This weekend, from 13th to 16th April, the Zuera circuit in Spain will host the 1st Round of the FIA Karting European Championship - KZ & KZ2, one of the most important events of the season for the shifter categories. The 2023 Championship will be divided into 2 Rounds with the 2nd and final race weekend scheduled in Italy on the Sarno track on July 9th. 31 drivers will be on track in the KZ top class and the CRG colors will be defended by the reigning World Champion Viktor Gustafsson, by the expert Jeremy Iglesias and by Arthur Carbonnel, the winner of the KZ2 World Cup last season, who will make his debut among the big of the KZ class. 92 names are on the entry list in the KZ2 category and the CRG brand will be represented by a total of 10 drivers, 4 of which official managed by the internal Racing Team: Paavo Tonteri, Brandon Nilsson, Andrea Bosetto and Adrian Malheiro. Bruno Mulders, unfortunately, will not be able to take part in the race weekend due to the after-effects of an injury which will keep him away from the track for the period necessary for his physical recovery. Jorge Pescador will instead be racing representing the Kalì Kart colours together with Jaime Cortes Damas, Alejandro Lahoz Lopez e Berta Rafols Paz.
The format of the event will include Free Practice on Thursday, while the qualifying phases will begin on Friday with the Qualifying Practice and the Eliminatory Heats, which will go on on Saturday. At the end of the Heats, the intermediate classification will award points valid for the Championship first, while the Super Heats and Finals are scheduled for Sunday with the highest number of points up for grabs. Both categories will race with the MG tires and tire management will be a very important issue for the final result. The CRG team as regards the engines will also be supported by TM in 2023 and Gianfranco Galiffa will take care of their management on the track.
The Spanish track of Zuera is among the fastest and most technical ones and the show on the track throughout the weekend will be guaranteed for sure. The Live Timing service will be active from Thursday to follow the action, while from Friday on by connecting to the website www.fiakarting.com it will be possible to follow the Live Streaming as well as the official timing.
CRG drivers’ expectations:
Viktor Gustafsson (KZ): “The FIA season for the KZ classes restarts here with this weekend's race: the most important events which will culminate with the World Championship scheduled for September in Germany. After the victory in the World Championship last year it is logical that the expectations on us are high and we believe we have prepared ourselves in the best possible way not to disappoint them. As far as I'm concerned I'm in good shape and from a technical point of view our chassis-engine package has proven to be very competitive. The level of the challenge will be very high, but we are confident that we can play a leading role”.
Arthur Carbonnel (KZ): “This weekend I will officially debut in KZ among the big names in international karting, after my success last year in the KZ2 World Cup. It is a natural passage for which I have get ready in the best possible way, even if I will certainly suffer for some lack of experience in managing the race weekend. The feedback we've had in the testing sessions is good and I'm confident I can have a good race, also thanks to the support and sharing of the technical work I'll be able to do with my more experienced teammates. The wait is over, this weekend will finally get serious and I think it will be a great show to follow for all karting enthusiasts”.
Jorge Pescador (Kalì Kart - KZ2): “Attending this first FIA race of the season at home gives me a greater boost and also a lot of confidence, as I know this circuit well and it matches well with my driving style. From a technical point of view, we have prepared this race well in the tests and now the goal will be not to make mistakes and use each Free Practice session well to refine the setup. It's a Championship in just two Rounds, so any kind of mistake will be paid dearly and concentration, as well as our experience, will have to be the final keys to make the difference".