The new Sarno track is still very fast, but it was a big change from the old Neapolitan track and again provided the setting for some tough battles. The Parolin Motorsport team confirmed its rise to prominence in KZ2 with the sustained presence of Celenta in the front ranks and Wharton’s convincing debut in this elite category. Deligny finally registered his name among the best Juniors while Costoya and Orjuelas confirmed their roles at the front of Mini.

“In Sarno we were deprived of three major elements,” explained Marco Parolin. “Valerio Rinicella and Rashid Al Dhaheri tested positive for Covid-19 and could not leave home, while Kai Sorensen had to pull out, not yet recovered from his injured ribs after La Conca. We are also very proud of Enzo Deligny’s progress under our colours. He proved his worth with an excellent meeting that ended in the top five of OK-Junior. We have two reasons to be satisfied in KZ2 with Francesco Celenta’s top performances until his incident in the Final and James Wharton’s quick adaptation to the gearbox kart. Parolin Racing Kart was still the number one manufacturer for Mini chassis with five of them in the Final top eight. Christian Costoya still leads the championship and Matias Orjuela moved up to 4th place, while Simas Baciuska reached 15th position in the Final.”

Good work in KZ2

With a victory with the fastest lap in his last heat, 3rd in his Prefinal and fighting for the Final top three before a collision, Francesco Celenta is definitely one of the protagonists of the category. Parolin also enabled James Wharton to succeed in his first competition in KZ2, as the young Australian progressed steadily until he finished 11th with a gain of 10 places in the Final. Slavik Putiatin, who climbed six places to 11th in his Prefinal, had to retire on the second lap of the Final.

Deligny takes over in Junior

Enzo Deligny, who finished 5th among 80 participants, took another step forward this weekend. He was in 2nd position after the heats and won his Prefinal. He fought brilliantly until the end of the Final to add a first top five to his list of achievements. Guillaume Bouzar and Nando Weixelbaumer did not qualify for the Final.

Still fighting for victory in Mini

With three heat wins and a best time, Christian Costoya started strongly. The Spaniard won his Prefinal and fought for the lead in the Final. The epic battle of the last lap saw him drop to 8th place, but he retained the lead in the championship standings. Matias Orjuela gradually recovered from Qualifying with solid heats. 5th in his Prefinal, he made up another three places in the Finals to finish just outside the top five. Simas Baciuska achieved the feat of regaining 11 places in the Prefinal and finishing on a positive note in 15th position in the Final. Finally, Oliver Kinmark made a spectacular comeback to 3rd place in the heats, but was unable to make it into the Finals.

Difficult mission in OK

The Parolin Motorsport OK team was held back by distant positions in Qualifying and only Danny Carenini’s progress in the Prefinal allowed them to reach the Final. Jesse Alejandro Carrasquedo and newcomer Mario Schettino missed their target in the Prefinal.

The second round of the WSK Super Master Series took place in the south of Italy at La Conca, a circuit renowned for its high grip. Costoya and Orjuela had a great duel in the Final stages which ended in a double win for Parolin Motorsport. In contrast to OK, there was no shortage of performances in OK-Junior. Al Dhaheri played a leading role, but could not defend his chances until the end, while Deligny reached the Final top 10 before being penalised.

“The track of La Conca is very special with a surface that gives a lot of grip,” explained Marco Parolin. “These conditions are very different from usual and not all the drivers are able to give their maximum in this configuration. The double win for Christian Costoya and Matias Orjuela in Mini is even more valuable for us as it shows how well our chassis can perform on all terrains, and the presence of four Parolins in the Final top five confirms our competitiveness. This is the third consecutive success of one of our chassis in Mini, while Parolin was the second most represented brand this weekend, all categories included. Very effective in OK-Junior, Rashid Al Dhaheri unfortunately retired in the Prefinal while Kai Sorensen, also very fast, was involved in an incident. Enzo Deligny was well up to 9th place in the Final before receiving a penalty.“

Success in Mini

Christian Costoya’s fighting spirit paid off, as he gained 18 places during the heats before setting the fastest time in the Prefinal and then finishing with a victory in the Final. Matias Orjuela confirmed his strong potential and consistency by finishing 6th in Qualifying and then taking the lead in the heats with three wins. In the Final stages he was twice beaten by Costoya, who was formidable in the final metres. Both drivers made a jump in the overall WSK Super Master ranking with Costoya taking the lead and Orjuela coming back to 5th position. The other two Mini drivers in the team also qualified for the Final, with Oliver Kinmark moving up 10 places to finish 19th and Simas Bacisuka moving up six places to 27th.

