Positive Results For CRG At WSK Opener
press release
It was a gGreat opening event for the WSK Euro Series 2011 on the International circuit Napoli of Sarno (Italy), with 244 drivers and all the top representatives of world karting gathered for a high level competition.
During the weekend, on the southern Italian track, the CRG Official Team played a leading role in all the categories thanks to its drivers, reaching immediately the top positions of the rankings both in the time trials and in the first final phase of Saturday.
Above: Max Verstappen
It was then that the Italian Team dominated the race with Jonathan Thonon in KZ1, Mirko Torsellini in KZ2 - winners of the first Saturday final – and the young Max Verstappen in KF3, who won all the qualifying heats.
But in the gear-shift category also Davide Forè and Arnaud Kozlinski took centre stage; the latter in particular performed excellently in KZ1 with the Maxter engine developed directly by the parent company. Among the protagonists also the other CRG-Maxter’s top drivers: in KF2, in particular, with Michelle Gatting, and, at the debut in KF1, with the young Felice Tiene, Laura Tillett, Jordon Lennox Lamb, Mathias Koykka and Andrea Dalè.
Above: Davide Forè
The rain of the final day on Sunday, as usual in such cases, levelled the actual values of the competitors. Crashes, off track excursions or spins conditioned the result and did not let CRG get what it deserved.
Eventually, the CRG drivers who managed to get onto the podium were an excellent Davide Forè, third in KZ1 after leading for great part of the race, and the always performing Max Verstappen in KF3, runner-up only because of a spin on the slippery asphalt when he was steadily first.
Apart from the ‘roulette’ of the rain, CRG played the leading role in KZ1 & KZ2, with great satisfaction for the technical results both of the Maxter engine and of the chassis.
Above: Forè on track
In KZ1 it was mainly Jonathan Thonon to miss the appointment with the victory in the second final, after dominating Saturday final. But the rain caused the Belgian driver severe setup troubles and he managed to arrive only twelfth. On the other hand, David Forè did well. He got onto the podium as well as Arnaud Kozlinski who arrived seventh at the end of a very positive weekend for him (he achieved a win in one of the heats).
In KZ2 Mirko Torsellini could have done much better if one of his competitors had not bumped into his kart while he was about to reach the leading positions. With his win in the category in the Saturday final and his seventh place in the category that he managed to get anyway in the Sunday final, Torsellini achieved an overall second place in the ranking, just six points behind the leader. In KF3 the young Max Verstappen is ready to repeat last year’s successes and confirm to be the driver to beat for the title of the category. His fellow countryman Max Koebolt is in good shape too and managed to arrive ninth.
In KZ2 Michelle Gatting got the best result. She performed well in the heats, where she even managed to finish third, but eventually she was caught in the tussle and finished 23th in the final. The Russian Ivan Nikitchenko did well too: good performance for him in the heats, as well as the Italian Giovanni Martinez.
In KF1, in the Sunday final, the Finnish Mathias Koykka and the English Jordon Lennox Lamb took the centre stage on the wet asphalt with a seventh and eighth place. A bit behind Felice Tiene and Laura Tillett, while Andrea Dalè was obliged to retire.
Above: Michelle Gatting leads the way
The next meeting of the WSK Euro Series is due on 17th April on the circuit of Portimao in Portugal.
-THE INTERVIEWS-
Giancarlo Tinini, Chairman of CRG SpA: “We did pretty good in KZ and in KF3, while we still have some work to do in KF1 and KF2 in order to be more performing. In KZ Kozlinski is developing satisfactorily the new Maxter engine carried on directly by the parent company. There’s lot to be happy also regarding the young drivers, who are showing great competitiveness, with the confirmation of Verstappen, the fastest of all in KF3, and the others that are growing up fast – sportily speaking. Torsellini is doing well too in KZ2, and for many people it’s been a surprise.”
Davide Forè (KZ1): “I’m really glad because we got very good speed and competitiveness results for our Maxter engine in the time trials too: we all expected a lot from the race. On a technical level we have go all we need to win the championship. I’m disappointed for Thonon: he would have deserved to win also the final for what he had showed before this race under the rain.”
Arnaud Kozlinski (KZ1): “On the wet track we didn’t manage to find the ideal settings for the engine and the carburetion, but on the dry track we demonstrated to be the fastest of the pack. I think we have taken a good step forward with the Maxter engine and in the next race we will be competing to win.”
Jonathan Thonon (KZ1): “We were very fast on the dry track, but we didn’t manage to find the right setup for the new weather conditions both for the engine and the balance. On the dry track I won all the heats and the final-1. Bad luck for the rain fallen in the second final, but on the whole it was a good weekend.”
Max Verstappen (KF3): “I did really well until the finals, but when it started to rain I had some troubles. In the pre-final I made a good recovery until second place, after an off-track excursion in the first lap. In the final, without that spin, very likely I would have won. But my appointment with a victory has been only put off: my goal is become WSK Euro Series champion this year too.”
Above: Max V
