For the opening of the European KZ Championship in Belgium, Parolin Motorsport showed a remarkable level of performance which enabled its two drivers to play leading roles. Francesco Celenta started with the 2nd fastest time in Qualifying while Lorenzo Travisanutto came close to the Final top five in his first race in the category.

As always in an elite category like KZ, the competition was extremely close for the opening of the European Championship from 13th to 15th May at the Genk circuit. The weather remained fine and dry throughout the weekend and temperatures rose above 25° for the first time this season. The harshness of the races led to numerous incidents which further increased the selectivity of the Belgian event.

“The balance of the weekend is positive, even if we were not able to capitalise on the speed of our drivers,” said Marco Parolin. “Our two drivers worked very well with the team and I am satisfied with the progress made by our KZ department in such a short time. Francesco paid dearly for his jumped start in Heat 1 and Lorenzo for his spoiler in Heat 2. I think it would have been essential to start a few places further ahead to aim for the podium, because the standard of the top ten drivers was really high: they were all running similar times so it was not easy to overtake. It’s no coincidence that the top four drivers finished where they started. We leave Genk aware of our strengths, but also of the details we need to work on to try to improve our results in Cremona.”

KZ

Francesco Celenta

2nd in Qualifying, 6th in the intermediate classification despite an incident and a loose spoiler in the first heat. 4th in the Super Heat, 8th in the Final, 7th in the provisional Championship ranking.

Lorenzo Travisanutto

10th in Qualifying, 7th in the intermediate ranking, fastest lap in the Super Heat, 6th in the Final with the 2nd fastest time, 6th in the provisional Championship ranking.

KZ2

Marco Tormen

25th out of 89 in Qualifying, three good heats, but two retirements due to incidents. Another retirement in the Super Heat, while qualification for the Final was in sight.

On the Spanish circuit of Zuera, Parolin Motorsport scored important points in the second round of the FIA Karting European Championship – OK and OK-Junior. Enzo Deligny again took 2nd in OK, both in the Final and in the standings, while René Lammers finished 4th in the OK-Junior Final and moved up to 3rd in the standings. Zac Drummond achieved his best result with a 6th place in the Final.

The meeting took place in sunny and warm weather. The 1,699m long Zuera circuit is demanding for the engines and requires a very well-tuned chassis. Slipstream plays an important role and the slightest mistake can have serious consequences. At Parolin Motorsport the equipment was again very competitive and the young drivers showed good progress.

“We regretted the absence of Anatholy Khavalkin who could not defend his 2nd place in the European OK-Junior Championship”, Marco Parolin noted. “Administrative reasons prevented him from going to Spain. Fortunately René Lammers and Zac Drummond reacted very well and Parolin Motorsport was able to continue to prove its high competitiveness. Lammers strengthened his 3rd place in the Championship standings by climbing up to 4th position, 0.170″ from the podium. It’s a pity that he was involved in a crash in a heat because he was in a position to finish better in the top three. Drummond was very fast during the Qualifying sessions and he took advantage of this to perform very well in the top three of the heats before ensuring a very good 6th place in the Final. Enzo Deligny had the opportunity to assert his status in OK during the whole event. Excellent in the top four of Qualifying and the heats, he won Super Heat B with panache and fought for the win in the Final before taking the second step of the podium. Thanks to the performance level of our Parolin/TM Racing karts, our drivers are progressing with each race in both categories. This is going to be an exciting season and our ambitions are very high. We are now preparing for the next round in Sweden.”

OK-Junior

René Lammers

16th in Qualifying, two wins and a 2nd place in the heats, 10th in the intermediate ranking, 3rd in Super Heat B, 4th in the Final (+5 pl), 3rd in the provisional Championship ranking (+6 pl).

Zac Drummond

5th in Qualifying, 2nd, twice 3rd in heats, 3rd in intermediate ranking, 6th in Final, 9th in provisional Championship ranking (+8 pl).

