and Hitech Grand Prix throughout the mid-2020s, the latter following their collaboration with KTR in Formula Renault 2.0.[29][30][31]

Facilities

[edit]

OTK operates a 17,000 m2 (180,000 sq ft) factory in Prevalle, where it produces all its chassis and engines under various brands.[32] The karts are frequently tested at South Garda Karting in nearby Lonato del Garda.[33]

Chassis

[edit]

Brands

[edit]
Tony Kart chassis on display at the 2023 Essen Motor Show
A Tony Kart chassis on display at the Essen Motor Show in 2023
  • Tony Kart (1958–present)
  • Kosmic (1996–present)
  • Redspeed (2004–present)
  • Exprit (2009–present)
  • EOS (2020–present)
  • Gillard (2020–present; acquisition)
  • LN (2021–present)[a]
  • CS55 (2024–present)[b]
Former

Engines

[edit]

Vortex Engines

[edit]

Vortex Engines is the engine division of OTK. Founded in 1995, Vortex operate the ROK line of engines, which are contested in single-manufacturer disciplines worldwide.[12]

TM Kart

[edit]

In 2025, OTK merged with TM Kart, an engine manufacturer with 19 World Championships, 15 of which were in the gearbox categories.[27][22]

Tyres

[edit]

During the pre-2012 open tyre era, Tony Kart were primarily partnered with Bridgestone.[8] Of its 16 World Championships during the era, 14 were won on Bridgestone tyres, with one title on Vega tyres and another on Dunlop tyres.

Vega Tyres

[edit]

In 2023, OTK acquired Vega Tyres, which produces over one million tyres per year, representing 40% of the competitive tyre market.[25] Vega was founded in 1976 by Sergio Mantese in Saronno, Lombardy, Italy, and its tyres were used to win six World Championships throughout the open era.[25][8]

World Championships

[edit]

OTK has won 35 CIK-FIA World Championships—23 with Tony Kart chassis, four with FA Kart chassis, five with Kosmic chassis, and three with Exprit chassis; 24 of which were with Vortex engines—since the inaugural edition in 1964:

