The 1st Round of the FIA European Championship for the OK & OK Junior categories is scheduled for this weekend in Spain on the Valencia track. Over 180 drivers will compete in the two international direct drive classes with the aim of earning the first points of a Championship made of 4 rounds. After Spain, the Series will move to the Czech Republic in May, to Denmark in June, and will then end in Cremona in Italy on July 30th. The approach to a 4-race Championship is different from the one that teams and driver have for single-stage events, but it will still be important to have the pace and the speed to fight in the top ten, in order to start the Championship in the best possible way. The Champions of the Future race that took place 15 days ago here on the Valencia track provided important indications regarding the chassis and the engine setup and now the drivers’ job will be to translate all the work done into a positive result. The goal right from the first Free Practice will be looking for the performance.
The CRG Racing Team will attend the event with 2 drivers in the OK Junior category and 9 in the OK top class. In the OK Junior category the CRG Racing Team duo will be made up of the Brazilian Gabriel Koenigkan and the Polish Klara Kowalczyk, while in the OK class, the CRG colors will be defended by Gabriel Gomez, Olin Galli, Francisco Macedo, Simone Bianco, Nico Lahnalathi, Mattia Colnaghi, Mark Dubnityski, Ronnie Stefani and Filippo Fiorentino.
The format of the weekend will follow what has already been seen in the Champions of The Future, with the Qualifying Practices scheduled for Friday, when the first Eliminatory Heats will also take place, followed by a whole day dedicated to the Heats on Saturday and, finally, the Super Heats and the Finals with the best 36 qualified drivers on Sunday. Getting into the top 36 will be the first step and then in the Final the goal will be to score points and fight with the best drivers for the podium. Expectations within the CRG Team are very high, especially in the OK category, where some drivers boast a lot of experience in international meetings and have shown that they have the potential to fight with the best for the podium.
To follow the action on the track, the official website (www.fiakarting.com) will offer Live Timing and Live Streaming both on Saturday and Sunday. An intense program of news and updates is also planned by the CRG Press Office, with special contents on the official social media channels throughout the weekend.
CRG drivers’ expectations:
Gabriel Gomez (OK): “The Champions of the Future race was very useful for trying different setup solutions, but also for me to find the feeling with a track where, like many other drivers, I had never raced before. On the final day on Sunday we were very fast and we have to start from that feeling in this important weekend. We have excellent potential and we don’t have to make mistakes in the qualifying stages, to get the best possible result in the Final. Our potential allows us to look towards the top ten and the podium if we do a good job in the qualifying stages”.
Francisco Macedo (OK): “I’ve always had a good feeling with this circuit and also in the race we did 15 days ago I was immediately competitive. The balance we found on the chassis right from the first laps was very good and we were fast in all track conditions. All this gives me a lot of confidence for this weekend and I’m focused on getting the most out of it”.
Mark Dubnityski (OK): “It was a very positive OK debut for me on this track at the Champions of the Future and now my motivation and expectations have risen. Our chassis-engine package proved to be very competitive with the MG tires used in the FIA Championships and from a driving point of view I have quickly found myself at ease in comparison with more experienced drivers than me. The weekend certainly won’t be easy, but my first goal is to get to the Final and then finish this first Round with some points”.