Deligny in the Junior top 10 on the line

Rashid Al Dhaheri didn’t take long to adapt to the grip of La Conca. 16th against the clock, he took three top fours in the heats and regained nine positions, in 7th on Saturday evening. He was 5th in his Prefinal before having to retire on the last lap.

Enzo Deligny was the only one who could compete in the Final. Consistently, he came back to 9th in his Prefinal and made up another eight places in the Final by crossing the finish line in 9th position. A penalty caused him to drop back. Although he started well, Kai Sorensen had to deal with several problems in the heats and was forced to retire on the first lap of his Prefinal. Guillaume Bouzar was 39th in Timed Practice and was unable to qualify for the Final.

Difficult meeting in OK

The Parolin Motorsport drivers had a Qualifying session that was too far off to make an easy return to the top of the ranking. Valerio Rinicella however reached the top three in his last heat. He set good times in the top ten, before ending the meeting in 21st position. Jesse Alejandro Carrasquedo managed to make up 12 places in the heats and made up some ground by finishing 25th in the Final. James Wharton also made up some ground as he came close to the top ten in his Prefinal, but his Final race was finished after just three laps.

Parolin Motorsport is now preparing for the third round of the WSK Super Master Series which will take place in a fortnight near Naples, and will also be attended by the KZ2 karts.

A week after the WSK Champions Cup, the Parolin Motorsport team completed an even more satisfactory event during the opening round of the WSK Super Master Series on the circuit of Adria. With an even larger, and even tougher field, the official Parolin drivers scored very consistent results. Al Dhaheri took a second victory in OK-Junior, Celenta mounted the KZ2 podium, and several Mini drivers had the opportunity to shine.

“There are many reasons to be satisfied at the end of this second weekend of competition in Adria,” declared Marco Parolin. “We have increased the general standard of our performances in every category, even though some of our drivers started their season this weekend. The technical potential is there and our work between the two meetings has already allowed us to take better results. Rashid Al Dhaheri put in a superb winning performance in the Junior class and Francesco Celenta was very consistent at the front of the KZ2 class against the top specialists. In the Mini, five Parolin chassis were in the Final top 10, with 1st and 2nd places. Christian Costoya showed excellent competitiveness that would have deserved to be rewarded with an even better result in the Final. We are determined to continue in this positive way in a fortnight’s time at the next WSK Super Master meeting in La Conca.“

KZ2 podium for Celenta

The performances of the Parolin / TM Racing karts were very convincing in view of the European KZ Championship that will start in Adria in May. Francesco Celenta took a victory in a heat and set two fastest lap times, and he was again the fastest in the Prefinal before moving up to 3rd place in a very competitive Final. The youngster Slavik Putiatin confirmed the speed of the drivers by maintaining a good rhythm and regaining 15 places in the Final.

Progress in OK

The results showed a progression with a very positive comeback for Valerio Rinicella up to 13th position in the Final, whereas Danny Carenini took 24th place and Jesse Alejandro Carrasquedo qualified in 26th position. James Wharton wasn’t spared from issues and was forced to retire in the Prefinal. For his first race in OK Arnur Shabdar was not far from qualification.

Al Dhaheri: full house in the Junior class

Already a winner the week before, Rashid Al Dhaheri was even more dominant this weekend. Victorious four times in the heats, he won his Prefinal and the Final by a large margin, being each time the fastest on the track. The 32nd Qualifying time for Enzo Deligny didn’t prevent him from finishing very close to the top 10 in the Final, with a progression of nearly 20 places during the meeting. After some difficult heats, Kai Sorensen was able to raise the bar up to 25th position in the Final with a gain of 15 places. Maksim Orlov, who made a strong comeback of 22 places in the heats, didn’t have the opportunity to make any progress in the Final stages, nor did Guillaume Bouzar who had nevertheless regained 21 positions. A driver moving up from 60 Mini, Nando Weixelbaumer was discovering the high level in the Junior category this weekend.

