The 1st Round of the Fia European Championship for the KZ and KZ2 categories, which this year will be assigned over 3 events, ended on the Valencia circuit. It was an intense weekend in which CRG drivers were protagonists in both categories, but obtaining results on the final day on Sunday that were certainly below expectations.
In the top KZ class, Viktor Gustavsson’s weekend started with a handicap from the qualifying practice when a problem with a tyre relegated him to 9th place on the grid for the heats, forcing him to push hard to climb positions in a category where the level in the top ten is very high. The work to perfect the set up in view of the final stages also suffered some complications, amplified by the fact that, this weekend, the Fia Academy also raced as a support category with tyres different from the KZ categories and which therefore modified the evolution of the grip on the track compared to the information acquired the previous week in the COTF race. After the heats, Gustavsson climbed to 7th place in the intermediate classification and then on Sunday morning he did not improve his position on the starting grid for the Final due to an unlucky Superheat. In the Final he then had a good race pace, but did not go beyond 6th place, still taking home excellent points for the championship which, it should be remembered, will be awarded over 3 events from this year. In the general classification, Pedro Hiltbrand leaves Spain with full points, but Gustavsson with 46 points and the 6th position in the general classification has every chance of fighting for the championship in the next events. In the top class, Adrian Malheiro had a much more linear and lucky weekend with CRG colours, taking an excellent 2nd place, always remaining among the fastest.
In KZ2, after excellent performances in the qualifying phases, CRG drivers were very unlucky on Sunday in the Final when they could have fought for the podium. Paavo Tonteri started the Final from 6th position, but when the lights went out the driver in front of him hesitated and the race ended for him with a contact after a few meters. Alvar Siimesvaara was not luckier as, while fighting in the top ten, he was involved in a contact during the race for which the Stewards held him responsible and excluded him from the race. The decision was highly contested by the team and the driver, who certainly do not have the same opinion about what happened on the track. Finally, a complicated weekend also for Menyhert Krozser who was forced to retire in the Final after having had a good growth in the heats and in the Super Heat.
The next round of the Fia European Championship for the Shifter categories is scheduled in Italy on the Sarno track and it will already be a decisive weekend for the championship.
Jeremy Iglesias, Team Principal of the CRG Racing Team, commented on the Valencia weekend: “In KZ we had a weekend of chasing due to the problem in qualifying and some difficulties we had in finding the best balance, so we certainly lacked a bit of race pace to aim for the podium. In any case, we took some good points considering the situation and already from Sarno we are sure we can get back to the positions we are aiming for. In KZ2 everything that could have gone wrong on Sunday did, but the speed that our drivers had is clear and also for them the chances of being protagonists in this championship are certainly not precluded. I certainly want to thank all the guys in the team for the great work they are doing, Gianfranco Galiffa for the engine part and congratulate Adrian Malheiro for the beautiful race and the podium he achieved this weekend.”
