28 Apr 2025 K1 SPEED TEEN & ADULT U.S. & E-WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2025 K1 Speed E-World Championship featured the largest prize pool in all of competitive karting – $25,000 for first place in the adult division and $10,000 for first place in the teen division. This event featured the best drivers from their respective K1 Speed centers around the world, providing many participants with an opportunity to race outdoor karts for the first time. The entire event was livestreamed on Kart Chaser‘s YouTube channel.
K1 Speed 2025 Teen U.S. Championship
Before getting into the E-World Championship money, U.S. teens needed to earn their grid spots through an intense U.S. national competition. The formats for the U.S. and E-World Championships were identical: two qualifying sessions and one final race for position. Only the fastest lap time in either qualifying session counted toward placement on the grid.
The day started with U.S. teens taking the track. Qualifying quickly separated drivers into four separate final heats – only A-Main drivers (the fastest qualifiers) competed for the U.S. title. When the dust had settled, K1 Speed Salt Lake City’s Evan Rivas found himself U.S. champion. Patrick Bernatowicz of K1 Speed Buffalo Grove finished second, and K1 Speed Corona’s Everett Smith took home third place.
K1 Speed 2025 Teen E-World Championship
Qualifying for the K1 Speed 2025 Teen E-World Championship followed the U.S. podium ceremony and brought a special challenge for drivers… pouring rain. Going from indoor karting to outdoor karting is hard enough, but add a wet track and things get really interesting. After numerous spins in precarious positions, we were left with our top-12 K1 Speed teens worldwide – represented countries included Mexico, France, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United States. The starting grid featured the following order: Jeshua Gomez (1), Christian Velez (2), Hector Nevares (3), Liam de Paz (4), Everett Smith (5), Patrick Bernatowicz (6), Sebastian Espinoza-Mejia (7), Evan Rivas (8), Emilio E. Ferrer (9), Santiago Bermudez (10), Romy Spitz (11), and Jake Felkai (12).
The Teen E-World Championship featured an international podium sweep – Christian Velez of Puerto Rico took first place and the grand prize of $10,000, putting together an impressive race in poor conditions. Velez was followed closely by Mexico’s Jeshua Gomez in second and Canada’s Sebastian Espinoza-Mejia in third. Gomez’s second-place finish netted him a $5,000 payday, and Espinoza-Mejia’s third-place finish was good enough to bring $2,500 of the prize pool back to Toronto.
K1 Speed 2025 Adult U.S. Championship
Next, it was time for the adult division to run its U.S. Championship to decide the Americans who would be in contention for the coveted $25,000 K1 Speed E-World Championship first-place prize. The previous rain had settled by this point, with the track drying in just 30 minutes due to the intricate drainage underneath K1 Circuit Winchester. Because of the number of U.S. adult competitors, qualifying was split into three separate groups.
Once each group had run both their qualifying sessions, we were left with the top-25 U.S. adult drivers. Brendyn Reynolds, 21, represented K1 Speed Clovis on the U.S. podium in third place, earning a spot in the adult E-World Championship. Garrett Manes, 23, out of K1 Speed Richmond, took second place in the adult U.S. Championship. K1 Speed Phoenix’s Giovanni Perez D’Amico, 19, stood atop the podium in first place, earning the title of best adult K1 Speed driver in America.
K1 Speed 2025 Adult E-World Championship
Then, it was time for the big money races. Drivers from K1 Speed locations in France, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. competed for the fastest lap over the span of two qualifying sessions. After qualifying finished, we were left with the 12 talents who would compete for $25,000. The starting grid was as follows: Giovanni Perez D’Amico (1), Rodrigo Arellano (2), Garrett Manes (3), Nathan Wilkie (4), Brendyn Reynolds (5), Alexander Rodriguez (6), Bryan Botello (7), Tyler Illidge (8), Andrew Coelho (9), Carlos Luciano (10), Claudio Palacios (11), and Carlos Javier (12).
Manes was the story of the race, taking second place from Arellano before overtaking Perez D’Amico on a straight for first place. Manes found himself at the front of the pack and never looked back. Sportsmanship between competitors was on full display, with Manes and Perez D’Amico fist-bumping from their karts after the checkered flag. Manes earned the $25,000 first-place prize with his win at K1 Circuit Winchester and was crowned the victor of K1 Speed’s 2025 E-World Championship. Perez D’Amico definitely did not go home empty-handed, earning $15,000 of the prize pool for his second-place finish. Wilkie represented the Canadian maple leaf with class, gaining a position in the final and bringing $7,500 back up north.
Get in on the Prize Pool
Compete in your local K1 Speed center’s Challenge GP and earn your way to K1 Circuit Winchester in 2026! Rack up enough points at your center, earn your way to the state championship, then nationals (for U.S. competitors), and finally the K1 Speed E-World Championship!