OK

Enzo Deligny

4th in Qualifying, three times 2nd in heats, two fastest laps, 1st in Super Heat B, 2nd in Final, 2nd in provisional Championship ranking (+6 pl).

P

arolin Motorsport has just completed a difficult but successful meeting at the Spanish circuit of Zuera for the second round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series. In OK, Enzo Deligny made an incredible 34-place recovery with several fastest laps to reach the second step of the podium on his 14th birthday. The success of the Italian team was completed by the superb 3rd position of Anatholy Kkavalkin in OK-Junior.

“The competitiveness of our equipment in all the categories in which we compete is the reason for our sporting and technical commitment,” said Marco Parolin. “The first round of the European Championship held last week in Portimão proved that the team is on the right track. The results we have just achieved in Zuera at the Champions of the Future Euro Series are very satisfying in view of the next FIA Karting event. The TM Racing-powered Parolin chassis are proving race after race that they have earned their place as one of the best karts in competition today. Consistency at the top is a key factor and is one of our priorities while this exceptional level of performance allows all our drivers to progress more quickly. Anatholy Khavalkin and René Lammers were able to defend their chances at the top of the rankings, while Zac Drummond continues to make encouraging progress and Ghazi Motlekar has again qualified for the Final. In OK, Enzo Deligny managed the meeting perfectly despite the handicap of his 36th position in Qualifying. Everything is in place for him to win an important race soon. Maksim Orlov had a solid run despite some difficult battles. Our new recruit, Rohaan Madesh from India, really succeeded in his first steps in a very demanding international category.”

“We will be able to prepare for the second round of the European Championship in Zuera in a fortnight time on a solid basis thanks to the data recorded this weekend”.

OK-Junior

Anatholy Khavalkin

11th in Qualifying, five top three in the heats including a win and a fastest time. 4th in the intermediate ranking and 3rd in the Final with the 4th fastest time. Moved up five places to 6th position in the provisional series ranking.

René Lammers

10 in Qualifying, 2nd place with the fastest time in a heat, 4th in the Super Heat and 13th in the Final. 9th in the provisional series ranking.

Zac Drummond

41st in Qualifying, 30th after the heats, 23rd in the Final, 18 places gained over the meeting.

OK

Enzo Deligny

36th in Qualifying, retirement in the first heat, then two 5th places, a 3rd place with the fastest time and 20 positions gained after the heats. Victory and best time in Super Heat (+7 pl), 2nd Final position, 12 places gained and fastest time. 8th in the provisional series ranking.

Maksim Orlov

16th in Qualifying, fastest time in heat, but lost 10 places in the battles, 27th in Final.

Parolin Motorsport has been working hard since the Champions of the Future Euro Series. The opening meeting of the FIA Karting European Championship at Portimão showed the significant increase in performance of the Bassano del Grappa-based team’s Parolin / TM Racing karts. Khavalkin and Lammers finished on the OK-Junior podium, while Deligny finished in the OK top six.

“Our ability to progress in less than two weeks confirms the strong potential of our equipment,” commented Marco Parolin. “The results of Champions of the Future were already very interesting and we fine-tuned our adaptation to the Portuguese track to start the European Championship in good conditions. Thanks to this, our drivers were more confident and they were able to give their best. I would like to congratulate in particular Anatholy Khavalkin and René Lammers for their very consistent performance in the OK-Junior class, which earned them a place on the Final podium and 2nd and 3rd place in the provisional standings. Zac Drummond’s rise to prominence should also be highlighted, as he finished in 15th position in his first season at this level. Enzo Deligny was also very competitive in OK as he was able to climb to 6th place in the Final.”

As selective as ever, the Portimão track benefited from good weather conditions throughout the weekend. The races were very sporting, despite the intensity of the battles, thanks to the vigilance of the FIA Karting officials. However, the competition was very tough with an extremely high standard.

