The fourth and final round of the WSK Super Master Series was very satisfying for the Parolin Motorsport team. The success of Rashid Al Dhaheri in OK-Junior, dominating the Lonato meeting and winning the Championship, was not the only positive point of this competition. The Mini drivers were also very successful with Christian Costoya finishing 3rd in the Championship, brilliantly won by René Lammers on a Parolin chassis with the Baby Race Driver Academy, as well as Matias Orjuela’s 7th position. Francesco Celenta’s debut in KZ2 confirmed the team’s return to this category, as did Slavik Putiatin’s progression to the top ten.

“We are delighted to be able to shine in three of the four international categories in this first part of the season,” said Marco Parolin. “The competition has been very tough and some incidents deprived us of a more complete success, but that’s the law of racing. First of all we congratulate Rashid Al Dhaheri who showed an exemplary fighting spirit in OK-Junior despite some difficulties linked to the pandemic. We are happy to have been able to provide him with the equipment to triumph over formidable opponents in very close races. Enzo Deligny’s rapid progression and Kai Sorensen’s potential are important assets.

“Our decision to return to KZ/KZ2 has been rewarded by the top performances of Francesco Celenta at each event. His retirement in the Lonato Final has of course had a negative impact on his position in the Championship, but our competitiveness has been confirmed on many occasions among the top teams in the field.

We are also pleased with the continued success of our chassis in Mini where we remain the most represented brand in terms of number of entries as well as in the top 10 of the Finals and in the series standings with five Parolin karts in the top eight, including the champion René Lammers. We are aware that the OK is giving us lesser results at the moment and that we need to strengthen the potential of the team in this category.”

Al Dhaheri wins and takes the Junior title

The young driver from the United Arab Emirates has once again achieved an admirable result. Thanks to his four victories in the Qualifying Heats, he took the lead in OK-Junior and never let it go. Faced with strong competition, he had to fight hard to win his Prefinal and then the Final in Lonato. Despite his absence for the third round in Sarno, Rashid emerged as the overall winner of the 2021 WSK Super Master Series with a significant lead over his rivals.

Enzo Deligny’s performance was more than encouraging as the Frenchman made a strong comeback in the heats before finishing 11th in the Final and 10th in the Championship. Kai Sorensen also set a strong pace in his heats as well as in the Prefinal before being eliminated at the start of the Final. Guillaume Bouzar managed to reach the Final despite being far behind in practice and suffering several spoiler penalties.

Celenta among the best in KZ2

Francesco Celenta started in 2nd position in Timed Qualifying and kept his position after the heats thanks to two victories and two fastest laps in the race. He was also 2nd and fastest in his Prefinal, but had to retire shortly before the finish of the Final. He had to settle for 7th position in the Championship which only partially reflects Parolin’s potential at this level. Slavik Putiatin’s progress was confirmed with a spectacular comeback in the Final stages. After two retirements in the heats, he returned to 12th place in the Final, his best result of the year, with a total gain of 34 places.

Pole position and top three in the Mini Championship

Christian Costoya started very well as the fastest of the 100 participants during Qualifying. He continued with three heat victories, but then lost ground despite the fastest time in the Prefinal. He was again the fastest driver in the Final and made up 12 places to finish in the top 10, which earned him a place on the Championship podium. Matias Orjuela was 6th on Saturday night with a win, two 2nd places and a fastest lap in the heats. He was in the lead for the first half of his Prefinal before falling back in the battle. Oliver Kinmark had two good heats in the top five, but was pushed around in the last lap of his Prefinal and missed out on a deserved Final qualification.

For the launch of the WSK Euro Series at Lonato, the tough competition, especially in the rainy Final stages, made the meeting particularly challenging for the drivers. The return of Al Dhaheri meant victory in OK-Junior for Parolin Motorsport, while the performances of Celenta in KZ2, Rinicella in OK and Costoya in Mini showed the competitiveness of the team in all categories. Parolin Racing Kart was the most represented chassis brand in Mini and ranked second in all categories, while it was the only one to win in two different categories in Lonato with Parolin Motorsport in Junior and Baby Race Driver Academy in Mini.

“Rashid Al Dhaheri, who was absent from the WSK Super Master event in Sarno, was very motivated for his return to the track in Lonato,” analysed Marco Parolin. “Impressive in the rain, he was simply unbeatable. We are very happy with his victory. This should not make us forget the superb start of Guillaume Bouzar, nor the confirmation of Enzo Deligny in the heats. Kai Sorensen came back in great shape and Anatoly Khavalkin proved to be excellent for his comeback in our colours. We have a very promising line-up in OK-Junior this year. Francesco Celenta was again very competitive in KZ2 as the undisputed leader on Saturday. James Wharton continued to grow in strength, even in the rain, while Slavik Putiatin progressed to the Final. Valerio Rinicella showed our speed in OK with his top five finish in the heats, while Jesse Alejandro Carrasquedo Parada and Arnur Shabdar continued to improve throughout the event. Our competitiveness in Mini was confirmed in all conditions with Christian Costoya and Matias Orjuela. The current level of performance of our equipment and our team is very interesting in all categories and we are looking forward to the coming races.”

Victorious return for Al Dhaheri in Junior

The WSK Euro Series in Lonato started well with Guillaume Bouzar setting the 2nd fastest time in Qualifying and then followed it up with three good heats. Enzo Deligny was always in the top three and won two heats to top the standings on Saturday evening. Rashid Al Dhaheri, who was 13th, was unstoppable in the Final stages in the rain. He took seven places to win the Prefinal and won the Final after setting the fastest lap in each race. He therefore took the lead of the Championship. Back with Parolin Motorsport, Anatoly Khavalkin had already regained 20 places in the heats and continued to climb to 16th in the Final despite a spoiler penalty. Kai Sorensen had regained his fitness in Qualifying and went on to complete three good heats, but was held up by a penalty.

Celenta at the top in KZ2

Francesco Celenta started in 2nd position in Timed Qualifying and took the lead in the heats with two wins and a fastest lap in the race. He kept the pace in the rain in the Prefinal before an incident relegated him to the back of the grid on the first lap of the Final, preventing him from defending his real chances of a good result. James Wharton moved up in the heats and confirmed his progress with a fastest time. Unfortunately, after a good start in the Prefinal, a penalty denied him access to the Final. Slavik Putiatin was already making up ground during the heats before regaining another six places in 26th place in the Final.

Rinicella back in the top five in OK

Valerio Rinicella, who was not able to race in Sarno, made a great start in Lonato. After his 10th position in Qualifying, he climbed back to 5th place in the heats by setting the fastest lap in the race. Unfortunately, he had a problem and could not start his Prefinal. Jesse Alejandro Carrasquedo Parada and Arnur Shabdar continued to improve and reached the Final, finishing 22nd and 24th respectively.

Good performances in Mini

Christian Costoya climbed 19 places to 3rd in the heats with a win and a fastest lap to his credit. He was delayed in the Prefinal but made up another 20 places in the Final to reach 8th place. Matias Orjuela was not to be outdone, also securing a win and a fastest lap in the heats. He was less comfortable in the Final stages, but came back in 18th place in the Final. Oliver Kinmark took a good 4th place in a heat and qualified for the Final despite the tricky track, while Simas Baciuska was unable to make up for the handicap of his distant position in Qualifying.