For Parolin Racing Kart, the record of the first event of the 2017 European Championship which has just ended at Sarno is not entirely satisfactory. However, Camplese’s formidable place rise in the KZ Final confirms the potential of the Italian brand.
Lorenzo Camplese had to face several setbacks after his 12th in Timed Qualifying. He was delayed twice in the heats, first by a spoiler penalty, then by a retirement while he was 9th before finishing the last heat without a hitch. Without these troubles, he could have hoped to start the Final in the top 10, instead, he was starting from the 22nd position.
This difficult situation, however, allowed him the achievement of reaching 7th place after the 20 laps of the Final, an incredible progression of 15 positions among the top factory drivers. This gives Parolin Racing Kart a real hope for the next meeting in less than three weeks at the Genk circuit in Belgium.
The meeting was also not easy for Shihab Al Habsi in OK-Junior. He started by qualifying in the slowest session, the first after the KZ warm-up on Bridgestone tyres. Credited with a distant 57th time, Shihab was determined to move up in the heats. This is what he did despite the intensity of the brawl among the 70 Juniors in the competition. Gaining up to nine places per race, with an excellent time in his last race, Shihab was still short of qualifying for the Final.
“We are legitimately disappointed with our results for the first round of the European Championship at Sarno,” Albino Parolin commented. “We have the potential to do much better in the next event and we will be working to give ourselves more chances for the Genk meeting for KZ.”