Parolin Motorsport showed its competitiveness in Sweden at the fourth round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series at Kristianstad. Christian Costoya finished 2nd in the OK-Junior Final, setting the fastest lap after a fine progression from the heats. William Calleja was very consistent and just outside the top 10. In OK, Zac Drummond was in the top five in the heats and the Super Heat, then fought for the final podium before taking 10th place. Miguel Costa got off to a poor start in Qualifying, but turned things around with a final climb of 17 places to 13th. Vivek Kanthan made progress towards the final top 10 before being delayed by a front fairing penalty. 

“Our overall level of performance is currently very interesting in OK and OK-Junior”, declared Marco Parolin. “Of course, we’ll be working hard to prepare for the final round of the European Championship, which takes place on this same circuit in less than two weeks’ time, but our technical and human base is solid. There is a solid collaboration between the technical team and the drivers, which benefits everyone.”

Kristianstad weekend highlights

OK

Zac Drummond: 
3rd in Qualifying, three times 2nd in a heat, 5th in the Super Heat and 10th in the Final.

Miguel Costa: 
Regained 43 places in the heats, moved up 17 places to 13th in the Final, with a total gain of 73 places over the course of the meeting. 

Vivek Kanthan: 
10th in Qualifying, a win and two top five finishes in the heats, climbed from 20th to 13th on track in the Final. 

OK-Junior:

Christian Costoya: 
21st in Qualifying, a win and two top 2s in the heats, 3rd in the Super Heat 2nd in the Final by gaining seven places and the fastest lap. Up three places to 3rd in the championship. 

William Calleja: 
15th in Qualifying, one win, a 3rd and a 5th place in the heats, 12th in the Final and up six places in the championship.

Very good results in the ACI Karting Italian Championship

The fourth round of the ACI Karting Italian Championship took place simultaneously at Sarno. Parolin chassis had the opportunity to shine in several categories. 

In Mini Gr.3, Gioele Girardello made up 21 places in Race 1 with the fastest lap, then made up another eight places in Race 2 to finish in 2nd position. Bruno Priam also put in a fine performance, finishing his two heats in the top five, then regaining 19 places in Race 2 following his retirement in the previous race. Juan Garciarce, another victim of Race 1, climbed 24 places to the top 10 in Race 2. 

In KZ2, the Modena Kart team produced a number of achievements. Norton Andreasson first came home 5th in Race 1 with the fastest lap, then finished 2nd in Race 2. Alessio Piccini had a positive run, finishing 6th and 4th in the Finals. Anatoly Khavalkin was 5th in Qualifying and came back strongly after some difficult heats to finish 8th in Race 2. 

Congratulations to the Babyrace Academy team, which has put its trust in Parolin chassis for Julian Frasnelli’s victory in the Mini Gr.3 class and the podium finishes obtained in the 2 Mini Gr.3 and Mini U10 races.

Parolin Motorsport, competing in the European KZ Championship, returned from the first round with a very encouraging top three thanks to Lorenzo Travisanutto’s superb Final run. Other Parolin / TM Kart teams enjoyed similar success in Spain. In KZ2, Maksim Orlov also finished 3rd with the Modena Kart team, while Riccardo Nalon finished on the KZ2 Masters podium with Erre Esse Motorsport. 

The first of the two events in the European competition reserved for gearbox karts took place from 4th to 7th July in Spain on the MotorLand Aragón circuit. Coming to this 1671m long track for KZ was like discovering a new track, as the Alcañiz venue had not hosted an FIA Karting competition for more than 10 years, and gearbox karts had never been hosted there at international level. Another new factor to take into account was that the tyres chosen by the international authorities were Dunlop ‘Option’ hard compound tyres for all three categories.

So it was essential to adapt quickly to these new conditions. This is what Parolin Motorsport did in KZ with Lorenzo Travisanutto and Paolo De Conto back in racing. Travisanutto started in a favourable position thanks to his 8th place in Qualifying. However, the Qualifying Heats were not always easy to manage and he started the Final in 10th place. Thanks to the experience he had gained over the laps, he mastered the circuit much more successfully. Climbing back up to 4th, he managed to close in on the leading trio and attacked to get into the top three thanks to a high level of competitiveness at the end of the race. De Conto gradually found his feet and fought his way into the Final top seven before being delayed by an incident. 

“Reaching the top three in the premier class at the first round of the European Championship is extremely satisfying,” said Marco Parolin. “We are aware that we still have some development to do, but the team is very motivated by this first result. Lorenzo has put in a superb performance. We’ll also be able to count on Paolo De Conto’s improved performance as we head into the second round with even bigger ambitions. The Val Vibrata circuit has very different characteristics, which will give us new opportunities. The Modena Kart team put in an excellent performance in KZ2. Maksim Orlov, who has been fast since the start of the season, proved that he has a place among the best thanks to his progress in the Super Heat and the Final. Finally, Riccardo Nalon confirmed the strong potential he has shown in KZ2 Masters for the last three years.”

Parolin Motorsport is fine-tuning its equipment for the fourth round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series at Kristianstad, in preparation for the final round of the OK and Junior European Championship which will take place in Sweden two weeks later.

Between two European Championship events, the WSK Euro Series made its debut on the Franciacorta circuit last weekend. Parolin Motorsport did not miss this opportunity to train its young drivers and to continue its development work. While the performances were very promising in the three categories in which the team was entered, the Finals did not bring the desired outcome. Zac Drummond was unable to take advantage of his 2nd position until the finish of the OK Final, Vivek Kanthan came close to the top 10 as did Christian Costoya in OK-Junior while Gioele Girardello came close to the top five in Mini Gr.3. 

