The second and final round of the FIA European Championship, held in Sarno, confirmed CRG’s position at the sharp end of the KZ categories. During the decisive weekend in Italy, Viktor Gustafsson finished 5th in the Final after securing pole position for the Super Heat at the end of the heats, ultimately closing the championship in 3rd place, just 12 points behind the winner. In all likelihood, a title that would have been well deserved when looking at the overall performance across the two weekends of the European Series was lost due to the unfortunate incident at Genk, when, on the final lap and following a misunderstanding, Gustafsson lost the race after contact with his teammate Adrian Malheiro.

There is obviously some disappointment within the CRG Team, but also the awareness of having highly competitive technical equipment at its disposal (the CRG Road Rebel 2026) and of having done a strong job since the beginning of the season. The same can be said for the TM technicians, led by Gianfranco Galiffa, CRG’s engine partner. This assessment is further supported by Adrian Malheiro’s 6th place in the championship standings. Malheiro won the race in Genk, although he struggled slightly with the high temperatures in Sarno during the decisive round.

CRG colours were also in the spotlight in KZ2, ending the Sarno event with two drivers inside the top ten: Daniel Maciá, racing with Kalì Kart, in 8th position, and Jean Luyet in 10th place. Unfortunately, Alois Girardet was forced out of contention for the leading positions due to a racing incident, despite starting the Final from 9th on the grid after being among the fastest drivers on track throughout every stage of the weekend. The French driver therefore finished the championship in 9th place, while the best-placed CRG Racing Team driver in the overall standings was Daniel Maciá, who secured 6th position. Congratulations go to the European Champions Kimi Tani in KZ2 and Emilien Denner in KZ, while at CRG the work will continue in order to prepare in the best possible way for the World Championship, scheduled to take place in France at the Le Mans circuit during the week of September 20th. The full results and standings are available on www.fiakarting.com.

Viktor Gustafsson’s comment (KZ): “The truth is that we lost this championship in Genk, because we had everything we needed to win the title over the course of the two events. On one hand, this brings disappointment, but at the same time it must give us extra motivation to prepare for the World Championship in the best possible way and go there looking for redemption. The team did an excellent job, the CRG chassis once again proved capable of adapting to all track conditions, and TM, together with Gianfranco Galiffa, provided us with engines and support that were always perfect. Looking at this weekend, perhaps we lacked a little pace in the early laps of the Final, but it was not easy to manage the situation either, with four drivers all still in contention to win the title during the race.”