Parolin Motorsport showed both promise and resilience at the FIA Karting World Championship in Kristianstad, Sweden, where the demanding Åsum Ring delivered a weekend of mixed conditions.

The Kristianstad circuit combines high-speed sections with technical sequences that relentlessly test drivers and teams. On Sunday, rain showers alternated with bright spells, making tyre choices and setup decisions particularly important, and Parolin’s drivers fought at the sharp end in both OK and OK-Junior.

In the OK category, Spanish driver Christian Costoya reaffirmed his status as one of the top drivers of the category all season, having already secured the 2025 FIA Karting European Championship title at the start of August. In Qualifying in Kristianstad, he set the 7th fastest time overall and was 12th in the intermediate classification. After the Super Heat where he finished 11th, Costoya underlined his talent by setting the fastest lap of the World Championship Final, carving his way up to 9th before a front fairing penalty relegated him to 14th. Despite the frustration, his pace within the category’s finest was undeniable.

In the OK-Junior World Championship, Oskari Walle delivered the team’s highlight. After 11th in his group in Qualifying, he steadily climbed the order through the heats and Super Heat, securing a grid position of 22nd for Sunday. In the Final, Walle excelled in wheel-to-wheel combat, slicing his way into the top 15 and finally taking the flag in 11th place, one of his best FIA Karting results to date.

Giacomo Giusto also impressed with a top-10 Qualifying time and solid heats that placed him in the top 15 after Saturday. His Final, however, was marred by penalties and contact, dropping him to 30th. Bruno Blanco progressed to the Final and finished 25th after consistent drives in the heats, while Priam Bruno and Alessandro Truchot gained valuable experience but were unable to make the decisive cut.

Team Manager Marco Parolin reflected on the weekend:

“The World Championship is always a tough test, and this year’s event proved no different. We leave Sweden encouraged by Christian’s raw pace in OK – setting the fastest lap in the Final was a statement of his potential. He has already brought Parolin Motorsport huge pride this season by winning the European Championship, and his performance here confirmed once again why he is one of the best drivers in the category. In Juniors, Oskari’s fighting drive into 11th was equally rewarding, while Giacomo showed he can run with the very best, even if luck wasn’t on his side in the Final. Across the team, every driver made progress, and that’s the foundation we build on. We are proud of how our drivers adapted to changing conditions and never stopped pushing. The standard in FIA Karting is incredibly high, but weekends like this remind us that we are right there, ready to fight for top results.”

Parolin Motorsport were highly satisfied with Oskari Walle’s 3rd place at the final round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series in OK-Junior in only his third international race, taking a Super Heat win on the way.

Although Christian Costoya was unable to score his usual superlative result in the Final after a mishap at the start, the team can be happy with his excellent Qualifying and heats results and his Super Heat win.

OK-Junior

Oskari Walle was at the sharp end immediately in Qualifying with 4th in his group, against much more experienced drivers, and he kept up the momentum with a peak of 2nd place in a heat. After starting his Super Heat 6th, he waited for his opportunity to move up to 3rd and then 2nd, before taking the lead two laps from the end and pulling away to win by a second. This promoted Walle to 4th on the grid for the Final and he went from strength to strength, taking 3rd after challenging for the lead and continually looking for any opportunity to move up. 

Juan Garciarce also qualified 4th in his group and scored a 2nd place in a heat, although his progress was slowed by racing incidents. He managed to qualify for the Final then gained no less than 12 positions. Priam Bruno also suffered in the heats but he made a strong recovery in his Super Heat, only for another incident to put a premature end to his Final. Alessandro Truchot also deserves a mention after qualifying 5th in his group and taking a 3rd in a heat, but two DNFs meant he couldn’t reach his potential.

OK

Christian Costoya started the weekend with 2nd overall in Qualifying, then took pole for Super Heat 2 with three wins in the heats. He won this by leading from lights to flag, but in the Final Costoya was pushed out wide at the start and dropped down the order. He had been working his way back through the field but a spoiler penalty after robust pack racing dropped him to 19th. Despite this, Costoya has finished 3rd in the title race, a testament to his consistency throughout the series. 

Team Manager Marco Parolin’s analysis

“The last round of Champions of the Future was a useful meeting to hone the last few things before the World Championship, and it was nice to climb on the OKJ podium with Walle, at his first race with the factory team. He impressed us with a consistent performance despite is little experience in the class. Besides this, the performances of our juniors were pretty competitive, marking a great improvement done throughout the season. In Senior, It was a shame for Costoya, who dominated the whole weekend but had to face some setbacks in the final – we are still investigating what could have possibly gone wrong as we lacked the usual pace he demonstrated all week long. Despite the unfortunate final, he still ended third in the series, confirming once again his outstanding seasonal shape.”

