Sarno (Salerno) For the third consecutive CRG conquered the triumph in the KZ1 World Cup, the “queen” category of karting. The great interpreter of the most powerful shifter category was once again the top driver CRG, the Belgian Jonathan Thonon. Jonathan and CRG have once again confirmed themselves to be on the top of the karting world thanks also to the performances of the CRG engines: in fact CRG-Maxter has won the most important event of the year in the single event which took place on the Circuito Internazionale Napoli in Sarno , from the 3rd to the 6th of September 2009. It was a great demonstration of power the one carried out by Thonon and his team-mates together with all the technicians of the Italian Company who well deserved to celebrate the World title which was strongly chased and desired.
Thonon’s weekend improved always more till the final apotheosis, and the Belgian driver showed his great determination and his fantastic driving ability especially with the decisive overtakings on the difficult track of Sarno where he furthermore displayed his great professionalism. Thonon in the end conquered a well deserved success to which all his competitors had to bow. He first started the prefinal from the 9th place, then he reached the 4t place with a great comeback.
Then there was a further excellent recovery in the Final where Thonon has also won with the fastest lap of the race. His team-mates made very good performances too, in spite of the final result which didn’t award them for the hard work done during the weekend. The French “Koko” Arnaud Kozlinski finished 5th after having suffered for two days a strong physical debilitation, while Davide Forè and the American Gary Carlton were forced to withdraw: they were anyway protagonists since the qualifying heats including the qualification heats and the Pre-final.
The only one who wasn’t able to reach the Final was Luca Tilloca, at his very first important race, due to several competitive troubles in the heats even after his brilliant qualifying heats where he reached a good 13th best time. Unlucky race also for the British Oliver Rowland, world champion 2008 of the KF2 category, at his debut in the shifter class with the LH chassis produced by CRG. Rowland wasn’t able to find the right feeling, he couldn’t carry on a good qualifying session which meant always starting from the backrow, he missed the final phase only by an hair's breadth.
The KF3 World Cup which took place during the same weekend was excellent and beyond any expectation. The young Rumanian Robert Visoiu who definitely reached a very competitive level after a year of apprenticeship made a sensational performance. He started with the 8th time in the qualifying then he launched himself into the qualification heats always fighting for the first positions and he also lead the group several times. Visoiu had then an accident in Pre-final when he was among the leaders and this stopped his hopes for the victory.
He ran very well in the Final recovering up to the 18th place being at the beginning in the last position. The young Finnish Matias Koykka raced very well too reaching the 16th place after recovering the 11 positions lost during the initial row which is quite common in this category.
Among the private drivers with CRG chassis in KZ1 the best results were gained by the Dutch Jorrit Pex from CRG Holland who conquered the 9th position in the final. The other Dutch Danny Bleek of Renda Motorsport arrived 17th while the Croat Kristijan Habulin of KK1 Team ended at place 22nd.
THE INTERVIEWS
Giancarlo Tinini, President of C.R.G. S.p.A.: “Thonon showed all his competitive force at the right moment. We knew we had some more margin and everything went according to our expectations. We won a World Title once again, the most important event of the season, thanks to everybody’s work and to Thonon himself who made a great performance. Forè could have conquered the podium too but he had a technical problem in the Final. “Koko” raced OK but he had a physical problem on Saturday that prevented him to drive at his best. His season had started with a different engine solution, then there was the passage to the current one which is winning at the moment with the engine tuner Savard. Of course the fact of not having prepared the equipment during the first part of the season didn’t help him. Gary Carlton did very well in the Pre-final before somebody crashed into him then the back lines of the Final penalized him. He was really unlucky but I saw a great Gary in the Pre-final while he was recovering positions together with Thonon and Forè. Tilloca would have conquered the Final but he was damaged by the lack of experience. His debut was anyway positive. In KF3 Visoiu made his best race of the year, finally I saw him much more confident than he was before. Koykka did well too, unfortunately due to school problems he couldn’t do his test-drives before the World Championship so it was very difficult for him to run for the first time on the difficult track of Sarno. Every race of the weekend saw his improvements and therefore his performance was very positive.”
Omar Di Gesualdo, CRG Sporting Director: “It has been a great week-end crowned by the world title of Thonon. We achieved great satisfactions since the beginning of the event during the official heats and with the performance of Foré, Kozlinski, Carlton and Tilloca. We had to fight to bring home this title, the third title in a row for Thonon that confirms his superiority. It is a great satisfaction for the whole team. Even in KF3 everything was good, with Visoiu that showed his sportive skills improvements during his first year in the international racing season. The Romanian driver had a very good training in CRG. We are also satisfied with the performance of the Finnish Koykka.”
Nico Carigiet, Responsible for Maxter engine: “We have been really satisfied with the victory of Thonon. This was a very demanding year for us. Three Maxter engines arrived among the first six positions in KZ1. This is very important also for the confidence showed by our customers.”
Jonathan Thonon: “I am very happy with this results because the weekend was really hard fought. I have lost just one of the four manches, so I had to recover because I started a bit on the back in the Pre-final. I was not able to improve as I would have wanted in the Pre-final because of a crash. In the final I have started from the fourth position, but everything worked well. I have competed during the whole weekend using my mind, I was very focused in order to reach the final result. I am very happy for the team, for all the people who helped me to arrive here and for Giancarlo Tinini who is like a second father for me. I thank all the team. Actually all the elements have to be at their maximum in order to win: the team, the chassis and the Maxter engine with Tec-Sav tuning. After all CRG was the winner together with all the team.”
Davide Forè: “Everything was good during the whole weekend, I was always in the first positions. During the manches I have won once and I arrived second and third. Unfortunately I have got a puncture in one manche, so I started from the back rows in the Prefinal concluding this really competitive race in the sixth position. The connecting rod got unluckily damaged during the Final so I have been forced to leave… what a shame! I am very sorry. Nevertheless I am really satisfied with my kart performance, I could have reached the podium. At the starting line in the Final there were three CRG in the first six positions, that means that the equipment is excellent. After all I am very happy anyway for Jonathan, Tinini, CRG, Maxter and all the team members.”
Arnaud Kozlinski: “I did my best for the team, I tried to help Jonathan fighting with our competitors, but I was not so fast to achieve a better result of the fifth position. I am a bit disappointed because I had not the possibility to conquer the podium. Obviously I did not get the right set-up especially in the engine, despite we made a very good job in setting-up this weekend.”
Gary Carlton: “I had some problems in the qualifying heats, then I did quite well during the manches. In the pre-final I recovered till the seventh position, but I have been clashed and I had to leave. In the Final I recovered again till the seventh position, then my engine got damaged. What a shame! I could have finished among the first five positions. Even if I was a bit unlucky, I am quite satisfied. The competition was at a very high level. I hope to be confirmed as official driver by CRG next year and to compete during the whole season.”
Luca Tilloca: “I was not able to qualify myself for the Final stage, I am really sorry. The qualifying timing was good, but I have been spoiled in the first preliminary heat by the missing start of the driver ahead. I did well just in one manche where I have achieved the seventh position. During the other preliminary heats I had bad luck because of some other accidents. I am sorry because I am the only CRG driver who did not go beyond the qualifying heats and most of all I could not return the undertaking and the confidence showed by CRG and Maxter. I hope to have the chance to recover some time.”
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