CIK-FIA World Championships won by OTK chassis
# Class Year Chassis Engine Tyres Driver
1 FC 1986 Tony Kart Pavesi B Italy Fabrizio Giovanardi
2 FA 1991 Tony Kart (2) Rotax B Italy Alessandro Manetti
3 FA 1992 Tony Kart (3) Rotax V Italy Nicola Gianniberti
4 FC 1994 Tony Kart (4) Pavesi D Italy Jarno Trulli
5 FA 1995 Tony Kart (5) Italsistem B Brazil Gastão Fráguas
6 FA 1996 Tony Kart (6) Vortex B France Jean-Christophe Ravier
7 FSA Tony Kart (7) Vortex B Sweden Johnny Mislijevic
8 FA 1997 Tony Kart (8) Vortex B Australia James Courtney
9 FA 1998 Tony Kart (9) Vortex B Brazil Ruben Carrapatoso
10 FSA Tony Kart (10) Vortex B Italy Davide Forè
11 FA 1999 Tony Kart (11) Vortex B France Franck Perera
12 FSA 2000 Tony Kart (12) Vortex B Italy Davide Forè (2)
13 FA 2004 Tony Kart (13) Vortex B Italy Davide Forè (3)
14 FA 2006 Tony Kart (14) Vortex B Italy Davide Forè (4)
15 KF1 2007 Tony Kart (15) Vortex B Italy Marco Ardigò
16 KF1 2008 Tony Kart (16) Vortex B Italy Marco Ardigò (2)
17 KF1 2012 Tony Kart (17) Vortex B Italy Flavio Camponeschi
18 KF-J 2013 Tony Kart (18) Parilla L Italy Alessio Lorandi
19 KF-J 2014 FA Kart Vortex V United Kingdom Enaam Ahmed
20 KF FA Kart (2) Vortex D United Kingdom Lando Norris
21 KZ Tony Kart (19) Vortex B Italy Marco Ardigò (3)
22 KF-J 2015 FA Kart (3) Vortex L United States Logan Sargeant
23 KF Kosmic Vortex V Poland Karol Basz
24 OK-J 2016 Kosmic (2) Parilla V France Victor Martins
25 OK-J 2017 Exprit TM L United Kingdom Dexter Patterson
26 KZ 2018 Kosmic (3) Vortex L Czech Republic Patrik Hájek
27 OK-J Kosmic (4) Parilla V France Victor Bernier
28 OK-J 2019 FA Kart (4) Vortex L Netherlands Thomas ten Brinke
29 OK-J 2020 Kosmic (5) Vortex M United Kingdom Freddie Slater
30 OK Tony Kart (20) Vortex L United Kingdom Callum Bradshaw
31 KZ 2021 Tony Kart (21) Vortex M Sweden Noah Milell
32 OK-J Exprit (2) TM M Japan Kean Nakamura-Berta
33 OK Tony Kart (22) Vortex M Finland Tuukka Taponen
34 OK-J 2022 Tony Kart (23) Vortex V Thailand Enzo Tarnvanichkul
35 OK-J 2023 Exprit (3) TM V Belgium Dries Van Langendonck
Source:[8][22]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Collaboration with Lando Norris.
  2. ↑ Collaboration with Carlos Sainz Jr.
  3. ↑ Collaboration with Jarno Trulli.
  4. ↑ Collaboration with Fernando Alonso.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 "Tony Kart". Rod Van Deusen Motorsports. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Antonio Bosio | Kartpedia". TKART. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "Farewell "Tony" Bosio, Mr. Tony Kart". Vroomkart. 12 June 2015. ISSN 1724-9147. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 Perrone, Riccardo (23 February 2011). "Storia – Tony Brosio" [Story – Tony Brosio]. KartClassic (in Italian). Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "214 km/h with a 100cc kart at Monza". TKART. 8 March 2018. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Il Karting in Italia e gli albori della FIK" [Karting in Italy and the dawn of the FIK]. Federazione Italiana Karting (in Italian). Automobile Club d'Italia. 10 June 2010. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  7. ↑ Buttazzoni, Cristian (12 June 2015). "Addio ad Antonio "Tony" Bosio, fondatore di Tony Kart" [Farewell to Antonio "Tony" Bosio, founder of Tony Kart]. Tutto sui Motori (in Italian). Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Voltini, Maurizio (January 2016). "Special – CIK-FIA Hall of Fame 1964–2015". Vroomkart. Vol. 175. pp. 32–34. ISSN 1724-9147.
  9. ↑ Sterzel, Yanek (10 March 2016). "Driving Schumi's kart". TKART. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Schumacher & Schumacher on Tony Kart–Vortex". Vroomkart. 11 March 2011. ISSN 1724-9147. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "12 engines that wrote Vortex history". TKART. 29 May 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  12. 1 2 Josue, Diego (20 June 2025). "Types of Vortex Engines". Kart Class. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Kosmic Kart | Kartpedia". TKART. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "Redspeed Kart | Kartpedia". TKART. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  15. 1 2 "The new Exprit Racing Team is born". Vroomkart. 20 December 2019. ISSN 1724-9147. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  16. 1 2 "LN Racing Kart by Lando Norris launch photos". Kartcom. 30 September 2021. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Margutti, forever Margutti". Vroomkart. 19 February 2009. ISSN 1724-9147. Archived from the original on 8 January 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  18. ↑ Alvarez, Guillaume (11 November 2020). "Kart Republic confirms new Alonso Kart chassis line and team for 2021 (update)". The RaceBox. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "LN Four Is Born, Lando Norris' Kart Made In OTK Kart Group". Vroomkart. 29 September 2021. ISSN 1724-9147. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "Carlos Sainz on Track with The New CS55 Racing Kart by OTK". eKartingNews. 6 February 2024. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  21. ↑ Billet, Frédéric (April 2021). "The Gillard brand joins OTK Group" (PDF). Kartcom News. Vol. 63. Kartcom. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "World Karting Legends". Kartcom. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  23. ↑ "EOS, the new brand made in OTK Kart Group". Kartcom. 5 February 2020. Archived from the original on 10 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  24. ↑ Opong, Rich. "Tony Kart Go-Karts: History And Reviews Of 3 Karts". Flow Racers. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 "OTK Kart Group and Vega merge!". Kartcom. 18 October 2023. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  26. ↑ "The Robazzi Family chooses QCapital and BIC Capital to accelerate the growth of OTK Kart Group". Vroomkart. 30 June 2022. ISSN 1724-9147. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  27. 1 2 3 "Green light for the partnership between OTK Kart Group and TM Kart". TKART. 19 September 2025. Archived from the original on 10 June 2026. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  28. ↑ "OTK Kart Group and Vega: union between two big names in karting world". TKART. 6 October 2023. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  29. ↑ "OTK Kart Group strengthens partnership with Racing Force Group". Tony Kart. OTK Kart Group. 23 October 2025. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  30. ↑ Wood, Ida (12 December 2025). "FIA launches global karting shootout as Hitech partners with Tony Kart". Formula Scout. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  31. ↑ "Tony Kart Racing Team with KTR in Formula Renault 2.0". Vroomkart. 16 January 2012. ISSN 1724-9147. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  32. ↑ "OTK Kart Group". QCapital. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  33. ↑ Kaligis, Bas (17 October 2019). "Video: Sebastian Vettel testing in Lonato for Tony Kart". KartXpress. Archived from the original on 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
[edit]
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