Heading for the World Championship

Parolin can now be confident in its preparations for the World Championship at Kristianstad this coming weekend, with indisputable evidence of speed in both the OK and OK-Junior categories.

Parolin’s Christian Costoya has secured the FIA Karting European Championship in the OK category despite extremely difficult weather conditions on Final day on the Danish coastal circuit.

Spanish hopeful Costoya had been incisive enough in the first three rounds of the Championship to be able to stay out of trouble at Rodby as his main rival had struggled in Qualifying. Both Friday for Qualifying and Saturdays heats were run in damp conditions in the morning and drying out later in the day, and Christian took 3rd in Timed Qualifying. Despite a P1 and P3 in the heats, a DNF dropped him down the order. 

On Sunday the rain was heavier and the Super Heat took place in full wet conditions. But once the drivers were on the grid for the Final, it was just edging into the right conditions for slick tyres, then the rain started again. It turned out to be a brief shower so Costoya, along with just over half the grid, opted to fit slicks, knowing that halfway through the race they would be much faster. Unfortunately that tipping point was exactly when it started to rain again and Costoya was unable to take the chequered flag as European Champion, although he was delighted to secure the title by 57 points. 

Also in OK, Beau Lowette once again made an amazing recovery to gain 18 places to 12th in the Final, after gaining no less than 34 places during the heats and Super Heats. 

In OK-Junior, Priam Bruno made another breakthrough by qualifying fastest in his group (2nd overall), managing the difficult drying track conditions perfectly. He held his own in the heats then finished 4th in the wet Super Heat against much more experienced drivers. In the Final the track was different again and Bruno fought well to finish 13th, his best result in an FIA Karting Final. Gioele Girardello finished 18th in the Final, gaining 12 places after having to retire at the start of his Super Heat. Juan Garciarce also moved forward in the Final.

Marco Parolin was elated at the result

“I am proud to have achieved what was our most important goal of the season, the European Championship. This is a competition that takes place over four rounds with no room for error, so it requires the highest level of performance and few mistakes. Although this weekend in Rodby was not one of our best, we were able to count on the excellent performances in Portimao and Viterbo, where the team was flawless and scored maximum points, and the podium finish in Campillos on a weekend that was truly challenging due to the weather and tyre wear. Costoya has achieved an important and well-deserved milestone in his career, and the team can celebrate this well-earned success.”

Top level karting will take a well-earned break until the World Championships at Kristianstad in Sweden at the start of September, preceded by the usual Champions of the Future Euro Series race.

The Parolin Motorsport team raced with determination in the penultimate round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series at Rødby in Denmark, on the first visit since 2023. Raw speed was not in question but racing incidents were rife in this event, particularly at the starts.

After 47th in Qualifying, Christian Costoya was on the back foot in the heats but was able to gain many places to 4th twice to move up 24 places over the course of the heats. Starting 12th in the Super Heat, he moved up to 4th despite much of the race taking place under the Slow procedure. However, disaster struck again in the Final and Costoya was a victim of another first-lap chain-reaction crash, far from the level of result he has become used to in 2025. 

Also in OK, Beau Lowette was impeded by his Qualifying result but he has shown many times this year that he is a recovery expert, finishing close to the top ten in his Super Heat before receiving a penalty. Unfortunately he was also involved in the first-lap incident in the Final. 

In OK-Junior, Gioele Girardello qualified brilliantly with 2nd in his group (6th overall), then was a strong top five runner in the heats, with a best result of 2nd. After fighting for 3rd in the Super Heat, he started 8th for the Final then finished 16th in the lively race. 

Priam Bruno really came into his own this weekend, gaining 25 places between Qualifying and the end of the heats. He then joined the top ten in the Super Heat then finished 13th in the Final (+13pl). 

Giacomo Giusto qualified 5th in his group and scored a best result of 3rd in the heats but was forced to retire in his Super Heat and met a similar fate at the start of the Final.

“This was a difficult weekend in many ways but our performance shone through in both OK and OK-Junior,” said Marco Parolin. “In OK Christian Costoya made progress at every opportunity and Gioele Girardello switches effortlessly between OK-Junior and OKN-Junior, while Priam Bruno made a leap forward, but there were many racing incidents which meant all our drivers were held up at some point. I want to give a big thank you to the team for working so hard to overcome these set-backs and I’m looking forward to using all we learned next weekend.”

