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.

Parolin Motorsport had a difficult meeting at Lonato for the third round of the WSK Super Master Series, with cold temperatures throughout the weekend and a soggy track on Sunday for the Prefinals and Finals. Despite these conditions, each driver excelled in his category, in a field of over 400 competitors.

An intense Final for Costoya
Christian Costoya qualified in pole position and won two heats to take the lead in Prefinal B. Sunday’s Final was particularly tough, starting on a wet track before being affected by even more rain.

“There were a lot of clashes on the track, as evidenced by the large number of drivers penalised for an unhooked spoiler, and it wasn’t easy to ‘survive’ in these conditions,” said Marco Parolin. “Christian crossed the finish line in 8th position, but we’re satisfied with his performance, his pole position and the heats he won. He’s proving that he’s one of the best rookies in the category, and his 2nd place in the Championship confirms that. As for Beau Lowette, he improved his position after Qualifying thanks to some good heats, but unfortunately his meeting ended with a retirement in the Prefinal” concluded Marco.

Hedfors sets the pace on Saturday
In Mini Gr.3, Danila Verba and Elton Hedfors got off to a perfect start, setting the 3rd and 5th fastest times in their group in Qualifying. With a win and two 2nd places, Elton took the lead in the intermediate classification and started from pole position for Prefinal A. In the rain on Sunday morning, he dropped back to 13th place before finishing 10th in the Final. For his part, Danila lost ground due to a retirement in the heat, but still secured a place in the Final, as did Mattis Brageot.

The determination of Firhand and Priam
As usual, Qarrar Firhand and Bruno Priam showed great fighting spirit in the OK-Junior class. Qarrar finished 17th (up 4 places) while Bruno gained six positions to finish 23rd. The only Parolin Motorsport representative in KZ2, Matteo Viganò is continuing to learn the equipment and adapt to the team. 

“We’re taking part in these races to get to know each other better and then to start fine-tuning our work for the European Championship with Dunlop tyres,”explained Matteo Viganò.

“I am proud of all the Parolin Motorsport staff for the work they have done, the results they have achieved and the perseverance they have shown,” said Marco Parolin. “Christian Costoya has once again played a leading role and we are convinced that our other drivers will soon reveal their full potential. As always, the Parolin brand is highly prized by other teams, and we congratulate Stan Ratajski on his podium finish in Mini Gr.3. In fact, our chassis still accounted for more than 15% of the field!”

Next up for Parolin Motorsport is the fourth round of the WSK Super Master Series, which takes place at Franciacorta in less than two weeks’ time (March 5th-9th).

The WSK Super Master Series continued at Sarno, near Naples, for the second event of the season (6th-9th February). Parolin again took a podium finish in OK with Christian Costoya, while the OK-Junior drivers are also becoming consistent frontrunners. 

Costoya strengthens his title bid in OK
Christian Costoya continued his excellent form in OK at Sarno with two heat wins to take the lead of the intermediate classification. He won his Prefinal and finished 3rd in the Final for his second podium of the year. Costoya now moves up to 2nd in the Series standings. Beau Lowette was also strong in the Final, moving up 11 places to 14th.

Promising performances in OK-Junior
In OKJ Bruno Priam and Qarrar Firhand were revelatory, with Priam improving each time out and eventually gaining 20 places in the Final to finish at the foot of the podium in 4th. Firhand qualified 8th then was a consistent top five runner in the heats before finishing 3rd in his Prefinal after challenging for the lead. In the Final he came home 7th after fighting hard throughout.

Mixed fortunes in KZ2 debut
The KZ2 drivers made their season debut at Sarno, and new signing Matteo Viganò gained places throughout the heats and Prefinal, only to become involved in an accident at the start of the Final. Lorenzo Travisanutto hit setbacks earlier in the meeting but gained 10 places in the Final to take 14th. 

Parolin’s global presence rewarded
Elton Hedfors and Mattis Brageot held their own in the Mini Gr3 Final but Danila Verba had a run of bad luck this weekend. 

