There was a time when Riccardo Ianniello commanded the international ROK karting scene with an ease that left little room for argument. It was 2020, Junior ROK category, and that young Roman took it all: the Italian title and the ROK Cup World Championship, one after the other, with the hunger of someone who still had everything to prove.

Since then, Ianniello's path has taken a new direction. Single-seaters, GT racing, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, all the way to the McLaren Trophy Europe 2026 – a step up that speaks of ambition and long-term vision. But karting, as they say, is never forgotten. It is every driver's first love, the place where instinct matters more than strategy and every corner is felt through the hands before it reaches the eyes.

That is precisely why, on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April, at the Leopard Circuit, Ianniello will line up for the second round of the ROK Cup Italia Championship in the Super ROK category. By his side, as in every chapter that matters, will inevitably be KGT Motorsport, led by Stefano Tredicine. The team that welcomed him from his very first laps, watched him grow, and stood beside him all the way to that world title. A bond that goes beyond any technical relationship: it is the sporting family where it all began.

Viterbo will most likely not be a full campaign, but a one-off appearance – almost a homecoming before diving into the European calendar of the McLaren Trophy.

The weekend schedule will see him on track from Friday, continuing into Saturday with free practice, official sessions and qualifying, before facing Sunday's warm up and heats through to the final.

After all, anyone who has been around the circuit in Viterbo in recent weeks will have spotted him threading through the kerbs, session after session, without much fanfare. Now we know why.