Parolin Motorsport will be straight back into action this week in the FIA Karting European Championship at Rødby, with Christian Costoya in a prime position to secure the OK title.

Christian Costoya had an exceptional weekend in the final round of the WSK Euro Series in Cremona in the OK category. Starting from pole position, he went on to win the three Qualifying Heats and the Prefinal, before winning the Final in style, securing the title. In Mini Gr.3, Parolin official driver Elton Hedfors clinched the title, while Stan Ratajski, also on a Parolin chassis, won the Final. 

In the premier OK category, Christian Costoya continued his unchallenged domination, finishing the Final with a comfortable lead of 2.765 seconds over his closest rival. The Spanish driver, supported by All Road Management, has dominated his last three competitions without interruption, now positioning himself as the favourite to win the FIA Karting European Championship in early August in Rødby, Denmark.

Beau Lowette also showed his competitiveness in OK, progressing steadily to finish in the top 10 in the qualifying heats and Prefinal. Unfortunately, he was unable to finish the Final.

In Mini Gr.3, Elton Hedfors approached the Cremona event as the clear leader after dominating the opening round in Viterbo. With the 3rd fastest time in Qualifying, the Swedish driver took the lead in the standings thanks to a victory in the Qualifying Heats, in high temperatures. After securing pole position for the Final thanks to an excellent 2nd place in the Prefinal, run on Sunday morning in slightly cooler conditions, Elton did what he had to do by finishing 5th in a closely fought Final, which allowed him to win the Championship with a 39-point lead.

In OK-Junior, Bruno Blanco and Giacomo Giusto once again showed their usual determination, finishing 10th and 11th respectively after solid performances in Qualifying and the heats.

In the OK-N category, Lorenzo D’Amico of the LA Motorsport team, equipped with a Parolin/TM package, finished the Final in 3rd place, also finishing 3rd in the Championship. In OK-N Junior, the Parolin chassis of the Modena Kart team performed at the highest level, with Gioele Girardello taking a fine 2nd place after leading the race, followed by Albert Tamm in 3rd place, who set the fastest lap of the race.

Marco Parolin reflects on this success

“The weekend in Cremona was very positive, with two WSK titles won in Mini and OK, categories that are very important to us. For Hedfors, this is a significant result, his first international title, which rightly rewards the remarkable progress he has made over the last eight months. For Christian, it is further confirmation of his exceptional form. This is his fifth consecutive victory, and I can’t remember such an impressive run in recent years. In OK-Junior, I have some regrets for Giusto and Blanco, who were very fast but unfortunately involved in incidents that kept them out of the top three, a goal that was well within their reach given their speed.”

Christian Costoya’s European Championship lead was strengthened this weekend at the third round out of four at Viterbo in Italy, where the Spanish star qualified on pole and won all his races, with team-mate Beau Lowette matching his pace. Junior driver Bruno Blanco is also rapidly gaining in strength and took his first FIA Karting top ten.

Costoya at the front from Friday to Sunday

Christian started the weekend with pole on Friday at lunchtime before winning all his heats by a significant margin. Super Heat A followed a similar pattern before the Final where Christian was nearly three seconds ahead of his closest rival, completing a weekend where he led every single race lap!

Team principal Marco Parolin was understandably delighted

“It was another great weekend for Christian, he did a super job. Of course the package was working really well, we have worked hard for the last month at Viterbo. Basically we tried everything possible to be perfect. We knew this race was crucial to strengthen our leadership in the Championship and Christian simply did the job. No mistakes from the practice sessions onwards, he gave the right feedback, we made the right calls. The result reflects his good form, and in my opinion he has something really special. I wish him a bright future because I really believe he has all the skills to make it to the top.”

Fellow OK driver Beau Lowette is improving every time out, this time gaining seven places to 21st in the Final. He set his fastest lap just two thousandths from Christian’s fastest, to Marco Parolin’s satisfaction:

“For most of the Final he was matching Christian’s pace which means a lot to him and to us, because we cannot forget he has come from Rotax and doesn’t have much experience in these Championships. We are very pleased about the progress he is making and I hope by the World Championship he will be even closer to the front.”

All three Parolin OK drivers qualified for the Final, with Hugo Martí also making significant gains. 

OK-Junior drivers rebound

Bruno Blanco finished 7th in his Super Heat with the fastest lap, then went on to take 9th in the Final after an excellent start where he gained ten places. Juan Garciarce gained 14 places to 20th while Giacomo Giusto also qualified for the Final and moved up the order. 