Performances at all levels in the Mini

Christian Costoya once again made his mark with four victories and two fastest laps in the heats. A complicated Final didn’t allow him to do any better than 8th among the 116 participants. Matias Orjuela was also twice the fastest in the heats with a fine consistency in the top four. It was a pity that he wasn’t able to take advantage of his 8th place in the Final until the end of the race. Oliver Kinnmark wasn’t rewarded for his efforts from 18th position on the starting grid of the Final. Simas Bacisuka fought with energy in the Prefinal for the pleasure of competing in the Final.

The Parolin Motorsport team played a major role in the WSK Champions Cup in Adria and intends to remain a strong team throughout the year. Competitive in all categories, the Italian team won the OK-Junior Final with the promising Emirati Rashid Al Dhaheri, while the return of an official Parolin-TM Racing team in KZ2 resulted in a remarkable performance by Francesco Celenta. In the icing on the cake, the Parolin chassis won in 60 Mini thanks to the Dutchman Rene Lammers from the Baby Race Academy team.

From the first race of the season, the Parolin Motorsport team confirmed its great international ambitions in 2021. Solidly supervised by high quality technical staff and equipped with perfectly developed machinery after hard development work over these last weeks, the drivers were able to give their best on the Adria International Raceway.

OK-Junior: Impressive Al Dhaheri

Rashid Al Dhaheri, a benchmark driver in Mini at the wheel of his Parolin-TM, has confirmed his promising debut in OK-Junior during the second part of the 2020 season. The young Emirati took the lead in the WSK Champions Cup after a sensational run in the heats (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 1st and 2nd). The rest of the competition confirmed his grip on the pack, with relentless domination both in the Prefinal and in the Final. 5th after the heats, 2nd in his Prefinal and 5th in the Final, the Russian Maksim Orlov was also brilliant in Adria, while the Frenchman Enzo Deligny (11th) completed the remarkable overall performance of the Parolin Motorsport team after a comeback of eight places! Luxembourg driver Guillaume Bouzar came back from 32nd to 23rd position. 3rd in his group in Free Practice, the American Kai Sorensen unfortunately didn’t succeed in Timed Practice.

OK: Wharton at the front

James Wharton and his team were not rewarded for their efforts in Adria, even though the competition had got off to a very encouraging start. The Australian placed 9th in the Qualifying Heats after a clear round (3rd, 7th and 4th). Wharton was even in 4th position at the beginning of the Prefinal, but the expected result flew away in the Final after a retirement in the opening laps. Still a Junior in 2020, the Italian Valerio Rinicella made a big impression by managing to get into the top five in one of the heats. Mexican Jesse Alejandro Carrasquedo has learned a lot for his debut in this difficult category. Finally, the Italian Danny Carenini and the Czech Jiri Becicka (Parolin Racing CZ team) had the honour of qualifying for the Final of this race which was at a particularly high level.

KZ2: Celenta very competitive

For his comeback in the Parolin Motorsport colours, Francesco Celenta was one of the most prominent drivers of the meeting, with two victories in the Qualifying Heats and a magnificent success in the Prefinal. He remained a contender for the podium in the Final for a long time, before crossing the finish line in 4th position after some fine duels that allowed the Italian and his team to look forward to an excellent 2021 season. The Parolin chassis designed for the gearbox categories also showed strong potential with Slavik Putiatin. The Ukrainian driver increased his power during the meeting. He came back to 18th in the Final, before dropping back seven places after a spoiler penalty.