René Lammers was very fast in the Qualifying sessions with a good 6th position among the 69 participants. Very consistent at the front of the heats, he took a victory and two 2nd places while achieving two fastest laps in the race. He was 4th at the end of the Super Heats. 8th in Qualifying, Anatholy Khavalkin won three heats and won Super Heat A which allowed him to join the top five. He quickly escaped along with the leader of the Final, whom he chased down relentlessly. He tried to take the advantage, especially in view of the finish, but in vain. In the meantime, Lammers moved up to 3rd place at mid-race, but the gap was too big for him to participate in the fight for the victory.

Zac Drummond put in his best performance by regaining nine positions during the heats. The young Scot was again very combative in the Final and achieved a very encouraging 15th place despite a penalty for a badly positioned front fairing at the finish.

In OK, Enzo Deligny was again very effective in the top five of the heats and confirmed his position in 3rd place of Super Heat B. He attacked from the start of the Final, passed successfully and finished 6th in his first European Final in a category where he is making his debut this year.

Champions of the Future will head to Zuera next weekend in preparation for the second round of the European Championship, which will take place there two weeks later.

C

onsidered as a series in itself as well as preparation for the FIA Karting European Championship, the Champions of the Future Euro Series started on the last weekend of March on the Portimao circuit in the south of Portugal. Enzo Deligny just missed out on the OK top three, valiantly finishing 3rd on the line and was then penalised, while Anatoly Khavalkin came 7th in the OK-Junior Final and René Lammers finished 9th.

“The Parolin Motorsport team achieved its goal in this first meeting in Portimão,” said Marco Parolin. “We have been working hard for the FIA Karting European Championship – OK and OK-Junior which will start here in a fortnight. The Portuguese track requires good preparation after an exclusively Italian start to the season. The drivers also need to familiarise themselves with this fast track. To be able to fight for 3rd position in the OK Final with Enzo Deligny is a very encouraging result. This is only the second time this year that we have used MG tyres in this category. In OK-Junior, Anatoly Khavalkin and René Lammers also showed good potential with a 5th place in Qualifying and a double top 10. We will continue our efforts in order to arrive at the European Championship running at full capacity.”

The track was wet in the middle of the week and dried out for Qualifying, but the grip was not very high. The weather remained quite good, but not warm because of the constant wind. René Lammers started with 5th position in the OK-Junior Qualifying and continued with four top fives in the heats, including two fastest laps in the race. Meanwhile, Anatoly Khavalkin made good progress from his 23rd place in Qualifying. He had a great Final race, quickly moving up to the front group and fighting for 7th position with a gain of eight positions and some very fast laps. Lammers increased the pace after a more complicated start and finally finished in 9th position. Zac Drummond made a strong comeback of 26 places from Qualifying and just missed out on the Final by finishing 37th.

In OK, Enzo Deligny had some very good heats finishing between 5th and 2nd place, but his Super Heat was not so good and he had to start down in 12th for the Final. He came back into the top five shortly after the halfway point and was back in the top three two laps before the finish with nine places gained. A penalty of 5” applied during the race dropped him back to 8th place. Maksim Orlov recovered from his 31st position in Qualifying, setting a fastest lap in one heat. Despite a turbulent race, he finished 22nd in the Final with good consistency.

The WSK Super Masters Series has just finished at the Circuito Internazionale Napoli with an intense fourth round with a large number of participants. The Parolin Racing Kart chassis put in top performances in all four categories and Parolin Motorsport recorded several outstanding successes at the end of the series. Enzo Deligny achieved a fantastic victory in OK, while Anatoly Khavalkin won in OK-Junior. Christian Costoya finished 4th in a Mini Final that went down to the wire. For his return to competition, Francesco Celenta was extremely fast in KZ2.

