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.

The Parolin Motorsport team arrived in Portugal to compete in the second round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series, an essential event on the international calendar and excellent preparation for the upcoming FIA Karting European Championship round at the same track of Portimao. The team supplied the drivers with Parolin/TM equipment well up to the challenges of the event, as the recoveries from various setbacks showed. 

Costoya overcomes setbacks in OK to take 5th
Christian Costoya showed his usual indomitable spirit, starting 17th on the Final grid after a collision forced him out of the track limits in the Super Heat where he finished 22nd. In the Final he gained places lap after lap to join the frontrunners and come home 5th, preserving his chances in the Championship where he still has every chance in 3rd. 

Beau Lowette drove a magnificent race in the Super Heat to gain 17 places to 9th, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to get him into the Final, while Hugo Marti, Qarrar Firhand and Efim Derunov were unlucky not to be able to capitalise on their performance. 

Strong recovery for Blanco
Bruno Blanco gained the respect of many by gaining 17 places to 13th in the Final, continuing a trajectory where he gained places at each phase of the event after a Qualifying session that was difficult to manage for the Junior drivers. 

Priam Bruno came through to 14th in his Super Heat but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to reach the Final grid, a fate that was similar for Giacomo Giusto, Alessandro Truchot and Juan Garciarce. 

Marco Parolin summed up the weekend

“The Portimao weekend was very useful for gathering information and trying out different solutions for next week. We are satisfied with the work done, especially in Senior, where Costoya confirmed himself as one of the references in the category, despite being in his rookie year. His team-mates also showed good pace, but incidents prevented better results – especially for Lowette, who drove a superlative Super Heat. In Junior, our team of youngsters continues to improve – praise should go to Blanco, unlucky in Qualifying, but he made an exceptional comeback that gives us high hopes for the European Championship.”

The team will have no time to rest as the next round of the FIA Karting European Championship will take place this weekend at the same track of Portimao with Qualifying starting on Friday.

Parolin Motorsport made a flying start at the FIA Karting European Championship with a 3rd place for Christian Costoya in OK at the Spanish circuit of Campillos. 89 drivers were competing in OK and 82 in OK-Junior, meaning competition was fierce for the leading positions. 

Costoya comes through the pack
Costoya took 3rd in the Final at Campillos after a masterful recovery from a wet Qualifying session. He was unlucky to be in the only group hit by a sudden shower and found himself 18th overall in the timed session. However, on home soil he recovered well, winning a heat and finishing 4th in Super Heat A with the fastest lap. In the Final he started 10th and by the close of the race was among the frontrunners, taking 3rd after intense battles although the leader had escaped. Costoya is now 6th in the Championship with three more events to go. 

Hugo Martì and Beau Lowette were unlucky not to qualify for the Final despite strong gains in their Super Heat while Qarrar Firhand was unable to start his Super Heat due to technical reasons.

OK-Junior drivers on a steep learning curve
Giacomo Giusto made great strides this weekend at Campillos, qualifying 6th in his group and taking his first heat win, then going on to finish 25th in the Final. Priam Bruno, still recovering from a wrist injury, took three top six finishes in the heats then came home 22nd in the Final.

Alessandro Truchot qualified for the Final and gained places despite having a tough time and Bruno Blanco was as rapid as ever, setting the fastest lap in his Super Heat, but just missed out on the Final.

“Every driver in the team was tested to the limit at Campillos,” said team manager Marco Parolin, “The OK drivers had to contend with rain showers on Friday and the team also had to work hard to manage tyre wear when the temperatures rose, but this podium position is testament to the whole team’s relentless determination to get the job done. Our young drivers in OK-Junior also made their mark with heat wins and fastest laps and we look forward to the results to come as they follow in Christian’s footsteps.”

The team’s focus will now switch to Portugal and the second round of the European Championship at Portimao from 1st-4th May, preceded by the dress rehearsal of the Champions of the Future Euro Series second round the weekend before.

Christian Costoya of Parolin Motorsport won the first round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series in OK after a hard fought weekend. Drivers had to contend with the warmest temperatures of the year and a different tyre compound to those that they have raced on so far but they were well supported by the entire Parolin team.

Costoya shows his mettle
The Spanish driver set an outright lap record in Qualifying as the only driver to lap below a minute with 59.897s. As poleman he won all but one heat then took the Super Heat victory after leading from lights to flag. In the Final Christian retook the lead on lap 4 and judiciously balanced wear to the Maxxis tyres and speed to win by over two seconds. He is now leading in the series standings by 24 points.

Also in OK, Efim Derunov made great progress with a top six result in the heats.

Promising Junior drivers
Of the rookie OK-Junior drivers, Bruno Blanco on his first race outside of Italy took 8th in Qualifying and impressed with three 2nd places in the heats to start 3rd on the grid for Prefinal A. He finished 5th in the Prefinal, 10th in the Final and is now 8th overall in the points.

Also in Junior, Gioele Girardello qualified 5th and took 2nd in his final heat but after 6th in his Super Heat was unlucky not to finish the Final.

Giacomo Giusto had a lot to contend with in his heats but qualified for the Final and made up 15 places, while Alessandro Truchot was fast after an unlucky Qualifying and despite many places gained in the heats didn’t qualify for the Final. Priam Bruno was recovering from injury and the team is confident he will be on form next weekend.