“Christian Costoya has continued to make his presence felt in OK with a Prefinal win and a podium finish at Sarno,” said Marco Parolin. “We’re also impressed with the form of Firhand and Priam in OK-Junior and we welcome Matteo Viganò to the team in KZ2 where we anticipate him and Lorenzo Travisanutto having better luck at the next event at Lonato.”

Parolin Motorsport would also like to congratulate the other teams and individuals successfully using Parolin equipment, especially in the Mini classes.

Parolin will be on track again when the WSK Super Master Series reaches its halfway point at Lonato in two weeks (19th-23rd February).

At the first round of the WSK Super Master Series at La Conca (23rd-26th January), Parolin Motorsport achieved a podium finish in OK with Spaniard Christian Costoya’s 2nd place, while younger drivers in OK-Junior and Mini made strong progress. 

Costoya qualified on pole position and went on to take 1st, 1st and 4th in his heats then 3rd in the Prefinal, giving him 3rd on the Final grid. 5th after the start of the Final, Christian moved up to 3rd at half-distance then attacked in the closing stages to finish 2nd. 

Also in OK, Beau Lowette was 18th in Qualifying then made more and more progress in his heats, breaking into the top six, while Italian Fabio Reale also fought bravely.

In OK-Junior, Qarrar Firhand qualified 20th then was a top ten contender in the heats, although there were some challenges. Despite this he qualified for the Final and made up seven places to 23rd. In his first Junior race Priam Bruno recovered from 43rd in Qualifying to 12th after the heats but had a harder time in the Prefinal and Final. Giacomo Giusto and Juan Garciarce gained great experience, also making up places in the heats.

In Mini Gr.3 Danila Verba was a solid top-ten contender in the heats before taking 6th in the Prefinal and 7th in the Final on his first race after moving out of the U10 class. Mattis Brageot and Nikita Dzalilov were also new to the class and showed talent and determination. 

“We saw very good indications for the upcoming season at La Conca after a lot of hard work from our dynamic team,” said Marco Parolin. “Costoya has made himself at home in the OK class, and the Junior and Mini drivers learned a lot. We’re confident that we have the equipment to enable everyone to reach their potential. Congratulations should also go to LA Motorsport for Amine Pantoli’s podium finish in Mini U10 and Modena ASD for Gioele Girardello’s 3rd place in OKN-Junior.”

Parolin Motorsport will be in action again in two weeks (5th-9th February) for the second round of the WSK Super Master Series at Sarno.

The second round of the WSK Final Cup brought the 2024 season to a close in Cremona. Christian Costoya put in a very good performance, coming very close to the Final podium in the OK category, which enabled him to finish his first OK Championship in 5th position. Beau Lowette made up a number of places, including a top-10 finish in Prefinal A, before moving up to 18th in the Final. 

Qarrar Firhand returned to the top 10 in OK-Junior Prefinal B after moving up seven places, and continued to make up ground in the Final, moving up 11 places before being penalised for his front fairing. Senn Lindeman finished in the MINI Gr.3 top 10 ahead of Elton Hedfors, who moved up 10 places in the Final. 

For the Modena Kart Racing team, Alessio Piccini scored two top six finishes in the KZ2 heats, returned to P8 in the Prefinal and climbed back up to 18th in the Final after an unfavourable start. Alessandro Truchot retired on the final lap of the OKN-Junior Final when he was in with a chance of a podium finish after taking pole position and a solid top three finish. Bruno Blanco (LA Motorsport) finished 3rd.

“The official Parolin Motorsport team and the satellite teams fought hard at Cremona to defend the colours of Parolin Racing Kart,” said Marco Parolin. “It was a pleasure to finish the season in the presence of so many young hopefuls looking to progress. It allows us to end the year on a positive note and to start thinking about the future. I’d also like to congratulate our friends at Babyrace Driver Academy on the hat-trick of wins by Albert Tamm, Julian Frasnelli and Stan Ratajski in the MINI Gr.3 Final and the Championship, as well as Lorenzo Di Pietrantonio’s MINI U10 title.”

Parolin Motorsport will return to competition at the end of January 2025 with the WSK Super Master Series at La Conca.