WSK Super Master Series Round 1 at La Conca marked the opening race of the new season and delivered an immediate statement of intent from Parolin, with victories for Antonio Pizzonia, Nahyl El Gahoudi and Zayne Burgess winning across multiple categories, alongside strong performances from both factory and partner teams. A key story of the weekend was the debut of Ward Racing on Parolin equipment, with the front-running squad switching chassis over the winter and securing victory with Pizzionia at the very first event.

Parolin’s success continued in the Mini categories. In Mini Gr.3, Nahyl El Gahoudi claimed victory for Babyrace Driver Academy, while in Mini U10, Zayne Burgess, supported by the Andretti Global driver development programme, delivered a prestigious win for Parolin Motorsport, securing an ideal start to the season for the factory team.

The weekend also marked an important milestone for Parolin Motorsport, with the OK-category debut of two new drivers within the team: Dean Hoogendoorn, supported by the Williams Academy, and William Calleja. Both stepping up from OK-Junior and joining from other teams during the off-season, they immediately demonstrated strong potential despite a highly competitive field and changing conditions. Their early pace underlined the strength and promise of Parolin Motorsport’s new driver line-up.

The event unfolded in demanding circumstances, with wet and drying conditions in Friday’s Qualifying, mostly dry Heats interrupted by a heavy shower, and dry but extremely windy conditions for Sunday’s Finals – a tough early-season test in which Parolin equipment proved competitive across all classes.

In the Mini categories, Parolin success was evident from the outset. In Mini Gr.3, Babyrace Driver Academy drivers showed strong pace in Qualifying and backed it up through the Heats and Prefinals, before converting that form into victory in Sunday’s Final with Nahyl El Gahoudi leading a dominant performance for the Parolin chassis.

In Mini U10, Parolin Motorsport’s Zayne Burgess was competitive throughout the weekend, remaining firmly in the leading group in mixed Qualifying conditions and delivering strong performances in both the Heats and Prefinal. In a closely fought Final on a windy track, Burgess judged the closing laps perfectly to secure victory and give the factory team a winning start to the season.

Parolin equipment continued to shine in OK Junior, where Antonio Pizzonia set the tone early by securing pole position in Qualifying for Ward Racing. He carried that momentum through the Heats and Prefinal before delivering a controlled and authoritative drive in the Final to claim victory, marking an immediate success for Ward Racing following its switch to Parolin equipment. Parolin Motorsport also featured strongly in the category, with Oskari Walle showing consistent speed throughout the weekend and finishing inside the leading group.

The OK category marked an important milestone for Parolin Motorsport, with new signings Dean Hoogendoorn and William Calleja making their first WSK appearance for the team after stepping up from OK Junior following off-season moves from other teams. Both drivers showed encouraging pace from the opening sessions despite the mixed conditions in Qualifying. That form carried through the Heats and Prefinals and into Sunday’s Final, where Hoogendoorn ran among the frontrunners and set some of the fastest laps of the race, finishing 2nd but missing out on the podium after an early incident led to a bumper penalty.

Calleja completed a composed debut weekend at this level, reinforcing the promise of the new line-up. Also on his OK debut, Bruno Blanco impressed with a mature and composed performance, quickly adapting to the step up in competition and consistently building pace through the weekend.

In OK-N Junior, Parolin equipment was again a constant presence at the front of the field with Leo Laitinen of LA Motorsport and Elton Hedfors of Modena Kart. Strong Qualifying performances and consistent results through the Heats and Prefinals translated into a competitive Final with Laitinen 2nd and Hedfors 4th, further confirming the depth of performance available to Parolin customer teams.

The gearbox KZ2 category also produced solid results, with LA Motorsport drivers remaining competitive across all sessions, led by heat winner Kimi Tani in 6th – underlining the versatility of the Parolin package.

Reflecting on the opening round, Marco Parolin said:

“A very nice start to the year. It was a strong demonstration of the competitiveness of the product across all classes with different teams, and this is what makes me very happy: the material is competitive even outside the factory team. This is one of our main goals – to make sure that all our customer and partner teams can rely on competitive equipment.

We’re particularly pleased to see Ward Racing winning in OK Junior at their very first appearance with the Parolin kart. This is really something nice to see. It’s also great to see Babyrace taking P1 and P2 in the Mini categories, where they were super competitive as well. Winning the first race of the season with Zayne Burgess is very special.

