Thanks to its growing presence in America, CRG enjoyed great visibility at the final of the 12th 'Skusa SuperNationals', held on the huge parking area of the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. "This race is a major event in North America", said one of CRG team members, who was
on the spot. "In addition to the 'American style show' and a very professional organization, the level of the meeting was very high. For us, racing in Las Vegas has been a very exciting challenge".
The Super Pro, i.e. the top category of the meeting, saw intense competition between American drivers and some of the best European ones. The race started under the best auspices for CRG, when Jonathan Thonon conquered the pole position. Recent winner of the World Cup and European Champion, he kept his momentum in the qualifying phase. "I won two out of three heats", the Belgian driver said, "but I had a problem at the start of one heat, so I was fifth on the starting grid of the final." Despite this handicap, Thonon doubled all his opponents and won with an advantage of more than two seconds. "This non-permanent circuit lacked grip, but our chassis adjusted itself perfectly to the conditions and the tyres we found here in Vegas."
Definitely unfortunate this season, though very fast on the track, Arnaud Kozlinski had a serious collision just when he was catching up. Due to a broken collarbone, the French driver will have to rest for one month. All the CRG team wish him a speedy recovery. Gary Carlton and Michaël Vincec, third and fifth respectively in the final, as well as Billy Cleavelin, who won the final in the TAG Masters category, contributed to CRG’s triumph in North America. Congratulations to all CRG teams, importers and distributors who
have made this success possible in Las Vegas.
Maxter: A 2008 Season Blessed By Success
The past season was very successful for Maxter. In addition to celebrating its first successes in KF1 (winner of the World Cup), KF2 (one victory in the WSK) and KF3 (European Champion), the Italian engine manufacturer conquered a few more titles with its MX model, especially designed for the 125cc gearbox category. Recent winner of the World Cup and European Champion in 2008, Jonathan Thonon showed once again the potential of his vehicle in Las Vegas, at one of the most important races held on the other side of the
Atlantic.
"Maxter and my performance tuner Patrick Savard have done a great job to allow me to set the best times in timed qualifying, and then to win the final. My engine proved to be very powerful, but also extremely easy to use, thanks to a very smooth gearbox, which is extremely important on a circuit set in the heart of the city." With 12 Maxters among the finalists, 5 in the top 10 and 2 on the podium (including the winner), Maxter achieved an extraordinary collective success in the US, with its European, American and Canadian drivers.
"The company reorganisation, with the arrival of a new engineer, is proving very successful", said Nico Carigiet, one of Maxter’s technical managers. "This certainly stimulates us to face new challenges and to be optimistic about our future." |
