Intercontinental A (1981–2006) In 1981, Intercontinental A (ICA) was introduced alongside
Formula K as a secondary
direct-drive class for the
European Championship.
Stefano Modena completed back-to-back
ICA European Championships in 1984, a feat that would not be repeated until
Andrea Kimi Antonelli under OK regulations in 2021. The
ICA World Cup was introduced in 2006, the final year of ICA regulations, won by French driver Mike Courquin.
KF2/KF (2007–2015) In January 2007, the
CIK-FIA decided to replace the 100 cc water-cooled
two-stroke ICA engines with 125 cc Touch-and-Go (TaG) water-cooled two-stroke KF2 engines, producing . Now the secondary class to
KF1—which had replaced
Formula A—the KF2 class karts used hand-operated front brakes via a lever. The chassis had to be CIK-approved, with a minimum weight of 160 kg and 158 kg for national and international events, respectively. KF2 karts were equipped with an electric starter and a
centrifugal clutch. The engine was
limited to 15,000
rpm. In 2010, karts of the KF2 category were mandated at the
Karting World Championship as the primary direct-drive category, alongside the European Championship, replacing KF1 in both. KF1 returned to the World Championship in 2011 and 2012, reverting KF2 back to World Cup status, but met its demise at the end of the 2012 season. With the end of KF1 regulations, KF2 became known as simply KF and returned to the World Championship as the primary class once more.
Original Kart (2016–present) In 2016, Original Kart (OK) regulations replaced KF in the direct-drive category, after its perceived failure within the kart racing community and restrictive regulations resulted in reduced entries at international competitions. OK karts had much of the electronics removed, and had to be push-started. == Specification ==