The 3rd Round of the WSK Super Master Series has been archived with a good sporting balance and an excellent job done from a technical point of view. The KZ category was of particular importance in the away game race in Sarno which, on this same circuit, will host one round of the FIA European Championship. The CRG Racing Team lined up 7 drivers in the top class carrying out an intense work program on chassis and engine setup, closing the event with two drivers in the top ten: Viktor Gustafsson P4 and Jeremy Iglesias P8. But beyond the final result, which was of secondary importance for the team, it must be said that the weekend, despite the variable weather conditions in the first two days of Free Practice, was very useful for completing a work program based on the European Championship.
Like usual for the WSK events, the Mini, OK Junior and OK categories also went on track. The CRG Racing Team lined up the complete MINI squad, while among the OK and OK Junior drivers, who will not have FIA races on the Sarno track this season, only Klara Kowalczyk got behind the wheel to continue her apprenticeship in the category. As far as the MINI team is concerned, once again the CRG drivers proved to be collectively competitive, all of them managing to secure the qualification for the Final and always showing a race pace equivalent to the quickest ones. In the end, the best CRG driver was Asher Ochstein, who finished P9 in a race where basically all the young CRG drivers have excelled: Luuk Taal, Cristian Blandino, Bruno Blanco and Achille Rea. As for Klara Kowalczyk, her weekend got off to an uphill start, due to a driver who pushed her off the track in Qualifying Practice. Starting from behind in the Heat, she had to recover with solid performances, until she qualified for the Final and subsequently got P28. In any case, for the young Polish driver, the km covered in the race are very important at the start of the season, as her goal will also be to get ready for the 1st round of the FIA European Championship.
The WSK Super Master Series will be back in April with the 4th and final Round on the Cremona track, while the OK and OK Junior classes will be on track this weekend for the Champions of the Future in Valencia, the prologue of the 1st Round of the FIA European Championship, which will take place in Spain in 20 days.
Drivers’ post-race reactions:
Viktor Gustafsson (KZ): “Thursday's rain slightly changed the work program we had planned for this race, but despite this aspect, the outcome of the weekend was positive. We tried various setup solutions and we also did a good job with TM as regards the engines, differentiating the work between the various drivers. In the race we had an excellent pace and we just missed finishing on the podium; therefore, I would say it is a good starting point to face the European Championship”.
Klara Kowalczyk (OK Junior): “A contact in Qualifying made my race weekend very complicated as I had to start from the back of the grid in all the Heats. The positive thing is that I always had a good pace and made a lot of overtaking, recovering an average of 10 positions in each qualifying race. Getting a place in the Final wasn't taken for granted and managing to get there is certainly the positive aspect, while the final result certainly doesn't satisfy us. However, the feeling with the category and with the team grows with each race and I'm sure we'll soon take a step forward in terms of my performances".
Asher Ochstein (MINI): “We still had a leading race in the top 10 with the best drivers and teams, so I'm satisfied even if now we have to work to close the gap and get on the podium. We are working well: the team in terms of the technical aspects and myself improving my driving a lot, thanks to the support of my coach. It's a positive start to the season that can bring our results up”.