A sunny week has given teams and drivers taking part in the 1st Round of the WSK Super Master Series the chance to complete an important work program and get very useful feedback from the track. The CRG Team lined up 19 drivers split into the 4 categories of this first competitive Round of the season, closing the event with a very positive balance, from all points of view. First of all on the technical front, an area where the work at the start of the season has been set up, but also from a sporting point of view, the feedback from this first important Round was excellent, with a close victory in OK and solid performances in all classes.
The story of the weekend can only start from the OK category, in which Gabriel Gomez and Simone Bianco have been very competitive right from the Qualifying sessions. In the Final, Bianco had also taken the lead of the race starting from P12 on the grid, after a series of thrilling overtakings, but unfortunately, a slight contact only a few laps to go forced him to retire due to a chain failure. Gabriel Gomez, on the other hand, finished the race in P4, after starting from the 2nd row and having fought for P2 for a long time. For the chassis of the direct drive classes of CRG it was the umpteenth test of competitiveness in the wake of the good things that had already been shown last year.
Positive balance also in KZ, where the 7 drivers in the race carried out some tests in parallel, both on the KT2 chassis and on the Road Rebel model. Under the chequered flag of the Final, the best was Jeremy Iglesias, who finished in P4 after fighting for the podium for a long time. Top ten also for the World Champion Viktor Gustafsson, P8 on the finish line.
The drivers' weekend in OK-Junior was more difficult, a category where Klara Kowalczyk gained more and more confidence with the technical material, demonstrating an excellent race pace, however missing out on Qualifying for the Final due to some crashes in the race. Oliver Rasmussen's performance and experience in the first races in OK-Junior also showed a great growth, several times as fast as the best in the Heat, but also out of the Final by just a few points. Michael Ider in OK-Junior also showed excellent potential and a constant growth which will soon allow him to compete on equal terms with the top drivers.
For what concerns the MINI category, the second outing of the season confirmed the good things that had already been seen the previous week in the WSK Champions: drivers and technical material are very competitive and the prospects are very comforting. Unfortunately in the Final a technical problem slowed down Bruno Blanco in the Mini Gr.3 class, who was the most competitive driver after the Heats and the Pre-Finals, but just as the Sicilian driver's performances were excellent, so were those by Luuk Taal, Asher Ochstein and Cristian Blandino. CRG colors could also aim for the podium in Mini Under 10, but even in this case some contacts relegated Nikita Botte from P3 to P6 in the Final, while Achille Rea closed the Final in P12.
Full results of the weekend are available on the website www.wskarting.it while Round 2 of the WSK Super Master Series is scheduled in 15 days on the Franciacorta track.
CRG drivers’ post-race reactions
Jeremy Iglesias (KZ): “P4 in the first race of the year is a good start and confirmation that we have an excellent chassis-engine technical package. We are working to be ready for the FIA races and this first outing of the season has allowed us to do many useful and productive tests from a technical point of view. In order to get ready for the European Championship we will be back on track in Sarno for the WSK and the goal will certainly be the podium, which we really narrowly missed today".
Simone Bianco (OK): “This weekend everything was perfect: chassis, the Iame engine and the work of my technical staff. I'm very disappointed because I actually had the chance to win, but at the same time I'm happy with how competitive we are and how we can look at this season with great ambitions. Even today I learned something and I hope to be able to repay those who support me in this sport, starting with the team and my family, with an important result soon. I can't wait to be back on track in 15 days in Franciacorta".
Klara Kowalczyk (OK Junior): “I learn a lot from every race and this week was really useful for improving my performance and the feeling with the team staff. We have the potential to be competitive and teamwork will soon bring us good results."
Asher Ochsten (MINI): “The balance of this race is positive, despite some ups and downs in the Qualifying races; but our performance is somewhat conditioned by the tests we're doing, especially with regards to the engines and I think that in these first races of the year it's normal for us not to be at 100% potential. If I have to underline one positive aspect, it is the excellent feeling I found with the chassis and what I have learnt working with the team's technicians”.