Marco Parolin said:

“This weekend was very positive, we were starting on the new tyres and at the beginning we had to make some adaptations compared to the Vega in Junior and the LeCont in OK that we used in WSK. So far it has been a great start, in Junior we had two drivers in the top ten in Qualifying and considering their experience I’m happy that they were able to stay in the top ten until the very last part of the race so a positive balance for the Juniors. In OK I am very happy for Christian, who is constantly demonstrating that he is one of the top drivers of the series. He did a flawless job all weekend and won all the heats except one where he wasn’t on the new tyres. In the Final we knew that at the beginning our competitors were trying to put us under pressure but with a cooler mindset he made his way to the top. A super weekend by Christian. All the team did a super job from testing until today and hopefully we can continue along the same lines next week.”

The team will spend the week analysing the data from this weekend before the FIA Karting European Championship starts next weekend also at Campillos, with Qualifying on Friday.

Parolin Motorsport continued to enable frontrunners in both OK and Mini categories to fulfil their potential in the last round of the WSK Super Master Series at Viterbo, despite constantly changing weather conditions on Friday and Sunday.

At Leopard Circuit Viterbo, the venue for a European Championship round for OK and OK-Junior later in the year, drivers with Parolin Motorsport and satellite teams got to sample a newly rebuilt and highly technical circuit. 

Heartbreak for Costoya in OK
Christian Costoya was incredibly unlucky to miss out on the WSK Super Master Series win at Viterbo as changeable weather disrupted the event. The Spanish driver started on pole for the Final after three heat wins but dropped to the back of the field after a racing incident. A disappointing end to the series but it underlines the excellent performance of Costoya and his equipment, even if it did not result in the title.

Despite both gaining places in their Prefinals, Beau Lowette and Efim Derunov were unlucky not to qualify for the Final. 

In OK-Junior Alessandro Truchot improved on his Qualifying position in the heats to start 7th on the grid for his Prefinal but was less fortunate on Sunday afternoon. Bruno Blanco made up 12 places in the wet Final but Qarrar Firhand didn’t complete the first lap.

Hedfors gaining in power in Mini Gr3
Elton Hedfors was one of the standout drivers of the meeting in Mini Gr3. He qualified 11th in his group on a drying track then moved up nine places after the heats with a peak result of 3rd. In Prefinal A he drove intelligently to hit the front at half distance and win the race, then in the Final finished 7th in the wet. 

Another highlight was Nikita Dzalilov’s 3rd in his group in Qualifying while Mattis Brageot and Danila Verba gained places at each stage.

Modena Racing Kart and LA Motorsport drivers again held their own using Parolin chassis in OKN-Junior, led by Gioele Girardello and Albert Tamm, and Babyrace Driver Academy took podiums in both Mini classes.

“Of course we are disappointed not to take the OK title,” said Marco Parolin, “But we can be satisfied that Christian was extremely consistent across the whole series, and we are confident in the value of our development work on our new equipment for the main part of the season, starting at Campillos in under two weeks.”

The next race for Parolin Motorsport will be the first round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series at Campillos in Spain from 26th to 29th March, in preparation for the European Championship for OK and OK-Junior at the same venue.

Parolin Motorsport had a highly satisfying weekend at Franciacorta in the fourth round of the WSK Super Master Series where again over 400 drivers were competing. This weekend the weather was fine and podiums in three of the six classes were achieved, including two wins. 

Costoya on top of the podium in OK
Christian Costoya dominated the OK category at Franciacorta to catch the leader up in the points table with one round to go. The Spanish driver qualified 9th out of 76 drivers but came through to win three of his four heats and take pole for Prefinal A. He drove a measured race in the Prefinal, taking no risks until the last lap where he cleanly passed the leader. In the Final Christian had no rivals, leading throughout the race while the other drivers battled behind him, and he crossed the line almost 1.8 seconds ahead. 

Beau Lowette gained places in the heats and Prefinal but unfortunately fell slightly short of achieving a Final place while Efim Derunov lost all his chances in an accident at the start of the Prefinal.

Girardello takes maiden WSK win
In OKN-Junior, Gioele Girardello took his Parolin to the top of the podium for the first time with the Modena Kart Racing Team, after qualifying 12th, gaining places in the heats and winning Prefinal B. His team-mate Nojus Stasionis was a frontrunner all weekend and came home 6th. Zack Zhu of Parolin-equipped LA Motorsport won a heat and was faster than his 9th in the Final would suggest.

Big gains for Truchot and Travisanutto
Alessandro Truchot has quickly come up to speed in OK-Junior, finishing 12th in the Final in his second event after a strong qualifying phase while Bruno Blanco gained nine places in the Final and Giacomo Giusto 13 places! Qarrar Firhand was unfortunate in Qualifying but gained places throughout the weekend to finish just behind Giacomo.

Development work continues in KZ2 where Lorenzo Travisanutto gained 18 places to 17th, recovering from a DNF in a heat, in a class with 89 drivers preparing for the FIA Karting World Championship at the same venue.

As usual, Parolin was one of the top two chassis manufacturers overall at Franciacorta and was overwhelmingly the most popular in the two Mini categories where Stan Ratajski was on the podium after a highly successful weekend.

Marco Parolin delighted with his team’s performance 

“We are very happy with Costoya’s first victory in OK, after several podiums he has thoroughly deserved this trophy and now we will play all our cards at Viterbo next weekend. Overall it was a great weekend for the Parolin brand, the second most represented in a weekend that counted over 400 drivers in five categories. The team was competitive on all fronts: in Mini Hedfors made an excellent comeback and set the fastest lap, in OKJ Truchot came close to the top 10 in his second race in the category, and in KZ we are carrying on ‘running-in’ for the European campaign that will start in a couple of months. In OKNJ we celebrate the victory of Girardello, a youngster who comes from our training scheme and won a very difficult race together with his Modena Kart team.”

As the final round takes place this coming weekend, Parolin Motorsport have no time to rest on their laurels before heading south to the newly refurbished Viterbo circuit, near Rome.