CRG drivers have been protagonists in all categories on track in Castelletto di Branduzzo. De Conto on the podium of KZ, Stan Pex first in KZ2, Hiltbrand leading the OK Championship, Hauger and Wilson strong runs in OK Junior, while Putera got on the podium of Mini with Gamoto.
A series of great performances has characterized CRG’s weekend at the Circuit 7 Laghi of Castelletto di Branduzzo (Pavia, Italy), the race track that staged the opener of the WSK Super Master Series. All drivers of the works team and private teams showed a crescendo of performances in all categories.
The weekend has been quite tough due to the adverse weather conditions, as the cold and ice of this early March challenged quite heavily drivers and organizers. Heats on Saturday had to be canceled and Friday’s qualifying were followed directly by Prefinals and Finals on Sunday.
DE CONTO ON THE PODIUM OF KZ IN THE FINAL
Paolo De Conto on CRG-Maxter secured the third step of the podium of the KZ Final, after fighting for the victory and holding the lead of the race in several occasions. De Conto conceded himself anyway the satisfaction of setting the pole position with a record time of 46.491s and of winning the Prefinal, which earned him further important points for the classification.
Another CRG works driver was among the absolute best, Flavio Camponeschi, on CRG-Parilla, was in fact fourth in qualifying and sixth at the end of the Final.
The Dutch Stan Pex of CRG Holland got on the top step of the podium in KZ2 ending seventh absolute. Andrea Dalè was handed a 5 seconds time penalty for the incorrect positioning of the front fairing and was relegated to P9. The World Champion Jorrit Pex still appeared a bit behind with his preparation and had to settle for P14. Simo Puhakka was 18th instead. Giacomo Pollini of Renda Motorsport managed to get on the third step of podium in KZ2. Fabrizio Rosati was 27th.
De Conto is currently second in the KZ classification 20 points shy of Abbasse, while Camponeschi is sixth 50 points short of the top. The KZ2 classification is led by Stan Pex, who enjoys a 30 points lead to Pollini. The Swedish driver Benjamin Tornqvist of CRG Holland is fourth at 48 points.
CRG LEADING OK WITH HILTBRAND
The Spanish driver of CRG Pedro Hiltbrand, has been brilliant both in qualifying and in the race in OK on an as much successful chassis and engine (Parilla). Following the second time in qualifying and the victory in the Prefinal,Pedro put in a great Final exchanging positions on top with his team mateTom Joyner (Zanardi) first and with Nielsen afterwards. Hiltbrand was eventually second behind Nielsen, while Joyner was relegated to the 11th place by a 5 seconds time penalty due to the front fairing rule. Thanks to the first place in the Prefinal and the second in the Final, Hiltbrand secured anyway the classification lead, as he totaled 4 points more than Nielsen.
Regarding the other CRG drivers, the German Hannes Janker was eighth,Felice Tiene 12th due to a 5 seconds penalty, but secured the fastest lap of the race, the Finnish driver Paavo Tonteri was 15th at the end of a great comeback due to an incident at the start of his Prefinal. Richard Verschoorhad an unlucky debut as he was forced to the retirement. A similar fate characterized the races of his team mates at CRG Keijzer, Alexander Gaal,Ido Cohen and Moritz Horn.
HAUGER AND WILSON STRONG IN OK JUNIOR
The young Norwegian driver of CRG Dennis Hauger came to the fore once more in OK Junior. Always among the front runners, Hauger has been fighting in the leading group ending the Final in eighth place, but should it have not been for a few unlucky episodes, he could have scored a podium. In Prefinal,Hauger was seventh and is currently eighth in the classification. The young British driver of CRG Teddy Wilson also had a solid debut weekend with the colors of the Italian outfit. Wilson ended the Final in P13, after taking P9 in the Prefinal.
CRG AND GAMOTO ON THE PODIUM OF 60 MINI WITH PUTERA
The very young driver from Malaysia of Gamoto Racing, Adam Putera, secured the podium on CRG with a great third place. His team mate, the French Evann Mallet had to run a Final in the back due to an incident after an excellent victory in Prefinal and the pole position in qualifying. Among the drivers shining in the Prefinal, Leonardo Bizzotto, was sixth for Team Morsicani, but had some problems at the start of the Final. Riccardo Camplese of Gamoto was also among the quickest and ended 13th, while the Dutch of CRG Holland Justin Polman was 15th due to a 5 seconds penalty.
INTERVIEWS
Dino Chiesa, CRG Team Principal: “This weekend started on a high, we only missed the victory to make us completely satisfied. Weather probably did not play in our favour but, as I already said, we will need one or two races before showing our best. We are getting there. This race proved that we are on the right direction and, most importantly, this applies to all categories. We confirmed our competitiveness in KZ, where CRG is the historical leader. We also made good progress in OK Junior and are growing also in OK, as highlighted by the results.”
Paolo De Conto, KZ: “We struggled a bit with such a cold and damp weather, but in qualifying, with milder temperatures, we have been the quickest. I am happy on the victory in the Prefinal and on fighting for the victory until the end of the Final. The CRG Road Rebel chassis has been perfect.”
Pedro Hiltbrand, OK: “I have always been up there in front, but the Final has been quite tight. Making another step forward is what counts, our whole OK team is really very competitive. For the moment I am leading the WSK Super Master, let’s see what happens in the coming races. The important is get ready to the European Championship. We are on the right path.”
Felice Tiene, OK: “We had a great speed towards the end and, overall, us CRG drivers were the quickest. I set the fastest lap of the race, but I started from P10 and I lost some time due to an incident happened in front of me. I also lost some ground due to a not perfect qualifying, but the speed was great. I am really optimist for the remainder of the season.”
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