Andrea Margutti Trophy
The Andrea Margutti Trophy, also known as the Trofeo Margutti or simply the Margutti, is a kart racing competition organised by Parma Motorsport and sanctioned by ACI Sport. Hosted annually since 1990, it is one of 11 competitions on the international kart racing calendar in classes.
The event was founded in memory of 14-year-old Italian kart racer Andrea Margutti, who died in the 1989 edition of the Torneo delle Industrie. Initially hosted at the Pista d'Oro until 1991, the Margutti soon moved to Parma, where it established itself as a world-leading competition during the "Golden Era" of the 1990s. Following the collapse of Parma in 2008, it moved to Castelletto for three editions before settling at Lonato in 2012. As of 2025, it is contested by over 300 drivers across six classes:, KZ2,,, Mini , and Mini U10. The event was previously also contested in Italian American Motor Engineering classes—X30 Senior and X30 Junior—as well as the primary CIK-FIA direct-drive class.
The palmarès of the Andrea Margutti Trophy includes Formula One drivers Giancarlo Fisichella, André Lotterer, Robert Kubica, Charles Pic, Daniil Kvyat, and Logan Sargeant ; the former won a record four titles between 1990 and 1994 in FA and ICA. As of, seven World Drivers' Champions have contested the event, but none have finished on the podium. Lotterer is the only victor to progress to win an FIA World Championship in auto racing and Sophie Kumpen is the only female driver to win a title.
History
Background (1961–1989)
The Parma Kartdrome, also known as the Pista San Pancrazio or Mondialpista di Fraore, was built in 1961 and inaugurated by the actors Fernandel and Gino Cervi, who were filming Don Camillo: Monsignor locally. The venue soon declared bankruptcy but, in 1967, the local Pellegrini family took management of the site and invested ITL 3 million in upgrading the venue. The owner and former bartender, Umberto Pellegrini, created the Torneo delle Industrie in 1971, which became one of the premier kart racing competitions in the world.In 1988, Andrea Margutti of Rome finished fifth in the Cadetti class of the competition; he progressed to the Nazionale class the following year, during which his kart rolled in free practice and he sustained fatal internal haemorrhaging after his aorta ruptured, aged 14. Margutti had established himself as one of the leading talents in Italian motorsport and finished twenty-first in the CIK-FIA Junior World Cup at Zaragoza that year. His death was one of the most notable moments in kart racing history and marked a turning point in driver safety, as chest and rib protectors were popularised and became mandatory in FIA competition.
Early years at the ''Pista d'Oro'' (1990–1991)
The Andrea Margutti Trophy was founded in 1990, held as a national competition at the Pista d'Oro in Rome—the venue of the inaugural CIK-FIA World Championship—in memory of Margutti, who was local to the venue. The day following his death, a race scheduled there was annulled when every competitor abandoned the event as a sign of mourning. The event was organised within two months of his death by his family and several high-profile figures in the industry.Andrea Belicchi of Parma won the premier Nazionale class in its inaugural year, while local driver Giancarlo Fisichella—who was a close friend of Margutti and kept a photograph of him in his helmet—was victorious in the secondary Intercontinental A division. Fischella progressed to the Formula A class the following year, which replaced Nazionale, winning the competition for the second successive year as Calabria's Pietro Saitta claimed the ICA title. With over 160 entries in each of its inaugural editions and growing international attention, the characteristics of the Pista d'Oro were eventually deemed to ill-match the ambition of the organisers.
Parma (1992–2008)
1992–1993: Move to Parma under the Pellegrini family
After two editions, the event moved to Parma on request from Pellegrini and his family; Margutti's mother, Patrizia, had approached Pellegrini—who pleaded for "a chance to make up" for the 1989 accident—as Parma was one of Margutti's favourite circuits. By 1992, Parma had hosted four World Championships and established itself as the leading venue in international karting, which TKART described as a "temple" and contrasted its importance to the Circuit de Monaco in Formula One, Madison Square Garden in boxing, and Wimbledon in tennis.The Junior Intercontinental A category debuted that year for drivers under the age of 15, won by Bruno Balocco of Cuneo in 1992 and Ennio Gandolfi of Cremona in 1993, who both won the World Cup in those years. Fisichella proceeded to win a record four titles across its first five editions, missing out on the 1993 title in FA to Belicchi; he became the first champion to progress to Formula One in. ICA, which was absent from the event on its Parmense debut, was won by Ascoli Piceno's Sauro Cesetti in 1993. Throughout the early years in Parma, the event grew substantially, with Vroomkart claiming its prestige had come to rival that of the World Championship.
