More incisive than ever, Christian Costoya won his first OK-Junior race at Franciacorta, where he finished 2nd in last year’s World Championship. In the third round of the WSK Super Master Series, the young Spaniard was able to rely on the competitiveness of his Parolin / TM and the efficiency of the Parolin Motorsport team to experience the joy of the top step of an international podium. Sensational comebacks and other remarkable performances, such as Paolo De Conto’s return to racing, added to the overall performance of the Parolin chassis at the start of the season.
“We finally managed to take a well-deserved victory with Christian Costoya, after a weekend at the top,” said Marco Parolin. “I’m also very pleased with the performance of Qarrar Firhand, who made a remarkable comeback – after a difficult Qualifying session, he managed to bounce back and finish in the top 10 in a class that’s really hotly contested this year. Our equipment proved competitive in all categories. In Mini, our standard-bearers Gioele Girardello and Priam Bruno were always very competitive, while in OK, after a difficult start to the weekend, we managed to find a good pace. As for KZ2, I was very impressed by Paolo De Conto, who immediately proved his worth, confirming once again his calibre as a driver after several years away from international competition. Maksim Orlov, another of the weekend’s protagonists, was equally satisfied, as he remains highly competitive and is constantly improving.”
After the rain at Cremona, Parolin Motorsport’s potential was once again confirmed in every category on the dry Franciacorta track. The hazards of the race sometimes delayed the Parolin drivers, but many of them were able to conclude the meeting with strong comebacks.
Multiple World Champion and European KZ Champion until 2017, Paolo De Conto didn’t take long to find his bearings, fighting his way into the top three until he retired in the Final. With the Modena Kart Racing Team, Maksim Orlov was once again among the best in KZ2, finishing in the top 10, while Menyhert Krozser made good progress.
Alp Aksoy achieved his best result in OK with a magnificent Final progression of 15 places into the top 10, while Zac Drummond made up 21 positions. Anatoly Khavalkin had made up nine places and was aiming for the top five when he was forced to retire.
Christian Costoya’s victory in the OK-Junior class opened up new horizons for this promising driver. After finishing 4th in Qualifying and winning three heats, he went on to win the Final and move up to 3rd in the championship. Meanwhile, Qarrar Firhand climbed 16 places to finish in the OK-Junior top 10.
In the Mini Gr.3 category, the Parolin / TM Kart team confirmed its high level of performance with Gioele Girardello finishing 6th and Bruno Priam moving up 14 places to 9th.
Babyrace Driver Academy deserves congratulations for taking the Parolin chassis to the second step of the Mini Gr.3 podium with William Calleja and Mini Gr.3 U10 thanks to Mason Robertson.
Parolin Motorsport is now preparing for the fourth and final round of the WSK Super Master Series with serious ambitions at the Sarno track in less than two weeks’ time.
The weekend in Cremona was marked by very wet weather for the second round of the WSK Super Master Series. Rain was a feature of all phases of the competition before starting to ease on Sunday morning. The Finals provided the opportunity to use slick tyres for the first time, but grip was far from perfect and there were numerous pitfalls awaiting the competitors on the 1,210-metre track.
Most of the participants went off track and had a number of incidents, and the Parolin drivers were no exception to the rollercoaster ride. In these conditions, it was difficult to achieve any significant results. Parolin Motorsport in OK, OK-Junior and Mini, as well as the KZ2s of the Modena Kart Racing Team, nevertheless recorded some important data on rain tyres, which may prove useful later in the season. It was also a very rewarding experience for the drivers as they adapted to the tricky conditions.
Parolin Motorsport’s best result at Cremona was Bruno Priam’s 3rd place on the Mini podium, while Gioele Girardello finished 6th. In OK-Junior, Christian Costoya was once again excellent, starting from 5th place in Qualifying. He scored two wins and two top threes in the Qualifying Heats, but his retirement at the start of the D-E heat weighed heavily in the balance. 3rd in his Prefinal, he made up ground in the Final before being pushed back to 18th after the halfway point. Despite this, he made up six places in the last six laps to finish in 12th position, which enabled him to maintain his lead in the championship.
It wasn’t easy in OK either. Delayed by two retirements, Anatoly Khavalkin made it a point of honour to climb seven places in a lively Final to finish in the top 20. After making progress throughout the Qualifying phases despite penalties, Zac Drummond got off to an excellent start and was 5th at the end of the first lap of the Final. Unfortunately, the track did not favour his set-up and he eventually retired. Jenson Graham and Vivek Kanthan were also forced to retire, but their performances were not in vain.
For the Modena Racing Team, Maksim Orlov once again proved his worth, making steady progress despite a few setbacks. After finishing 20th under the clock and 4th in the Prefinal, he made further progress to reach the final top 10. Eril Holm made a fine 15-place recovery over the weekend as a whole. Menyhert Krozser and Miguel Costa, who weren’t given much of a chance, showed encouraging signs for the future.
“Cremona was a very difficult weekend for the teams and drivers,” said Marco Parolin. “I’m happy for Bruno, who claimed his first international podium in Mini Gr3, even though I’m sorry we couldn’t do better. Similarly in OK-Junior, it was possible to achieve a much better result, with Costoya leading throughout the weekend, but that’s racing. The situation was more difficult for the OK section of our team. We were never able to find a good rhythm in the wet, despite our excellent speed in the dry during Free Practice. Congratulations to our partners Babyrace Driver Academy who took the Parolin brand to victory in Mini Gr3 with Calleja, who will soon join the official team in OK-Junior, and on the U10 podium with Kosztrewa.”