Marco Parolin’s assessment of the younger drivers

“I’m super happy about Blanco, he’s making progress and is now constantly in the top ten. It’s a pity for him that he missed out on a heat result because of a crash that was not his fault, otherwise I believe a top five was possible for him. The speed of all the Juniors was pretty good, they still lack some experience to be able to fight for the top spots but I’m sure this will come. The atmosphere in the awning is pretty good and I really like how the whole team is working.”

The next event will be the WSK Euro Series in Cremona from 1st-5th July where Christian is leading the Championship. Modena Kart will compete in KZ2 and KZ2 Masters using Parolin equipment at the next round of the European Championship at Sarno from 19th-22nd June.

Parolin Motorsport was again in the ascendant in the third round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series at Viterbo with another win from Christian Costoya in the OK category, consolidating his position as the top-ranked international kart racer. This time the Spanish driver didn’t have it all his own way but he moved into the lead of the series with a masterful Final win, backed up by strong performances from his team-mates. 

Christian started the weekend with the fastest lap in his Qualifying group but due to track conditions this gave him 3rd overall. He converted this into four heat wins, but a DNF in the last heat prevented him from taking the lead in the intermediate classification. From pole in Super Heat 2, Christian was overtaken at the start and decided not to risk an accident by battling the leader so finished a few tenths behind while clearly having ample performance. This gave him 3rd on the grid for the Final, and from the start Christian was determined to make it through to the lead. He hit the front after just three laps and controlled the race to the end, winning by 1.8s. Christian is now leading the Champions of the Future Euro Series by 56 points, and continues to hold the lead of the FIA International Karting Ranking which compares drivers across all categories. 

Qarrar Firhand, also in OK, made up 14 places in the Final after a retirement in his Super Heat, while Beau Lowette narrowly missed out on a Final place after making up 15 places in the Super Heat. 

In OK-Junior Juan Garciarce was the revelation of the event with 2nd in his Qualifying session and two heat wins although he hit some setbacks on Saturday’s Final day. Bruno Blanco took up the baton to finish in the top ten in the Final, with Gioele Girardello and Priam Bruno also making strong comebacks. 

Team manager Marco Parolin’s analysis of the event:

“We’re pleased to approach the European Champiosnhip round with a victory and some good results especially in OK-Junior. Costoya is proving to be in good form, and our juniors are getting better and better, which is nice to see. Credit to Garciarce, who was able to win two heats in the weekend, and Blanco who finished in the top ten after some solid performances. However, the focus is on the next week, which is a crucial race for the rest of the season.”

Parolin Motorsport will now go straight into making final preparations for the next round of the FIA Karting European Championship this weekend at Viterbo where Christian Costoya is also the Championship leader in OK.

Parolin Motorsport took a double win at the first round of the WSK Euro Series at Viterbo in Italy from 14th-17th May with Christian Costoya in OK and Elton Hedfors in Mini. Costoya took advantage of the excellent conditions to take a clean sweep at all stages of the event while Hedfors moved up from 6th in Qualifying to win his heats, Prefinal and the Final.

Peerless result for Costoya

Costoya had no serious rival in the OK category at Viterbo, leading every racing lap in a rare display of perfect synergy between driver, team and equipment. He finished the Final over three seconds ahead of his closest rival and is already 32 points ahead in the series standings. His team-mate Qarrar Firhand made strong progress throughout the weekend and finished 14th in the Final. 

Hedfors takes his first international win

In Mini Group 3 Hedfors qualified 3rd in his group, 6th overall, and then made his mark on the heats, moving up to take the lead in each one to head the intermediate classification. He was then unbeatable in his Prefinal and the Final to take the top of the podium by 0.750s. 

Leo Laitinen qualified 4th overall but problems in two heats left him down in 16th overall. His comeback started with 3rd in Prefinal B then he gained seven places to 6th in the Final. Danila Verba continues to improve each time out with a highlight of 3rd in Prefinal A before finishing 17th in the Final after dropping back in the early-race battles. In the Under 10 category, Zayne Burgess took 6th in his first WSK event after running consistently in the top ten. 

In OK-Junior, Bruno Blanco finished 9th in the Final after taking 4th in his Prefinal while Giacomo Giusto and Juan Garciarce more than held their own in the highly competitive class. 

Albert Tamm and Gioele Girardello from Modena Kart took 2nd and 3rd in OKN-Junior with Lenni Makinen of LA Motorsport joining them in the top ten.

Meanwhile, in the European Championship for KZ2 at Valencia in Spain, Kimi Tani (LA Motorsport) finished 5th in the Super Heat and Anatoly Khavalkin (Modena Kart) was a strong contender in the heats but both fell prey to racing incidents in the Final. 