“We have many reasons to be happy after the competition in Sarno,” declared Marco Parolin. “Christian Costoya and Dries van Langendonck finished on the championship podium in Mini and we placed three drivers in the top 10 of the Final while the performance level of the whole team improved again. Anatoly Khavalkin managed to win in OK-Junior after a long battle and Enzo Deligny was able to get his first victory in OK with a high performance kart. Finally, Francesco Celenta’s three fastest laps in KZ2 are indicative of our competitiveness in KZ2. The team’s work has definitely paid off in terms of performance and our successes are very positive indicators less than a month before the start of the FIA Karting European Championships.”

The weather was sunny throughout the Sarno meeting, but temperatures remained cool for the region. A large field of 271 drivers entered this final round of the WSK Super Master Series. As always on the Neapolitan track, the races were exciting and hectic. Parolin was well established in the leading group in 3rd place among chassis manufacturers with strong numerical domination in the Mini class where four Parolins finished in the Final top five. The OK and OK-Junior victories were a reminder of the competitiveness of the Bassano del Grappa-based brand in the other categories.

Extended performance in Mini

The increase of the general standard of the Parolin Motorsport Mini drivers was particularly visible in Sarno. Jack Illife set the 3rd fastest time in the Qualifying session and the very young Alessandro Truchot was 6th among the 79 best specialists of the category. Bruno Gryc set two fastest laps in the heats and in the Final he gained 10 more places to 16th place. Dries Langendonck was regularly in the top two of the heats until a retirement delayed him. He still managed to finish 9th in the Final and was able to take 3rd place in the championship. William Calleja was 19th in the Qualifying Heats, but he continued to improve and reached 7th place at the end of the Final. Finally, Christian Costoya shone in the heats and fought for the Final victory. He was the leader for a long time, but then secured 4th place to finish 2nd in the championship.

Khavalkin victorious in OK-Junior

Anatoly Khavalkin had a superb meeting, regularly in the top five since Qualifying. But it was during the Final that he gave his best. After a waiting race in 2nd position, he went on the attack with three laps to go to finally take his first success of the year. He secured 4th place in the championship. Zac Drummond confirmed his very positive progress by making a superb Final climb of 11 places to finish in the top 10. It was a difficult weekend for René Lammers after qualification in 28th position as he had to retire in the Final.

OK: Deligny at the top

We hadn’t seen Enzo Deligny on track since his 6th place in Lonato in February. Very solid in Qualifying and in the Sarno heats, he was imperial in the Final. He started 9th, climbed relentlessly and took the lead after seven laps and increased his lead to celebrate his first victory at this level. On the podium, he praised the work of the team who had provided him with a perfect machine to win.

KZ2: Celenta comes back in force

Away from the circuits since his injury in Lonato at the end of January, Francesco Celenta was fast and consistent in his comeback from 29th place in Qualifying. With a total gain of 22 places, he finished 7th in the Final (+6 places) with a new fastest lap in the race.

Parolin Motorsport travelled to southern Italy to participate in the penultimate round of the WSK Super Masters Series at La Conca with 13 young drivers. The wet conditions in the Qualifying Heats and the lack of grip in the Finals made for some very special racing on a track that is usually known for its strong grip. The Parolin chassis proved to be competitive in these unusual conditions. Anatoly Khavalkin came close to the top five in OK-Junior, while Christian Costoya finished on the Mini podium just ahead of Qualifying poleman Dries van Langendonck, both of whom impressed the meeting with their speed.

“The weekend in La Conca started well, both in Mini and Junior“, said Marco Parolin. “In both categories we had good results in the dry on Friday, when the track was grippy and fast, and in the wet on Saturday, when we won the heats with four different drivers in both categories. Unfortunately the conditions on Sunday made it more difficult than expected. Compared to the previous dry conditions, the track was about four seconds slower in Mini and seven seconds slower in OKJ. Our drivers tried to maximise their results despite the difficult situation. We didn’t get the results we expected at the beginning of the weekend, but it was certainly an important learning experience for the whole team.

