2026 Italian Junior Champion

A hard fought championship over 5 rounds at Lonato, La Conca, Sarno, Val Vibrata and Viterbo saw Josh Bergman become the youngest ever Junior Champion in the history of the ACI Italian Karting Championship. Josh was just 11yrs 5 months and 6 days old.

The final weekend in Viterbo saw Josh enter in 4th position in the overall standings. A solid qualifying performance and 4 strong heats, coupled with a P2 in the Prefinal scored great points for his campaign. In the final, P4 was enough to see him crowned champion.

A great way to close out the 2026 season in Austria. We were consistently at the top of the leaderboard all weekend, starting with Pole Position, followed by a win in the Pre-Final and a lights-to-flag victory in the Final to complete the sweep.

That result secured P2 in the Championship, despite competing in only 3 of the 5 rounds. Even better, we won every race we entered. A strong finish to an incredible season.

A dominant performance in Round 4 of the 2026 ROK Cup in Vienna. We set the pace from the start, going fastest in practice, taking Pole Position in qualifying, winning the Pre-Final, and finishing it off with victory in the Final.

A perfect way to open the double-header weekend and a strong statement from start to finish.

A race that threw everything at us - from +40C heat to torrentiual rain for the Final - this was a rollercoaster of strategy, perseverance and strength. We qualified P5 in Group. Heat 1 - P3, Heat 2 - P4, Heat 3 - P6. Started Prefinal in P3 and finished P1 ! Started Final in P3 in heavy rain. This was Josh’s first race in the big kart in the rain and driving different lines on a rain chassis and on different setup - we got tot the front for a brief moment but the arduous conditions saw a small mistake and we finished in P3, a result we were happy with considering the concitions.

Josh showed exactly what hard work, determination, and talent can accomplish. After qualifying P2 in his group, which put him P4 overall out of 80 drivers, he moved on to four heat races and finished P1, P2, P2, and P3. He then delivered another strong result in the Pre-final, finishing P2.

Based on points, Josh lined up P4 for the Grand Final, starting from the outside of the second row. Even with a slightly underpowered kart and older tires compared to the competition, he stayed confident and kept pushing. Going into the final lap in P3, he made two crucial overtakes and crossed the finish line in P1.

During his first European race in ROK Junior, Josh was able to complete a clean sweep of the race weekend at Speedworld, Vienna.

Josh qualified in Pole Position, and followed this with wins in Race 1 and Race 2, resulting in the overall win for Round 1. During qualifying he also broke the long standing track record.

Josh Bergman, the 2025 WSK Super Master Series Champion, has signed with Red Bull GmbH to join the world-renowned Red Bull Junior Driver Program. With this landmark agreement, Bergman becomes the youngest U.S.-born driver ever to be recruited by a Formula 1 junior team or academy.

Bergman, a Miami native, began national-level karting in the United States in 2023 at age seven. He quickly rose through the ranks, securing multiple wins and podiums at major national events. His consistent front-running performances led to his graduation to international karting in 2025.

In January 2025, Bergman relocated to Italy to compete at the highest levels of global karting. His first international season has been exceptional: he dominated the World Series Karting Super Master Series Championship and earned more than 15 podium finishes, marking one of the most successful rookie seasons in youth karting history.

Bergman has trained under the mentorship of motorsport icon and Kart Republic Chairman Dino Chiesa, known for guiding the careers of multiple Formula 1 stars, including World Champions Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Bergman also receives strategic career advice from former Formula 1 driver and current Sky Sports commentator Paul Di Resta, who continues to compete in WEC Hypercar (Peugeot) and IMSA LMP1 (United Autosports).

As part of his new role within Red Bull, Josh will report directly to Dr. Helmut Marko and collaborate closely with Guillaume “Rocky” Rocquelin, Head of Driver Academy for Red Bull Racing, focusing on simulator training, performance development, and long-term progression within the Red Bull driver pathway.

Looking ahead to 2026—and still only 10 years old—Bergman has been granted waivers allowing him to compete in the Junior category across all major U.S. karting series, typically reserved for drivers aged 12 to 15. He will also race in the OKN-Junior category in Italy beginning in April, shortly after his 11th birthday.

Statement from Josh Bergman: “Signing with Red Bull is a dream come true for me. I’ve worked so hard for this, and I’m excited to continue developing as a driver as I move up through karting and eventually into open-wheel and single-seater racing. I’m incredibly grateful to my coaches, sponsors, and family for helping me reach this milestone. Now, I’m excited to step up to the full-size chassis.”

Miami, FL — June 2025

Josh Bergman (Kidix Driver Performance) was crowned champion this season after an impressive performance in the Mini U10 class: five podiums including three wins in five events and a lead of over 100 points in the overall standings. At just 9 years old, Josh became the youngest American ever to win the WSK Super Master Series Championship and secured the #1 ranking in the FIA World Karting Rankings.