1994–2000: Prominence in international competition
The Andrea Margutti Trophy welcomed increased international competition from 1994 onwards, with over 100 foreign entrants and British driver Doug Bell winning the title that year ahead of CIK-FIA Five Continents Cup winner Giorgio Pantano, who had been runner-up the year prior. Matteo Boscolo won in ICA, as Fisichella capitalised on a collision between Jarno Trulli and Risto Virtanen from the chequered flag to claim his fourth title in FA. Belgian prodigy Sophie Kumpen became the third woman in history to win a win a major international karting title with her victory in the premier FA class in 1995, beating the favoured two-time World Champion Jarno Trulli, as Massimo Del Col and André Lotterer claimed the secondary and junior titles, respectively; Jenson Button ended fifth in ICA. A record 308 drivers from 20 countries entered the competition that year, including 177 foreigners.Up to 1996—the founding year of the South Garda Winter Cup—the Andrea Margutti Trophy had been the opening event of the international karting calendar, where chassis and engine manufacturers would debut their seasonal challengers. Lotterer defended his title that year, later becoming the first victor to win an FIA World Championship in, as Gianmaria Bruni finished seventh for the second successive year; 1994 World Champion Alessandro Manetti and Ioannis Antoniadis won the senior divisions, the latter beating Vitantonio Liuzzi. Antonio García and 1995 World Champion Massimiliano Orsini claimed the FA class in the 1997 and 1998 editions, respectively, alongside Steve Molini and Giorgio Evangelisti—who qualified for the final via the repêchage—in ICA, as well as Ben Benjamin and Stefano Fabi in, the latter overcoming opposition from Marco Ardigò and Alessandro Pier Guidi. Finnish ICA Champion Kimi Räikkönen claimed fourth and Nico Rosberg seventh in the 1998 editions of FA and, respectively.
Sauro Cesetti, Michele Rugolo, and Robert Kubica won the 1999 titles, as reigning European Vice-Champion Fernando Alonso claimed fifth in the former after Cesetti passed both him and four-time World Champion Gianluca Beggio for the lead. Lewis Hamilton made one of his first international karting starts in that year's event, later claiming he was racially abused by some French and Italian competitors. Toni Vilander claimed the FA title in 2000, with eventual World Cup and European Championship winner Hamilton claiming seventh. Stefano Proetto beat both Giacomo Ricci and Pier Guidi in ICA, with Pietro Ricci taking the junior crown, where Sebastian Vettel finished seventh.
2001–2008: Final years at Parma and start of KF era
Retaining the three-class system from 1993 into the 21st century, Cesetti claimed his second title in FA, as Jean-Philippe Guignet and Miguel Gallego claimed their first. Davide Gaggianesi beat Cesetti and Pastor Maldonado to the 2002 FA title, with Jérémy Iglesias victorious in the secondary class and Andrea Todisco in junior, the latter overcoming opposition from Sébastien Buemi. The 2003 edition saw a record 26 nationalities represented and the victories of: Carlo van Dam in a race of attrition; Oliver Oakes ; and Dani Clos, who beat Miguel Molina and Jules Bianchi following an engine-related disqualification for initial last-lap victor Fred Martin-Dye. In 2004, FA was won by Ben Hanley ahead of two-time World Champion Davide Forè, ICA by a dominant Henkie Waldschmidt over Jon Lancaster, and by Stefano Coletti; Bianchi repeated his third-place in the latter.Edoardo Mortara capitalised on a collision between Forè and Cesetti to win in FA the following year, where Andrea Dalè dominated the ICA final and Charles Pic beat Roberto Merhi in, the fourth successive victory in the class for Birel. The 2006 edition marked the final year of "Formula" regulations in international kart racing, when the victors were: reigning European Champion Marco Ardigò, Marco Wittmann, and Nigel Moore. The Commission Internationale de Karting introduced "KF" regulations to international competition in 2007, when the three classes—FA, ICA, and —were replaced by KF1, KF2, and KF3, respectively. British driver Gary Catt proceeded to claim the KF1 title in back-to-back years, with Burkhard Maring and Zdeněk Groman victorious in KF2; the former won the title in a battle with Will Stevens and the latter after an engine failure for reigning European Champion Jack Harvey. The inaugural KF3 event was won by Harvey, followed by Ignazio D'Agosto in his 2008 battle with Aaro Vainio.