Dries van Langendonck and Christian Costoya performed very well in the rain with eight heat wins in total, including five fastest times. Costoya made a great comeback in the Final to finish 3rd ahead of van Langendonck and both confirmed their presence in the top three of the Super Master Series. Bruno Gryc continued to make progress with a top three in a heat and a 16th place in the Final, while Jack Illife came close to the top 10 in the heats.

Parolin chassis were once again well represented with almost 40% of the Mini field, pole position and half of the top 10 in Qualifying and the top four places in the Final with eight Parolin karts in the top 13. Parolin was the leader in terms of number of chassis in all categories and also achieved good results in OK-Junior. René Lammers was very convincing in the heats and was in the top three at the beginning of the race, but he gradually lost places. Anatoly Khavalkin had solid heats despite a retirement and continued his effort with success by reaching 6th position in the Final. Zac Drummond confirmed his potential with a win and a 2nd place in a heat. We will now head to the Naples region for the final round of the WSK Super Master Series next weekend in Sarno.“

The detailed performances of the Parolin Motorsport drivers at La Conca allow a better appreciation of the competitiveness of the team.

OK-Junior
René Lammers remained well placed in the provisional Super Master standings with his 4th position. He had moved up 10 places during the heats with a win and a 2nd position with two fastest laps in the race. 2nd on the starting grid of the Final, he lost a few places as the laps went by. Anatoly Khavalkin, who had been in the top four until then, was delayed by a retirement in the last heat. He drove a good Final where a gain of three places brought him to the 6th position. Zac Drummond’s great comeback after the heats was affected by a retirement and a penalty, but he still secured 16th place in the Final.

Mini
Dries van Langendonck had dominated the Mini category from Qualifying to the heats, making a faultless run in the lead and setting three fastest times. The start of the Final did not go in his favour, but he attacked relentlessly to come back to 4th place. Christian Costoya started at the same pace. A problem in his third heat thwarted his progress. 9th on the starting grid of the Final, he drove a very good race to take 3rd position on the podium. Bruno Gryc performed well and climbed 21 places to 16th in the Final, as did Jack Illife in 17th place after a difficult Final.

The Champions of the Future by RGMMC Winter Series has just taken place on the new Italian circuit of Franciacorta near Milan with tyres identical to those of the forthcoming FIA Karting Championships: MG in OK and Vega in OK-Junior. Anatoly Khavalkin dominated the Junior class before finishing on the podium in a very competitive Final, while René Lammers also proved to be very competitive in adversity. Parolin Motorsport’s level of performance was confirmed by Maksim Orlov’s top three in OK in Qualifying and in the heats.

Marco Parolin summed up the meeting:
“FIA Karting competitions are the main focus of the season for the international categories. Therefore it was interesting for us to get to know the particularities of the Franciacorta track where the European OK and OK-Junior Championship will finish in July. It was also an opportunity to drive on FIA Karting tyres, even though we did not have Prime tyres in KZ2. So there was a lot of work to do this weekend. The 1300m circuit is fast and contact often results in crashes and retirements. The races are very competitive right up to the finish line. These are very demanding conditions for the young drivers who still have to find their bearings. We can be satisfied with the work done by the technical team. Maksim Orlov was very competitive in OK with his 3rd place in Qualifying and two top three finishes in the heats. Unfortunately, he was not able to do so on Sunday, probably because of different grip parameters in an area we cannot control. Anatoly Khavalkin was on top throughout the weekend in OK-Junior. The Final was very lively and he finished 3rd after having completed 14 of the 19 laps in the lead. René Lammers was delayed by a retirement in the first race and had to withdraw again after he had come back to 9th place in the Final. I would like to salute the perseverance of Zac Drummond who regained 27 places between Qualifying and the Final. Overall it was an interesting experience with lessons to be learnt, but our Parolin / TM Racing teams confirmed their top performances.“

OK-Junior
Anatoly Khavalkin:
pole position in Qualifying, three heat wins and a fastest lap, leader of the Super Heats, 3rd in the Final, leading 14 of the 19 laps.