60 Mini: What a comeback for Costoya!

The Parolin brand remains the reference for the youngest drivers. The Italian chassis was still the best represented of this magnificent line-up of 116 participants, in addition to taking three places in the top five in the Final. In addition to the victory for Rene Lammers (Baby Race Academy) and 5th position of Jan Przyrowsky (AV Racing), Christian Costoya Sanabria achieved a major comeback. Relegated to 113th position in Timed Qualifying due to a problem, he then gained 99 places during the weekend and took 4th place under the chequered flag with panache. Although the Swede Oliver Kinnmark wasn’t rewarded after several excellent performances in the heats, the American Matias Orjuela completed a fine competition in Adria, finishing in 13th position in the Final, up from 20th. As for the Lithuanian Simas Baciuska and the Italian Angelo Blanco, they are certain to improve their positions in the upcoming races.

In the first change of 2021, the official racing team of the Parolin Racing Kart factory has changed its name to become Parolin Motorsport Srl, a racing team in its own right. After its numerous successes in Mini, OK-Junior and OK, Parolin will make its big comeback in KZ with strong ambitions. In total, this season the Parolin Motorsport team will include 18 drivers from 13 nations in the four international categories, while technical collaboration continues with the TM Racing factory.

“Parolin Motorsport Srl embodies our desire to play a leading role in all the international categories by highlighting the quality of our chassis,” explains Marco Parolin. “We launched our factory team in 2016 in the KZ category and then redirected towards the younger categories. In this way, we have contributed to training many promising drivers, starting with Mini, then OK-Junior and finally the OK. Now it is time to complete our sporting commitment in KZ. The search for the best performance is essential for a chassis manufacturer like us and an intensive racing programme leads us to constantly improve our products. It is also an absolutely irreplaceable tool for promoting our brand, on which our distributors all over the world rely.”

Mini: the racing school
An extremely competitive category for youngsters from 8 to 12 years of age, Mini has allowed Parolin to obtain many successes in the last few years while becoming a strongly represented brand. In 2021, Parolin Motorsport will rely on the recognised know-how of the Spaniard Christian Costoya, the American Matias Orjuela, recent winner of the Florida Winter Series, as well as the promising Swede Oliver Kinnmark. Rookies Angelo Blanco (ITA) and Simas Baciuska (LTU) will make their Mini debut.

Junior, the antechamber of champions
Several drivers who have trained with Parolin in Mini continue their course in OK-Junior. The UAE driver Rashid Al Dhaheri has already achieved a great 2020 season in Juniors, with a notable 2nd place in the Champions of the Future series in Portimao, continuing his success in Mini in the WSK Super Master Series and WSK Euro Series from the previous year. The Russian Maksim Orlov will race in his second season in the Junior category with Parolin. The American Kai Sorensen, winner of the Florida Winter Series 2021 in X30 Junior, and the Luxembourg driver Guillaume Bouzar remain loyal to Parolin, while the Frenchman Enzo Deligny will join Parolin Motorsport for his first full season at this level.

OK, the top category
An All Road Management driver recruited by the Ferrari Driver Academy, Australian James Wharton continues to rely on Parolin on his way to the top. For his third year with Parolin, Italian Valerio Rinicella will continue in OK after his good progress in OK-Junior last year as top rookie in the European Championship and 4th overall. An experienced and talented competitor, the Italian Danny Carenini will join Parolin Motorsport in OK, having won the Italian Championship in X30 in 2020. The Mexican Jesse Carrasquedo, a member of the Sergio Perez Academy, will be competing in his fifth season with Parolin and making his debut in OK alongside rookie Arnur Shabdar from Kazakhstan.

A strong return to KZ
Italian Lorenzo Travisanutto, who joined the Parolin team last season, will race a gearbox kart for the first time after having won many prestigious titles in OK. A driver recognised both in Italy and internationally, the Italian Francesco Celenta will return to the Parolin chassis that had already enabled him to shine in 2014 and 2015. This time, he will be part of the official team and he is not hiding his ambitions for victory. Finally, the Ukrainian Slavik Putiatin is looking to realise his potential for success after his numerous achievements in KZ2.

The WSK Promotion events are part of Parolin Motorsport’s 2021 programme, as are the preparatory races of the Champions of the Future series, before taking on the challenges of the FIA Karting European and World Championships.