“The results this weekend are an overwhelming vindication, with two wins in OK and Mini and a double podium in OKN-Junior for our partner team,” said Marco Parolin. “I’m also pleased to see great progress from drivers like Verba, Burgess and Blanco and I think it shows the team’s dedication to continuous improvement in all aspects of racing.”

Next time on track will be the third round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series from 28th-31st May, also at Viterbo, before the European OK and OK-Junior Championship at Viterbo the following week.

Although the first round of the Champions of the Future Shifters series at Valencia was marked by a dispute between some KZ drivers and FIA Karting, the KZ2 drivers from the Modena Kart and LA Motorsport teams showed flashes of brilliance and above all prepared well for next weekend’s European Championship round, also taking place at Valencia. 

Kimi Tani (LA Motorsport) was an excellent 4th in his group in Qualifying and was a top six runner in the heats before his Final chances were hampered by an accident in the Super Heat. Meanwhile Anatoly Khavalkhin (Modena Kart) also qualified well and gained places in the heats before a remarkable rise in the Super Heat was wiped out by a penalty. 

Marco Parolin offered his perspective on the weekend’s events 

“This Champions of the Future competition will certainly be remembered for a long time for non-sporting reasons. As far as the technical part is concerned, we approached this competition with the aim of preparing ourselves as well as possible for the upcoming European Championship round. Certainly the feeling with the Dunlop tyres was not the best and I can say that the team worked well, taking small steps in the right direction. However, our KZ drivers decided not to take part in the Final autonomously and not in line with the team’s vision. I understand their frustration at having to race with a tyre that does not perform up to the standards of an elite category (as the lap times compared to other categories show), but I do not agree with their form of protest, as it was unlikely that the responsible bodies could find a solution in a matter of hours. In addition to this, I think it was a lack of respect towards the organiser of the race, who gave us the opportunity to prepare for the European Championship by organising a race with just under 80 drivers. Having said that, I am convinced that the subject deserves attention and that we are trying to find the best solution for the survival of this category at international level, but in the right way and above all with an awareness of what is possible in the short term. I conclude by noting the decision of our drivers not to take part in any competition that will use Dunlop tyres, as written in their letter of protest. KZ is a very costly category, not only economically, but above all in terms of energy, time and human resources: the driver is the protagonist, but behind the scenes there is a huge amount of work involving many people, and forcing a driver to race with no motivation does not seem right and goes against our philosophy. Instead, we will continue with our commitments in the KZ2 and KZ Master categories as scheduled.”

While the KZ2 drivers are taking part in their European Championship at Valencia this coming weekend, the OK and OK-Junior drivers will be racing in the WSK Euro Series at Viterbo in Italy as part of their preparation for their next European Championship round in early June.

The Parolin Motorsport team came away from Portimao in high spirits after a win in the headline OK class for Christian Costoya in the FIA Karting European Championship, backed up by convincing performances from the other drivers.

An almost flawless run for Christian Costoya at Portimao started with the fastest lap in Timed Qualifying and went on to become the only driver with three wins in the rain-hit heats. In the Super Heat, after a rain shower, discretion was the better part of valour and Christian came home 2nd, knowing that he had done enough to secure pole for the Final. He led from lights to flag in the feature race after a perfect start. Running on a fully dry track, he was never seriously challenged after dramatic incidents in the pack. 

Beau Lowette marked his new maturity as an international driver, gaining 33 places between Qualifying and the heats to 21st then charging through the field to 3rd in the Super Heat behind Christian. This gave him 11th on the Final grid but unfortunately he was the victim of a first lap incident and couldn’t finish. Efim Derunov just missed out on a Final place after gaining positions at each phase.

In OK-Junior Priam Bruno qualified well into the top third of the grid and continued to move forwards, taking 9th in his Super Heat then coming home 10th in the Final (18th after a spoiler penalty), while Giacomo Giusto was unlucky to fall victim to another first lap incident in the Final

Marco Parolin said: 

“I’d like to congratulate the whole team for their focus and resilience in the difficult conditions this weekend, with the track conditions changing from minute to minute, and it’s very satisfying to see all that work culminate in a win. Well done also to Beau Lowette, who put himself on everyone’s radar with his Super Heat P3, while Priam Bruno kept moving forwards for his best result so far in his first Junior season.” 

Costoya goes into the next European round at Viterbo in Italy at the beginning of June as Championship leader by 23 points, with WSK and Champions of the Future events during May to prepare.mpionship will take place this weekend at the same track of Portimao with Qualifying starting on Friday.