René Lammers:
9th in Qualifying, retirement in Heat 1, 2nd in Heat 3, 5th in Super Heat 1 (+5 pl), retirement in Final (P9 +10 pl).

Zac Drummond:
53rd in Qualifying, 29th (+24 pl) in heats, 26th in Final (+8 pl).

OK
Maksim Orlov:
3rd in Qualifying, two top threes in heats, 10th after Super Heats, 22nd in Final with a penalty for badly positioned spoiler.

In a very tough WSK Super Master Series Round 2, Parolin Motorsport showed a remarkable level of competitiveness in all categories. Of course, results were more difficult to achieve with a record field of over 350 participants. Despite several setbacks, Parolin Motorsport reached 6th place in OK with rookie Enzo Deligny, René Lammers held on to 3rd place in the Junior ranking while Anatoly Khavalkin finished 6th in the Final. Dries van Langendonck was on the Mini podium followed by Christian Costoya, both in the top three of the Super Master Series.

“WSK Promotion can be proud to have broken its absolute participation record this weekend“, said Marco Parolin. “This is a well-deserved reward for the quality of the organisation and a very positive indication for high-level karting. The competition was more demanding due to the high number of competitors competing simultaneously on the track, especially during the 46 Qualifying Heats and the eight Prefinals. Fortunately, our Parolin/TM Racing equipment performed very well throughout the meeting.

Despite their best efforts, our drivers were not always able to avoid incidents and penalties. It was a difficult exercise and we had to be very successful in order to reach the top positions. I am universally satisfied with the progress of our drivers. We can already see some young talents blossoming and the rest of the season will bring us some pleasant surprises. With 48 Parolin chassis in the starting line-up, our brand is in an enviable position at this level with a third of the field and four Parolin karts in the Final top five.“

In terms of results, the KZ2 results did not match the true performance level of Parolin Motorsport. Lorenzo Travisanutto was very fast and set three best laps in the race after his superb 3rd place out of 93 participants. This was not enough to allow him to shine in the Final because of a retirement and four penalties.

In OK, the two rookies did a good job. Enzo Deligny was 6th and Maksim Orlov 11th out of 60, both had solid heats before following each other to 3rd and 4th in the Prefinal. Enzo continued his progress in the Final by finishing 6th while Maksim had to retire while making progress towards the top 10.

Anatoly Khavalkin managed to regain 16 places during the OK-Junior Qualifying Heats to climb to 2nd place out of 90 participants. He finished the Final in 6th position, which moved him up six places in the provisional series ranking. René Lammers had regained 24 positions in the heats by finishing 4th, but the Final stages were not favourable to him and he ended with a retirement. He remains in the top three of the ranking. Zac Drummond had a very solid run from his distant 61st time. After avoiding all the pitfalls in the heats, he moved up 38 places and continued his climb by moving up another 12 positions to 13th in the Final.

The Mini category had 108 participants, a record. Christian Costoya and Dries van Langendonck confirmed their talents in the face of strong opposition. With a total of six heat wins between them, they achieved their objectives. Christian won his Prefinal before taking a rewarding 4th Final position after an intense battle. Dries played a great card in a hectic last lap to reach the third step of the podium. They follow each other in 2nd and 3rd place in the series standings at the halfway point.

Jack Illife stepped up his game in a consistent performance that took him to 7th place in the Final. William Calleja posted three fastest laps in the heats, but dropped out in his Prefinal. A fine 10-place recovery allowed him to reach 13th position in the Final. Bruno Gryc developed positively during the entire event to finish 20th, despite a penalty for a badly fixed front fairing, having set the fastest lap of the Final. 65th in Qualifying, Angelo Bruno Blanco managed to qualify for the Final, but had to retire after a few laps.