Castelletto (2009–2011)
The Andrea Margutti Trophy became an FIA Authorised Series and moved to Circuito Internazionale 7 Laghi Kart in Castelletto di Branduzzo, Lombardy, from 2009 to 2011, upon the permanent closure of Parma amidst the Great Recession, which was sold and decommissioned for a Decathlon franchise. TKART compared the demise of Parma to that of the original Wembley Stadium in 2000 and the Yankee Stadium in 2008. The event was initially set to move to Spain, at the Kartodromo Internacional Lucas Guerrero in Valencia, championed by two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz Sr. The KF1 class—subjected to criticism for spiralling costs—was removed, with KF2 becoming the primary direct-drive competition. KZ2 was introduced as a professional class, the first gearbox category to feature in the competition.Jack Hawksworth was victorious on the gearbox debut while Brandon Maïsano claimed the senior class, with Antonio Giovinazzi in third, as Daniil Kvyat beat Nyck de Vries and Raffaele Marciello in junior—where Carlos Sainz Jr. matched his 2008 result of seventh. The 2009 edition notably saw the return of two former competitors—Fernando Alonso and 1999 winner Robert Kubica—as chassis manufacturers with Tony Kart and Birel, respectively. Persistent light rainfall hit Castelletto in 2010, when Jacob Nortoft claimed the KF2 title, with Loris Spinelli beating Esteban Ocon in KF3 and Simon Solgat victorious in KZ2. The 60 Mini category was re-introduced by ACI Sport as a 60 cc under-12 class that year for the "60 Junior Trophy", won by Alessio Lorandi. The senior class was taken by Alain Valente in 2011, as Slavko Ivanovic claimed the junior title, Adam Janouš won in KZ2 with female prodigy Beitske Visser in sixth, and Marcu Dionisios in Mini.
Lonato (2012–present)
2012–2019: Demise of KF regulations and the OK era
South Garda Karting in Lonato del Garda, Lombardy, became the venue of the Andrea Margutti Trophy from 2012 onwards; the organisers proclaimed it as the ideal venue to restore the prestige of the competition. The debut event at Lonato had 246 entrants from 33 nations, the highest figure since 2003. Felice Tiene won the senior class that year, as Martin Kodrić beat Lance Stroll and Álex Palou to the junior title; Charles Leclerc and George Russell each claimed seventh in KF2 and KF3, respectively. Reigning European Champion Fabian Federer was imperious in KZ2, while American prospect Logan Sargeant became the first non-European winner of the competition in Mini. 2013 saw a dive to 180 entrants as factory-backed teams deserted the event, when Dorian Boccolacci beat Lonato-raised Luca Corberi in the renamed KF class and Dan Ticktum claimed victory in as European Champion Lando Norris ended fifth. The gearbox and Mini classes were won by Kristijan Habulin and Domenico Cicognini, respectively.In 2014, class victories were claimed by inaugural Mini winner and reigning KF-J World Champion Lorandi, Max Fewtrell, Marco Zanchetta, and Antonio Serravalle in a four-way battle. Alexander Vartanyan took the senior direct-drive title in 2015, amid a further fall to 160 entrants, as Indian driver Kush Maini became the first Asian winner in ; four-time World Champion Davide Forè was victorious in KZ2, alongside Leonardo Marseglia in Mini after a final-lap overtake. The year marked the final appearance of KF direct-drive regulations, which were replaced by OK and regulations from 2016 onwards as costs for competitors spiralled due to the presence of manually-controlled front brakes, sophisticated cable systems, and fragility of components. Russians dominated the 2016 edition on an renovated Lonato circuit: Alexander Smolyar took victory in the six-entrant OK class; Ivan Shvetsov won the title in an all-Russian podium, alongside Pavel Bulantsev and Bogdan Fetisov; and Ruslan Fomin claimed the Mini class, where nine-year-old Italian prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished eighteenth after qualifying third. Giacomo Pollini beat Alexander Schmitz by 0.077 seconds in the KZ2 final, decided by a photo finish, after a final-lap pass.
