With the FIA ​​awards ceremony which took place in Rwanda in the last few days, the curtain has finally fallen on the 2025 sporting season for international karting. As usual, at CRG, it’s time to take stock with President Giancarlo Tinini. The first reflections are aimed precisely at the international season, in which once again CRG products were among the great protagonists:

“2024 was a very positive year from the results point of view and confirmed CRG products at the top in all categories and in all the most important Championships. In the OK category, we won the World Championship with Ethan Jeff-Hall, the most important title for the direct drive classes, but we also obtained 2nd place in the European Championship with Gabriel Gomez in a Championship that saw us competitive on different kind of tracks and conditions. We were also competitive in the KZ class, but unfortunately, the Portimao World Championship, where we obtained the podium in KZ2 with Paavo Tonteri, was somewhat influenced by external factors and we did not get the results that the team and drivers deserved. The many titles that the CRG chassis have won at a national level, from Brazil to Northern Europe, represent reason of pride for us, because it means that the development that our Racing Team carries out in international races is then successfully transferred to our customers and team partners. Talking about sporting successes, I would also like to thank, regarding our Racing Team, the engine engineers who worked in great harmony with our technical staff, guaranteeing us an always excellent service: Gianfranco Galiffa for the TM engines of the KZ categories, Nicola Boscaini for the Iame engines of the OK categories and Giovanni Salemi who followed our Mini team with the TM engines. Likewise, I would like to highlight the great work done by our external teams and dealers in their markets, helping to promote our brand around the world”.

Jeremy Iglesias has been announced as the new Team Principal of the Racing Team for 2025:

“Jeremy has had a successful career in karting and has gained extensive experience in all areas that characterize our sport, from the technical to the sporting one. By ending his experience as a driver, it was almost natural to think of him as Team Principal of our Racing Team, where Natalia and Brandon, who have done an excellent job this year will still be part of it. Jeremy has the authority to manage the drivers and their entourage, relate to our technical partners and also the knowledge and experience necessary to manage any sporting issues with the Federations and Marshals. I am sure that he will represent a great added value for our racing department”.

Talking about drivers, can you give us some previews of the 2025 line up?

“We have already confirmed some drivers who were part of the team this season and announced some new entries, but we will present the complete line up in mid-January. Our goal will be to have a competitive team in every category.”

How do you assess the state of health of international karting?

“The FIA ​​Karting races are the highest expression of Karting at an international level and must contribute to promoting our sport to encourage its diffusion and knowledge among the widest possible audience, as well as guaranteeing a high-level sporting context, capable of bringing out the best drivers and technical materials. Regarding the season that has just ended, I have to say that not everything worked properly. Starting from the uncertainty and delays on the choices of tires to be used at the beginning of the season, as well as the European Championship calendar which included some tracks that were not up to par in terms of infrastructure. Personally, I also expressed all my reservations about the choice to hold the OK World Championship in England with the post-Brexit bureaucratic problems, among other things to go to a country where the National ASN does not adopt the international categories. Speaking more generally I also believe that nothing is being done to contain the costs which increase every year and from this point of view the pre-races of the European Championship have brought this Championship to very high costs, in addition to requiring drivers and teams staff to have very long trips. Costs are an issue that we have been unable to address for years with effective and shared strategies between the Federation and sector operators, but it remains one of the most significant problems of our sport. Having said this, it is also worth saying that FIA races certainly offer a high level of competition with good organizational standards, adequate technical controls and represent an obligatory step for all young drivers with ambitions of growth in motorsport”.

As regards the National Championships, what can you tell us?

“It is clear that the OK categories have not managed to take root in any national market and now something could change with the simplification introduced with the OKN categories. But in order to be able to develop this process, we would need strong direction from the FIA ​​towards the individual National ASNs. At the moment in the “direct drive” categories at a national level, single-brand trophies are still prevalent, but the paradox is that the OKN categories in many cases offer better performance and lower costs. In Italy, the signal given by ACI Sport to introduce the OKN categories into the Italian Championship by eliminating the single-brand trophies was positive and I believe that the 2025 FIA World Cup in Cremona for these categories is a fair recognition for the work done. Other countries should follow this example and in a short time we could have a more uniform market and competitive Championships with reasonable costs, all under the aegis of Federations and not private promoters. As regards the KZ categories at national level, there are championships that work and others that don’t, but the regulatory stability of recent years in this market segment allows us to always have important numbers”.

2024 was also the year of the arrival of two new CRG drivers in F1, Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto:

“Yes, and I’m very happy for both of them because they are very good guys, as well as excellent drivers. At CRG we have always believed that the drivers’ experience in karting should be primarily educational and we work hard so that the kids learn to work with the technical staff, to give the correct feedback on the setup, to analyze the telemetry and above all to work a lot about driving. For some years now we have also collaborated with the Avanti management agency, which follows many of our drivers from a coaching point of view, precisely to be even more effective in this respect. There are so many drivers who have become professionals who have trained with us in karting and regarding Gabriel, I was very pleased to receive a message from him the same day he signed with Audi, just as I am pleased that he is teaming up with Niko Hulkenberg, another of our drivers who, still trains with his CRG Road Rebel nowadays. Obviously, this year was also special with the 4th title of Max Verstappen with whom we always maintain a close relationship; furthermore, we were very pleased with the success of Mattia Colnaghi in the Spanish F4 Championship in his first year in a car and yet another success in IndyCar from Alex Palou, where next year he will also be joined by Dennis Hauger, another driver from our training ground”.

This year there were the new homologations. What can you tell us about what is new for CRG?

“Honestly we have extended our approvals by focusing a lot on stability as we have chassis, both in the direct drive categories and in the KZ classes, that are versatile and competitive thanks to the transfer of all the experiences and successes of the racing department of recent years. Our goal is to have drivers in the National Championships who use the exact same chassis of the official CRG drivers, like the one used in the FIA races by Gustavsson or Gomez. Our reference chassis for the direct drive categories is the KT2 model and for the KZ categories the Road Rebel one, while on the accessories side we will certainly have the most important innovations, which will concern the braking systems and fairings”.

CRG is always very active also in the basic karting sector:

“For us all market segments are important, and I would say that basic karting is fundamental rather than important. For this reason, we will continue to promote events in the Rental Kart sector where our 24 Hours, that this year will take place in Cremona in which teams and enthusiasts from all over the world take part, is very successful. Above all we constantly work to improve our range of Rental go-karts and the related pre- and post-sales services; in this market segment we are among the reference players and proud to be partners of some of the most important tracks in the world. Still, in the basic karting sector, we will also continue with the promotion of the Briggs Kart Series which, in Italy as well as in many countries around the world, is contributing in a concrete way to making access to karting sustainable in economic terms and time commitment. This karting series uses the Briggs & Stratton 4-stroke engine and a lightweight racing chassis, capable of offering excellent performance”.

What do you hope for 2025?

“I hope that the International Federation will begin to look at karting with a more medium-long-term vision, over 3-5 years, with projects capable of concretely promoting our sport, increasing the number of practitioners and its popularity. Our market is deeply split into many categories and single-make trophies and every year new projects, such as the various Academy Programs arise, without having a shared strategy with sector operators on the priority objectives and the future”.