Five race weekends at top tracks. Czech town of Cheb hosts foreign round for the first time. New class structure with OK-N and OK-N Junior.
Next year’s German Kart Championship (DKM) will consist of five race weekends and feature a mix of established tracks in Germany and a highlight across the border. For the first time, Germany’s top karting series will line up in the Czech town of Cheb. The season kicks off in Saxony from 1st to 3rd May, when Arena E in Mülsen hosts the opening round. In keeping with tradition, the 2026 DKM will conclude at ProKart Raceland Wackersdorf. The titles will be decided in the Upper Palatinate region at the end of September (25th to 27th September). There is a new class structure for the 2026 season, with the OK-N Junior and OK-N categories joining the Mini and Shift Kart classes (KZ2).
Attractive tracks – Premiere in Cheb
After the season opener, the field heads to the Czech Republic. Located not far from the border with Germany, the 1,202-metre racetrack at Funarena Cheb will host a round of the championship for the first time at the end of May (29th to 31st May). There then follows a short break in the racing, after which the action resumes at the Schweppermannring in Ampfing, where the season reaches the halfway point from 17th to 19th July. The decisive phase of the season begins from 14th to 16th August at the iconic Erftlandring in Kerpen, before concluding with the finale in Wackersdorf.
New class structure and international links
A new class structure awaits drivers in the 2026 DKM season. The FIA-supported engine concepts OK-N and OK-N Junior are set to make their debut in Germany, offering talented youngsters an attractive and cost-efficient environment with direct connections to international karting. Together with the established Mini category and the two Shift Kart classes (KZ2), the top karting series in Germany will feature five classes in the future. The best German OK-N Junior and OK-N drivers can qualify for the FIA Karting World Cup through the DTKM.
Junior screening within the Mini class
In 2026, there will be a special focus on promoting talented young Germans. Together with Motorsport Team Germany and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 Team, a new screening programme will be established in the Mini class of the German Kart Championship. The aim is to identify promising young drivers aged between ten and eleven. The selected youngsters will then be invited to a trial at the end of the year, where the top talents will be rewarded with the opportunity to receive extensive funding. This will make the DKM even more of a talent factory for German motorsport in the future, and offer young drivers a basis for a career that could possibly take them all the way to Formula 1.
DKM to present the “Road to DTM” trophy again in 2026
In 2026, the German Kart Championship will again be incorporated in the official development pyramid of the ADAC and form part of the Road to DTM support programme. The winner of the Road to DTM trophy receives the entry fee for a season in ADAC GT4 Germany, courtesy of the ADAC. The winner will then gain their first experience of GT racing in the ADAC’s GT4 series, and will line up on the support programme for the DTM.