2017 saw the introduction of X30 Senior as a secondary senior direct-drive class, operating as a spec series on Italian American Motor Engineering equipment and awarding the X30 Trophy, an adaptation to retain entry figures; Vittorio Maria Russo was the inaugural winner. Callum Bradshaw claimed the OK title, as Andrea Rosso won in, Riccardo Longhi in KZ2, and Alfio Spina in Mini. Vroomkart described the 2018 edition as being the "almost British Margutti Trophy" due to inclement weather conditions. Reigning winner Rosso won in OK, as Marco Moretti reigned in X30 Senior over his brother Andrea; the class was won by Enzo Trulli, the son of Jarno Trulli—who was a friend of Margutti and finished fourth in the 1993 edition—ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, while Lorandi returned from the GP3 Series claimed his third title in KZ2. Josh Irfan beat fellow British prodigy Arvid Lindblad in Mini. In 2019, Leonardo Bertini Colla beat David Liwinski and Leonardo Fornaroli in OK, Edoardo Ludovico Villa was victorious in X30 Senior, Theo Wernersson in, Emilien Denner in KZ2, and Joel Bergström in Mini.
2020–2023: X30 era
The 2020 edition celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the event, delayed to November amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Lombardy and temporarily returned to Castelletto. The OK class was removed as a result of the pandemic, leaving X30 Senior as the sole senior direct-drive competition, where Ludovico Villa successfully defended his title. Jamaican driver Alex Powell of the Mercedes Junior Team became the first Caribbean victor in, Clément Outran won in the new X30 Junior category, rising star Senna van Walstijn in KZ2, and René Lammers in Mini, the latter now officially recognised by. was notably absent in 2021, which was again delayed due to COVID-19, with René Lammers claiming the X30 Junior title; Cristian Comanducci won in X30 Senior, Van Walstijn successfully defended the KZ2 title, and Emanuele Olivieri led in Mini after polesitter Christian Costoya was condemned to third following an early incident.In 2022, Danny Carenini was victorious in X30 Senior, Mark Dubnitski in the return of, Riccardo Cirelli in X30 Junior, and Giuseppe Palomba in KZ2; Dries Van Langendonck held off rival Costoya to claim the Mini crown. Carenini defended the X30 Senior title in 2023, which had been exclusively won by Italians in its seven-year presence at the competition. Oleksandr Legenkyi was victorious in the inaugural running of the Mini U10 class for drivers aged 8–10, the youngest age group in the history of the competition, and Bosco Arias in the ACI Sport–sanctioned Mini Gr.3. The other victors were Romanian driver David Cosma Cristofor, Riccardo Ferrari, and Cristian Bertuca.
2024–present: Introduction of OK-N
For 2024, the IAME classes were replaced by the low-cost and approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council in 2022: Italians Federico Albanese and Ludovico Mazzola were the victors in and, respectively, on its debut. Kilian Josseron won in —where original victor Ilia Berezkin was penalised and Ethan Lennon became the first African driver to finish on the podium—Arthur Poulain in KZ2, Alessandro Truchot in Mini, and nine-year-old Niccoló Perico in Mini U10. Upon the death of Pellegrini later that year, his children—Tiziano, Donatella, and Germano—assumed ownership of the venue, which they had controlled since the early 1990s. To-be World Cup winner Manuel Scognamiglio claimed the 2025 victory, with Berezkin achieving redemption in, Vsevolod Osadchyi-Suslovskyi holding off Nicola Stanley in, reigning World Cup winner Bertuca winning his second gearbox title, Perico following his under-10 title with victory in the under-12 class, and Jan Ruudi Algre taking the Mini U10 class.Format
The Andrea Margutti Trophy holds four-day weekends: free practice sessions on Thursday and Friday morning, time trials on Friday afternoon, qualifying heats on Friday afternoon and Saturday, and pre-finals/finals on Sunday. In 2018, the full-service registration fees were: for OK,, and KZ2; €325 for 60 Mini; and €260 for the IAME classes. By 2026, the fees increased to €540 for all six classes:, KZ2,,, Mini Gr.3, and Mini U10.As of 2026, the event is held over a four-day weekend composed of free practice, time trials, qualifying heats, pre-finals, and the finals:
- Thursday: FP;
- Friday: FP, TT + QH ;
- Saturday: warm-up + QH + repêchages;
- Sunday: warm-up + repêchages + PF, Mini U10,,, Mini Gr.3,, and KZ2 final.