Once again, the CRG colors proved to be among the stars of the KZ category, taking 2nd place in the FIA World Championship held in Italy. On the Franciacorta track, Viktor Gustavsson was crowned World Vice Champion, continuing CRG’s long-standing tradition of strong results in the “top class” of shifter karting.
The Swedish driver, racing with TM engines prepared by Gianfranco Galiffa, came very close to reclaiming the title he won in 2022, finishing just behind the winner, Senna Van Walstijn. The performance of the CRG–TM pairing was outstanding throughout the weekend, starting from Friday’s qualifying session, where Gustavsson narrowly missed out on pole position by just a few thousandths.
During the heats, the whole team worked excellently to optimize engine performance and chassis setup, and in the Final, all that work paid off with another major result—confirming CRG’s technology at the top of world karting.
Among the finalists in KZ with the official CRG team—but powered by Iame engines—was also Olin Galli, making his absolute debut in an international KZ event. The Brazilian was forced to retire in the Final but showed great potential in many phases of the event.
Conversely, it was a weekend to forget for the CRG factory drivers in KZ2, hampered by difficult qualifying sessions and several race incidents that took Menyhert Krozser out of podium contention, while the other CRG drivers did not qualify for the Final. A racing contact in the Super Heat also proved costly for Julien Guéant: despite being among the fastest all weekend, the Frenchman finished only 20th, also receiving a front spoiler penalty.
CRG and TM conclude this important event with another valuable podium finish—proof of a strong and long-standing collaboration that continues to deliver major sporting and commercial success, including in national markets.
The protagonists’ comments:
Jeremy Iglesias (Team Principal):
“We’re very happy with Viktor’s result because it was built through teamwork across the entire weekend. We worked well on every detail—both on the engine side with Gianfranco Galiffa, and with our chassis staff—to maximize our potential through the heats and Super Heat. In the Final, we were just a bit short of the winning pace, but we can still be very satisfied with this podium.
Our KZ season was unusual due to the well-known circumstances that led the FIA to change the tire supplier, but in the most important event of the year, we were ready and competitive. I’m sorry for the results in KZ2 and KZ2 Master, where the drivers and team certainly deserved more, but in a single-event championship, there’s no room for mistakes, and we paid a high price for a few unlucky moments.
The important thing is that we were fast in all categories, and this technical foundation will carry over into our 2026 KZ models.”
Viktor Gustavsson (KZ):
“I’m very happy with the result. We were very close to fighting for the win, and the whole team should be proud of what we achieved together. Last week at the COTF race, some unfortunate incidents prevented us from completing our work, but this week everything clicked from qualifying onward, allowing us to prepare perfectly for the Final day.
Of course, I want to thank all the team members who did an incredible job, and Gianfranco Galiffa for the engines. It’s been a season with ups and downs, but finishing it with another podium in the most important event of the year rewards all our efforts and gives us the right motivation to start preparing for next season.”