2021 Official drivers

MINI 60
Angelo Blanco (ITA)
Simas Baciuska (LTU)
Christian Costoya (ESP)
Oliver Kinnmark (SWE)
Matias Orjuela (USA)

OK-Junior
Rashid Al Dhaheri (UAE)
Guillaume Bouzar (LUX)
Enzo Deligny (FRA)
Maxim Orlov (Russia)
Kai Sorensen (USA)

OK
Danny Carenini (ITA)
Jesse Carrasquedo (MEX)
Valerio Rinicella (ITA)
Arnur Shabdar (KAZ)
James Wharton (AUS)

KZ
Francesco Celenta (ITA)
Slavik Putiatin (UKR)
Lorenzo Travisanutto (ITA)

For its return to the gearbox categories, Parolin Racing Kart has chosen to put it’s faith in the talent and experience of Francesco Celenta. The Italian driver has many top results in KZ and KZ2 on his record, notably acquired with Parolin a few years ago.

Marco Parolin said: “We are delighted to officially return to the KZ category. In recent years we have worked hard to establish our reputation in other categories, from Mini to OK. Our aim now is to complement our expertise with a strong KZ programme, again in partnership with TM Racing. We have worked with Francesco in the past and I am convinced that his motivation and experience are important ingredients for this new project.”

For his part, Francesco Celenta could not hide his enthusiasm about taking part in a new and exciting challenge: “I am extremely happy to be back on the track in the colours of Parolin and TM Racing. I am very attracted to this new project which represents a great opportunity for my career. I can’t wait to get on the track with my new team.”

The last international competition of the season, the WSK Open Cup took place as a double meeting from 24th to 29th November on the Adria Karting Raceway. Very solid at the front of the Mini category, Maciej Gladysz won the series classification with a good lead over his opponents. Kai Sorensen did a great job in OK-Junior, and Rashid Al Dhaheri showed good performances.

“These end-of-season competitions allow us to take some good reference points for the year to come for both the equipment and the drivers,” explained Marco Parolin. “We worked well with Lorenzo Travisanutto in OK before taking a two-month break from racing, which will be put to good use at the factory. On a personal level, the first race for the young Kai Sorensen in OK-Junior was extremely positive. Maciej Gladysz finished the year on a high note by winning the Championship in the Mini category. The outcome of this WSK Open Cup is therefore completely satisfactory for us!”

Gladysz closes the season with a title in Mini

Already 3rd in the WSK Super Master series, and recently ranked 3rd in the Andrea Margutti Trophy, the young Polish driver Maciej Gladysz obtained his first big international success in Adria by winning the WSK Open Cup. He first won his Prefinal and the Final of the first round after setting the fastest lap in the race, then he took pole position in the second round before finishing 2nd in the Prefinal and securing a top five Final that guaranteed him the victory in the Championship, in front of 60 international participants.

Colombian Matias Orjuela showed serious potential when he returned to Europe at the end of the season. 7th in the Andrea Margutti Trophy, he took 13th place in the Final of round 1 in Adria and finished 16th in the Championship. The Frenchman Hugo Martiniello discovered the category in Adria and managed to qualify for the Final of Round 2.

Promising start in Junior for Sorensen

After a promising season in Mini, culminating in 5th position in the WSK Euro Series with the Parolin Racing Team, American Kai Sorensen discovered OK-Junior in the WSK Open Cup. Very fast, he drove some good Prefinals and even took a top five in the Final of Round 1, which brought him close to the top 10 in the classification of the series.

Badly rewarded performances for Al Dhaheri

As usual, Rashid Al Dhaheri was competitive in OK-Junior throughout the week. He showed all his talent in the top five of the two Prefinals. Unfortunately, a penalty for overtaking under a yellow flag and a dropped spoiler didn’t allow him to get the results he was expecting in the Finals and he finished 14th in the series, although the top 10 has been well within his reach.

Valerio Rinicella was one of Parolin’s assets in Adria. He registered a progression of 10 places to 15th place in the first Final, but a clumsy move in Round 2 didn’t allow him to continue until the end. Running in the top 10 of Round 1, Giovanni Trentin performed less well in Round 2. Finally, Jesse Carrasquedo could be satisfied with his two Final qualifications which led him to the edge of the first half of the field.

