Once in a Lifetime | A mad kart race inside the CRG company

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Once in a Lifetime

A MAD KART RACE INSIDE THE CRG COMPANY

TKART Staff

02 December 2018

A "smoking wheels" challenge on the premises of the CRG manufacturer: a kart darting between machines, welding equipment and frames that are ready for shipping... and a few unscheduled sparks

THE LOCATION

CRG headquarters in Lonato del Garda. Right inside the recently renovated premises, where the chassis of one of the most historic and famous manufacturing companies in the world are born.

THE REASON

What better place could there be for a karting challenge than... the premises of a kart manufacturing company? Simple...

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO GAIN

The unusual sensation of a race inside the most "themed" indoor kart track imaginable. That it isn’t actually a kart track, but an actual company... matters little

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOOSE

Giancarlo Tinini, CRG’s "boss" said: "You can do whatever you want, but don’t destroy the company". Words that encapsulate both the risks and the fearsome consequences

The story dates back a few years ago, specifically to 2014, and is the fruit of a subtle vein of madness. The ingredients are straightforward: a kart of a famous Italian brand; a great, recently renovated company; a small group of people who decide to turn it into a track for a day.

The make of the kart is CRG. As is…the company. For the very few who don’t already know, it is one of the most important factories in the world of karting, a chassis manufacturer and, on a sporting level, the holder of several world titles won during a highly successful history.

The story is not particularly complex, essentially speaking, just as the reasons for it happening, albeit odd, are no real mystery.

In fact, the endeavour originated during the first visit to CRG’s new facilities, in around 2012. While visiting the premises, which shimmered with cutting-edge machinery, in addition to the cleanliness and technology, the immediate sensation was that of a large and very spacious environment.

Indeed, we even joked with CRG’s boss, Giancarlo Tinini, that: "You could even race karts in it...". A mere throw-away line? Not entirely, because Tinini's answer was as immediate as it was unexpected: "Let's do it"!

The preparation of the route involved the careful movement of various pieces of packaging and boxes

A Road Rebel KZ kart was used for the race inside the company, one of the models that is part of CRG’s recent history.

There was also a pit stop to mount wet tyres

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So, a couple of years later, on a rainy winter day in 2014, we found ourselves there again, at the facility a few kilometres from Brescia and a stone's throw from the South Garda track in Lonato. Just that there was no need for the real track, given the “copy” that had been made in the company itself.
It was set up by CRG personnel who, with TKART’s help, prepared hairpin bends and bottlenecks to severely test the driver willing to accept the challenge: Jordon Lennox Lamb, a works CRG driver at the time.