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).