I’m generally very pleased with our team performance in OK Junior too – they were very fast, but a difficult Qualifying session with mixed conditions meant they started a bit mid-pack, which prevented a better result. I’m also very happy with the performances of Dean Hoogendoorn and William Calleja, the two rookies in OK. I think today they proved they are among the best rookies. It’s a pity for Dean not to be on the podium because of a small contact on the first lap that resulted in a bumper penalty, but the season looks very promising. We will try to keep it as it is.”

With victories, podiums and consistent front-running performances delivered in demanding early-season conditions, Parolin leaves La Conca with strong momentum as the championship moves on.

The WSK Super Master Series continues at Sarno on 6th-8th February, where the fast and technical circuit is expected to provide another demanding benchmark as the new season begins to take shape.

With the WSK Super Master Series getting underway this weekend at La Conca, Parolin Motorsport presents its driver line up for the 2026 season. The Italian team will be active on the international scene, taking part in FIA Karting events as well as the series organised by WSK Promotion and RGMMC.

In OKJ, Parolin Motorsport lines up five drivers for 2026. Italian driver Giole Girardello remains with the team after a standout 2025 season, highlighted by the FIA Karting World Cup victory and the Italian ACI Karting Championship title, both achieved in the OK-N Junior category with Modena Kart Racing Team. Finnish driver Oskari Walle also continues in Parolin colours as a three-time consecutive Finnish Champion and a regular front-runner on the international stage, including a third place in the FIA Karting World Championship pre-race event last year. Swiss driver Albert Tamm is also part of the programme after taking third place in the FIA Karting World Cup OK-N Junior, alongside further podium finishes in WSK events and in the Italian Championship. Mexican driver Juan Garciarce and Italian driver Giacomo Giusto complete the OKJ line up.

In OK, karting’s premier single-speed class, Parolin Motorsport fields five drivers. The Dutchman Dean Hoogendoorn, a member of the Williams Racing Driver Academy, steps up to OK after a standout 2025 Junior campaign, highlighted by the FIA Karting European Championship title. Australian driver William Calleja also moves into OK, returning to Parolin Motorsport for his first season in the category after racing for several years with Parolin colours in the MINI classes. Italian driver Bruno Blanco continues with the team, alongside Malaysian driver Zarief Rayqal, while the Brazilian Eduardo Salamonde joins Parolin Motorsport as a new entry.

In the MINI categories, Parolin lines up two drivers. American Zayne Burgess continues with the team in MINI U10 after a strong 2025 campaign that included a runner-up finish at the SuperNationals in Las Vegas and a podium in the WSK Final Cup championship. Alongside him is Czech driver Alexandr Macháč, racing in the MINI category after ending the season as national runner-up in the Czech Republic.

In KZ, Parolin Motorsport continues its partnership with the Italian Lorenzo Travisanutto, one of the benchmark drivers at international level. FIA Karting World Cup KZ2 winner in 2021 and European KZ champion in 2024 with Parolin colours, Travisanutto confirmed his status in 2025 and will once again be aiming for a top-level campaign in 2026.

The 2026 season will mark the beginning of a new collaboration between Parolin Racing Kart and Ward Racing, the renowned Swedish team founded by Joakim Ward with a long-standing experience in international karting. Such an agreement represents another prestigious milestone in the ongoing growth process and international expansion of the Parolin brand.

The agreement will go beyond racing activities and will also include a commercial collaboration. To celebrate this partnership, an exclusive “black” chassis line has been designed by Parolin. The new special edition will be distributed exclusively by Ward Racing in the Scandinavian countries and is planned to become available in other international markets at a later stage.

“We are proud to announce this collaboration with Ward Racing, one of the most iconic teams in international karting,” said Marco Parolin.
“I have always admired the Ward family for their professionalism, dedication and integrity. Being able to work together on this project is truly motivating and represents another important step in the growth of our brand.”

Joakim Ward also commented on the agreement:
“We look forward to a new chapter in our karting journey. As a family-run team, we are proud to join forces with Parolin Racing and their family. We share the same values and vision, united by a common strive for success. We are grateful to everyone who has made this collaboration possible and have strong confidence in our future together.”

The first on-track appearance of Ward Racing with Parolin colours is scheduled for the opening round of the WSK Super Master Series at La Conca, running from January 21 to 25. From there, the Swedish team will commit to a full programme across the international karting calendar.