The season’s most important event for the OK and OK Junior categories concluded at the Kristanstad circuit in Sweden. After last year’s OK title in England, the CRG Racing team arrived in Sweden ready to fight for top results again. Despite strong pace throughout the weekend, the decisive step for a podium finish in Sunday’s Finals was just missing.
Team Principal Jeremy Iglesias led a strong lineup of seven official CRG drivers: Asher Ochstein and Manuel Miguez in OK Junior, and Viktor Gustavsson, Davide Bottaro, Olin Galli, Clovis Nougueyrede, and Christian Mosimann in OK. From the first practice sessions, the potential in both categories was clear, and qualifying confirmed it with Davide Bottaro delivering an impressive performance, topping his group and securing 3rd overall. Heat races brought more positive signs: Bottaro consistently stayed in the top 5, while Viktor Gustavsson and the Junior duo, Ochstein and Miguez, showed great speed in their category. Sunday morning brought rain at Kristanstad, affecting the Super Heats. Both Miguez in Junior and Bottaro in OK lost some positions on the starting grid for the Finals, which were later run on a dry track. Clovis Nougueyrede, along with Brazilian drivers Olin Galli and Christian Mosimann, didn’t make the Finals, despite showing flashes of speed during the weekend. In the Finals, CRG’s top performer was Spanish driver Manuel Miguez, who finished 8th in a field of 109 drivers from around the world. Asher Ochstein had a tougher race, starting from the back and climbing 15 positions to finish 17th. In OK, Davide Bottaro made a strong start, holding 5th-6th positions for much of the race before slipping back in the mid-pack to finish 16th. Viktor Gustavsson’s Final was unfortunate, as he was involved in an on-track incident and later penalized 10 seconds.
Overall, the weekend was positive in terms of performance, though the final breakthrough was just out of reach. Now, CRG is looking ahead to 2026 for the direct drive categories, while the technical staff prepares for the upcoming FIA events: the OKN World Cup in Cremona on September 28 and the KZ World Championship on October 12. Full results from Kristanstad are available at fiakarting.com.
Team Comments:
Jeremy Iglesias (CRG Team Principal):
“Looking at the final results, there’s a bit of disappointment, especially for Davide Bottaro, who didn’t convert his speed over the weekend into a Final result. We faced some unexpected tire balance issues in the Final that we’ll investigate carefully. In Junior, both drivers were fast, and Miguez’s top-ten finish could have been even better with a bit more luck. Overall, the weekend confirmed that our chassis performs exceptionally well with this type of tire, which is similar to those used in major national championships—benefiting our customers directly. I want to thank our entire technical team, including Brandon and Natalia, and BM Motors for their outstanding engine support. We’ll return to OK and OK Junior later this season to start preparing for 2026, confident that we’re on the right path to achieve our goals.”
Manuel Miguez (OK Junior):
“Finishing 8th among the top 100 drivers in the world is a solid result. We could have done slightly better, but in a one-shot event, everything has to go right, and Sunday morning’s Super Heat didn’t favor us. If I had started a bit further forward, I could have managed the tires and race differently. I’m happy with the result and proud of the team, which prepared the World Championship so well. This gives me confidence for the future, and I feel strong within the team, knowing our chassis-engine package has great potential.”
Davide Bottaro (OK):
“I’m disappointed with 16th after setting the fastest time in my qualifying group and staying in the top 5 during the heats. Sunday didn’t go our way: the morning rain cost me positions, and in the Final I lost feeling and rhythm with the new tires for reasons we don’t fully understand. Still, the second half of the season has been positive: the weekend confirmed our chassis is versatile and adaptable to any track, and our engine performance remains very strong.”
