Parolin Motorsport continued its strong FIA Karting European Championship campaign at Valencia, with Gioele Girardello finishing 4th in OK-Junior and moving to 3rd in the Championship standings with two rounds remaining. Dean Hoogendoorn also produced an excellent recovery drive in OK, gaining 11 places in the Final to finish 9th and sit 3rd in the Championship at the halfway point of the season.

Oskari Walle, Giacomo Giusto, Albert Tamm and Alexander Lazarus also reached the OK-Junior Final, while Ward Racing added further strong results for Parolin chassis with Benjamin Manach 8th and Tomasz Cichoracki 7th in OK, and Antonio Pizzonia 7th in OK-Junior.

The second round of four in the FIA Karting European Championship took place at Valencia in mixed conditions, with dry weather for Qualifying and the early heats on Friday, some rain during Saturday’s heats, and dry conditions again for Sunday’s Super Heats and Finals. The event brought together 83 drivers in OK and 92 in OK-Junior, making consistency and recovery through the order particularly important.

In OK-Junior, Girardello led the Parolin Motorsport challenge. After showing front-running pace throughout the weekend, including two heat wins, he lined up 4th on the grid for the Final and finished in the same position after a competitive race at the front. The result keeps him firmly in the title fight, 3rd in the Championship with two rounds still to run.

Walle was also among the leading contenders in OK-Junior. He progressed strongly in the heats, taking two wins, and started the Final from the front row after finishing 2nd in his Super Heat. He eventually crossed the line 10th after a more difficult Final. Giusto completed a solid weekend by finishing 13th from 15th on the grid, while Tamm had shown excellent speed earlier in the meeting by setting the fastest time in his Qualifying session before finishing 18th in the Final. Lazarus gained 10 places to finish 24th, while Garciarce was unable to finish the race.

In OK, Hoogendoorn produced one of the strongest recoveries of the day for Parolin Motorsport. After a challenging Qualifying and heats phase, he gained five places in his Super Heat to secure a place in the Final, then climbed from 20th on the grid to 9th at the finish. His performance ensured he remains 3rd in the Championship at the halfway stage. William Calleja also showed strong pace across the event, including a heat win, before finishing 20th in the Final.

Ward Racing also posted important results with Parolin equipment. In OK, Manach remained competitive throughout the weekend and finished 8th in the Final. Cichoracki made an excellent recovery, gaining 10 places in the Final to finish 7th. Zulfikari had shown strong pace earlier in the meeting, leading his Qualifying session, but finished 27th after a penalty. In OK-Junior, Pizzonia completed a strong event by gaining six places in the Final to finish 7th.

Marco Parolin said:

“It was a positive weekend in terms of competitiveness, even if we did not get all the results we could have achieved. Gioele was very strong in OK-Junior and remains well placed in the Championship, while Dean produced a great recovery in OK and is also 3rd in the standings. Oskari, Albert and William all showed very good speed during the weekend, and Ward Racing also achieved strong results. We can take a lot of positives from Valencia as we continue to fight in both categories.”

The next event for Parolin Motorsport will be the opening round of the FIA Karting European Championship for KZ and KZ2 at Genk in two weeks, where the team will look to continue its strong start to the European season.

Parolin Motorsport delivered another strong weekend in the Champions of the Future Euro Series at Valencia, with Oskari Walle finishing 3rd in OK-Junior and Dean Hoogendoorn taking 7th in OK to strengthen his championship lead. The factory team also saw William Calleja dominate much of the OK weekend before dropping to 19th in the Final due to a technical problem, while Zarief Rayqal gained 11 places in the decisive race. For Ward Racing, Benjamin Manach starred with 4th in the OK Final, while Antonio Pizzonia finished 5th in OK-Junior.

Round 2 at Valencia was held in mixed conditions, with good weather on Thursday for Qualifying and the early heats before rain affected the later heats, Super Heats and Finals on Friday and Saturday. With 88 drivers in OK and 96 in OK-Junior, the event provided another highly competitive preparation for next weekend’s FIA Karting European Championship round at the same circuit.

In OK, Hoogendoorn once again led the Parolin Motorsport challenge. He moved forward consistently through the meeting, then produced another strong Super Heat and Final to finish 7th, extending his lead in the championship. Rayqal also showed determination to come through the field and finish 18th after gaining 11 places in the Final.

Calleja had been one of the standout drivers of the weekend. He was fastest in his Qualifying group, won four heats, then converted pole position for Super Heat B into another victory to secure pole for the Final. He ultimately finished 19th, denying him the result his pace had deserved.

In OK-Junior, Walle was the leading Parolin Motorsport driver throughout the event. After an excellent performance in Qualifying and the heats, he remained in contention despite a spoiler penalty in his Super Heat and started the Final from pole. He led laps in the race and went on to finish 3rd on the podium, moving up to 3rd in the championship.

Behind him, Juan Garciarce completed a solid weekend to finish 15th in the Final. Giacomo Giusto fought through from the back half of the grid and was classified 23rd after a front fairing penalty, while Troy Ferguson’s promising weekend ended in frustration with a retirement on the opening lap.

Ward Racing also contributed valuable results for Parolin. In OK, Manach delivered one of the best drives of the weekend, gaining seven places in the Final to finish 4th, while Iskender Zulfikari recovered nine places to 23rd. In OK-Junior, Martin Bertolaccini had shown front-running pace all weekend and lined up 3rd for the Final, but his race ended on the opening lap. Pizzonia meanwhile capped another competitive weekend with 5th in the Final.

Marco Parolin said:

“It was another encouraging weekend for Parolin Motorsport. Oskari did an excellent job to secure a podium in OK-Junior, Dean scored important points again in OK, and William showed he had the pace to win all weekend. We also saw some very strong performances from the rest of our line-up, as well as from Ward Racing, which confirms once more that our package is competitive in both categories.”

Parolin Motorsport will remain at Valencia for the next round of the FIA Karting European Championship, where the team will look to turn its strong preparation and front-running speed into more podiums and victories.