Parolin Motorsport came away from Round 3 of the FIA Karting European Championship at Mülsen with strong performances in both OK and OK-Junior, despite a weekend defined by changeable weather and difficult race conditions. William Calleja was the benchmark in OK with pole position and three heat wins before a mechanical issue ended his Final, while Dean Hoogendoorn converted his speed into 4th place in a rain-hit OK Final. In OK-Junior, the Parolin chassis was back on the podium as Ward Racing’s Antonio Pizzonia finished 2nd after a dramatic semi-wet Final.

The German round saw a full field of 79 OK drivers and 84 OK-Junior drivers, with wet Qualifying and early heats followed by dry running on Saturday afternoon. The Super Heats were held in dry conditions, but rain returned during both Finals with the drivers on slick tyres, creating a particularly demanding end to the event.

In OK, Calleja led the Parolin Motorsport challenge from the start. The Australian took pole position in Qualifying and remained at the front after the heats, where he scored two wins and three further top-three finishes. After taking 4th in his Super Heat, he lined up 2nd for the Final and was immediately in contention at the front before being forced to retire with a mechanical problem.

Hoogendoorn also showed consistent pace throughout the weekend. He was 6th overall in Qualifying, 2nd in his group, and moved up to 3rd after the heats with three wins. Although his Super Heat result left him 6th on the grid, he managed the changing conditions well in the Final and finished 4th, giving Parolin Motorsport a strong points finish on a day when the race was eventually red-flagged as conditions deteriorated.

Ward Racing’s William Marshall made clear progress in OK after a difficult Qualifying, moving forward through the heats with repeated runs into the top 10. He reached the Final from 25th on the grid but was unable to continue after a first-lap incident in semi-wet conditions.

In OK-Junior, Gioele Girardello led the Parolin Motorsport line-up for much of the event. He qualified 15th and held that position after the heats before taking 16th on the grid for the Final. In the wet race he reached the finish and was classified 23rd after a penalty. Oskari Walle and Juan Garciarce both made progress through the event, with Walle moving up from 32nd in Qualifying to 22nd after the heats and Garciarce gaining eight places in his Super Heat to earn 21st on the Final grid, but both were unable to finish in the difficult conditions.

Pizzonia delivered the top OK-Junior result for the Parolin chassis. The Ward Racing driver was immediately among the leading group, qualifying 7th and remaining inside the top 10 after the heats, which included a win and a 2nd place. From 12th on the Final grid, he drove a composed race as the weather changed and the order shifted, climbing to 2nd at the finish. Martin Bertolaccini also showed strong pace for Ward Racing, moving from 25th in Qualifying to 13th after the heats with two 2nd places, before finishing the Final 24th after a penalty.

Marco Parolin said:

“It was a weekend that showed the strength of our drivers and our chassis in every condition. William and Dean were both very competitive in OK, and it was frustrating that William could not finish after such a strong event, but Dean’s 4th place was an important result in extremely difficult circumstances. In OK-Junior, our drivers gained valuable experience in a very complicated Final, and Antonio’s podium with Ward Racing confirmed again that the Parolin package is competitive at the front. We will keep working with the same focus and try to convert this speed into more results in the next races.”

The FIA Karting European Championship will conclude at Kristianstad in Sweden at the start of August. Before then, Parolin Motorsport will return to competition for the final round of the WSK Euro Series at Cremona in Italy from 8th to 11th July.

Parolin Motorsport showed strong pace in a challenging third round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series at Mülsen, where the racing was frequently disrupted by incidents. In OK, Dean Hoogendoorn recovered well through the event and finished 13th in the Final after penalties, while William Calleja was 16th and Zarief Rayqal 24th.

Ward Racing delivered the headline Parolin result of the weekend, with Benjamin Manach finishing 2nd in OK after leading much of the Final, while Antonio Pizzonia crossed the line 3rd in OK-Junior before a penalty placed him 12th.

The German round was held in dry conditions, with temperatures between 18 and 20 degrees, but the Mülsen circuit produced a particularly incident-heavy weekend. A total of 83 drivers competed in OK and 93 in OK-Junior, making track position and clean racing especially important across Qualifying, the heats, Super Heats and Finals.

In OK, Hoogendoorn led the Parolin Motorsport challenge. After a difficult Qualifying, he progressed well through the heats with consistent top-four finishes, then started the Final from 13th on the grid. He was running inside the top 10 before penalties dropped him to 13th in the Final classification.

Calleja also showed competitive speed across the weekend, including a heat win and 2nd place in his Super Heat after gaining seven positions. He started 11th for the Final and finished 16th after penalties, while Rayqal reached the Final from 28th on the grid and was classified 24th.

The strongest OK result on the Parolin chassis came from Manach, who was immediately among the leading contenders for Ward Racing. After winning his Super Heat from pole, he started 2nd for the Final, took the lead on lap four and led until the closing stages before finishing 2nd behind Baglin. Gabriel Canal also reached the Final for Ward Racing and finished 15th.

In OK-Junior, the Parolin Motorsport drivers showed promising speed but were caught out in a dramatic Final. Girardello had been competitive throughout the weekend and started 13th after a Super Heat penalty, but his race ended in a first-lap crash. Walle, Giusto and Lazarus also reached the Final after solid progress through the event, but all three were forced to retire from a race heavily affected by incidents and slow procedures.

Pizzonia again demonstrated the pace of the Parolin package in OK-Junior for Ward Racing. After running strongly throughout the weekend, including a heat win, two 2nd places and 2nd in his Super Heat, he started 4th for the Final and crossed the line 3rd before a penalty moved him back to 12th in the official result.

Marco Parolin said:

“It was one of those weekends where the speed was clearly there, but the Final results did not fully reflect our potential. Dean, William, and Zarief all showed good pace in OK, while Gioele, Oskari, Giacomo, and Alexander had the speed to fight higher up in OK-Junior before a very difficult Final. Benjamin’s 2nd place and Antonio’s performance with Ward Racing also confirmed the competitiveness of the Parolin chassis. Unfortunately, I must say that the racing we saw in Mülsen was not a great spectacle. The track layout certainly didn’t help, as it made cutting the chicanes far too easy. This not only created chaos on track but also dragged dirt onto the racing line. Given what happened this weekend, I expect there to be close attention and strictness next week in monitoring and penalizing this kind of unfair driving. Nevertheless, we will take the positives and focus on converting our pace into stronger results next weekend.”

Parolin Motorsport will remain at Mülsen for Round 3 of the FIA Karting European Championship next weekend, where the team will look to build on its pace from the Champions of the Future event and continue its European Championship challenge. Dean Hoogendoorn and Gioele Girardello both go into the event 3rd in their respective Championships, giving the team a strong platform for the second half of the European season.