The WSK Euro Series saw the hottest weekend of the season to date. With temperatures in excess of 30°, Parolin Motorsport was able to demonstrate an excellent level of competitiveness on the strong grip of Franciacorta. Zac Drummond set a string of fastest laps in the race after an excellent qualifying session in OK. After finishing 4th in the heats, he won Prefinal B with the fastest time and fought for overall victory until three laps from the finish, with another fastest lap to his credit. Despite this twist of fate, he finished 3rd in the provisional series standings. Vivek Kanthan was forced to retire at the start of Prefinal A, but made up nine places in the Final to finish 13th. 

Christian Costoya started the meeting with a good pace in OK-Junior. Delayed at the start of his second heat, he made up for it by winning the next. After a difficult Prefinal B, he finished 11th in the Final. William Calleja continued his progress, finishing 4th in Prefinal A, but had to contend with a slowdown in the Final.

Gioele Girardello proved to be both fast and consistent in the Mini Gr.3, finishing 3rd in Qualifying and leading the heats. In the very intense Final stages, he battled between 2nd and 3rd position before finishing 6th in the Final. 

Parolin chassis were in the limelight in Mini U10 thanks to Babyrace Academy, which achieved a fine winning double with Mason Robertson and Lorenzo Di Pietrantonio. The Modena Kart team also deserves congratulations for the OK-N victory of Bati Ege Yildirim and the double podium of Billy Van Staveren 2nd and Giacomo Giusto 3rd in OKN-Junior, all three at the wheel of Parolin / TM Kart. 

“We can be satisfied with the performance of our equipment and our drivers in summer temperatures,” said Marco Parolin. “An important step has been taken in the heat of Franciacorta so that we can look forward to the rest of the season with confidence. The team’s work was once again equal to this new challenge. We will now move on to the eagerly-awaited European KZ Championship in Spain, on the Alcaniz track.”

Weekends come and go and they don’t always resemble each other in terms of results, but performance remains a constant for the Parolin Motorsport team. Miguel Costa’s 9th place in the OK class, William Calleja’s excellent 6th place and Christian Costoya’s incredible comeback in the Junior class were the highlights of the third round of the FIA Karting European Championship at the Slovak Karting Center. 

The winding Slovakia Ring once again put the competitors through their paces. The Qualifying Heats on Friday began in fairly hot conditions, before the meeting switched to intense rain on Saturday morning for the continuation of the Qualifying Heats, before returning to sunshine and a dry track in the afternoon. On Sunday, the Super Heats and Finals took place in excellent conditions. 

As might have been expected after the Champions of the Future Euro Series, the Slovakian competition was accompanied by a large number of minor incidents and penalties. Making it all the way to the Final was a dream not always within reach. Nevertheless, several Parolin Motorsport drivers put in brilliant performances throughout a complicated weekend. 

In OK, Zac Drummond’s raw result was tarnished by his retirement at the very start of the Final. Delayed by two retirements in the heats, Vivek Kanthan finished with a fine Final climb of nine places to 22nd. Miguel Costa proved to be the most convincing, finishing in the top three of his Super Heat and finishing in the Final top 10 in 9th place, which enabled him to move up four places in the Championship. Jenson Graham made up 16 positions in the heats, while Alp Aksoy finished in the top 10 twice.

William Calleja confirmed his rise to prominence in OK-Junior by putting in a solid performance in the heats, gaining 10 places. He was able to keep up the momentum right through to the Final, where he climbed to 6th place and gained a further eight places. His efforts were rewarded by a leap of 23 places in the Championship. After a difficult Qualifying session, Christian Costoya embarked on a wild comeback. Making up between eight and 15 places per heat, he was 41 places up on Saturday evening. The young Spaniard persisted on Sunday, making up eight places in his Super Heat and a further 11 in the Final, where he finished in the top 15. His incredible perseverance meant that he remained well placed in 4th place in the Championship thanks to a total gain of 57 places over the weekend. Efim Derunov negotiated his heats skilfully and finished in the top 10 in his Super Heat. He crossed the finish line in 22nd position after some great battles. Finally, Qarrar Firhand could be proud of his 33-place climb in the heats and his 10-place gain in 8th place in his Super Heat. Unfortunately, he didn’t complete a lap in the Final.

“We had prepared for a demanding competition and we can be satisfied with the team’s level of performance,” explained Marco Parolin. “We’ve made good progress in both categories. Most of our drivers were able to express their abilities at one time or another despite the ups and downs of the race, which are an important element of success in Slovakia. Calleja’s rapid progress in OK-Junior was a very positive factor, as was Costoya’s incredible determination, which enabled him to save a meeting that had got off to a bad start. Costa’s return to the Final top 10 in OK is also a source of satisfaction. There are other important challenges ahead with the start of the European KZ Championship in Spain”.

Parolin also recorded some good results in the Italian Championship this weekend. Maksim Orlov shone in KZ2 with the Modena Racing Team, taking victory in Race 2 at Val Vibrata, a circuit on the European Championship programme. Marco Tormen and Alessio Piccini also finished in the top 10. Gioele Girardello also performed well in Mini Gr.3, while the Babyrace Academy team took its Parolin chassis to the top of the Mini Gr.3 standings with Alessandro Truchot and Albert Tamm, as well as the Mini U10 podium with Lorenzo Di Pietrantonio.