At the beginning of November the FIA Karting OK and Junior World Championship concluded a 2020 season disrupted by serious health problems on a global scale. Everyone worked hard to try to make up for the time lost away from the circuits. Well prepared, the Parolin Racing Team approached the major world meeting with serenity, but the Portuguese weather conditions upset its plans. Tranvisanutto held his place among the best in OK, whereas Wharton ensured a nice comeback in the Final. Al Dhaheri made magnificent progress by finishing on the track in 8th position in the OK-Junior category.

“We are not fully satisfied with the outcome of this World Championship,” said Marco Parolin. “After the great performances of the previous weekend in the Champions of the Future series, we were ready to confirm our strong potential in both categories, but we had to face totally different weather conditions that forced us to fight harder than expected. In the end we managed to place two drivers in the top 10 after the chequered flag in OKJ and OK, but I can’t deny that we were hoping for a better result in this competition. After bittersweet races like this one, the only thing we want is to get back on the track as soon as possible to work on the next event.”

Travisanutto at the forefront in OK

Ranked 7th in Qualifying, Lorenzo Travisanutto completed three good races on Saturday, including one victory, and he was able to secure 3rd place at the start of the Final. The wet track wasn’t really favourable for him, but he nevertheless ensured a solid performance in the leading group by finishing in 6th position. James Wharton wasn’t able to defend his chances as he would have liked during the Qualifying Practice and he had to settle down afterwards with a place in the middle of the pack. He didn’t have many chances in the heats, but he managed two good races, including a convincing 6th place in the last one, in the rain. He was in last place on the second lap of the Final and he started a superb comeback on slippery ground and regained 16 places in 15 laps to finish 17th. Portuguese driver Miguel Silva didn’t have an easy task after his 53rd Qualifying time and he couldn’t join the 36 finalists at the end of the heats.

Al Dhaheri confirms his ascent in OK-Junior

In continuity with the previous weekend, Rashid Al Dhaheri has achieved good results during this World Championship. Only 44th in the Timed Practice sessions, the Emirati driver completed five strong Qualifying Heats, even setting a fastest lap, and he made a spectacular gain of 26 places to qualify 18th. He built his Final on the same pattern. He made a very good start in the rain and was in 10th position from the first lap. He attacked again as soon as the slow procedure was over and kept fighting for 8th position. Unfortunately, a mispositioned spoiler dropped him back to 13th after the finish.

Maxwell Dodds showed his usual determination to regain no less than 21 places during the heats and narrowly qualified in 33rd position. The British driver came back even stronger in the Final race, reaching 11th place with four laps to go, a gain of 22 places in 11 laps of the race. He then dropped back down before being heavily sanctioned. The other drivers of the team had different fortunes in the heats and didn’t manage to join the list of finalists. Valerio Rinicella had nevertheless set the second fastest time in his third race, taking 11 places. Giovanni Trentin was consistent, but was penalised in the rain. Guillaume Bouzar still regained 16 places, Maksim Orlov 15 and Jesse Carrasquedo 10.

A week before the World Championship, the second event in the Champions of the Future series was set to be a dress rehearsal on the Kartodromo do Algarve in Portimao. The Parolin Racing Kart team confirmed a high level of performance in both categories with Travisanutto’s return to the forefront in OK and a well-deserved podium for Al Dhaheri in OK-Junior. The best drivers in the world were among the 164 entered and the confrontation between the contenders was fierce.

“It has been an excellent opportunity from RGMMC to be able to take part in a preparation race just before the World Championship“, said Marco Parolin. “We can be very satisfied with the performance of our equipment. The work has paid off. In OK, Travisanutto found his feet and Wharton was very competitive. They were both in a position to fight for victory. Al Dhaheri made superb progress in Junior with a very nice 2nd place in the Final as a well deserved reward. Rinicella also had a strong card to play, whereas Dodds’ problem in Qualifying prevented him from shining. That said, we are aware that there are still some things that need to be improved and we will work hard on them before the start of the world meeting.”

Everybody was happy to see Lorenzo Travisanutto back to his best for the first time this year. His collaboration with Parolin was very effective during the whole competition. After setting the 6th fastest time, he came back to 2nd position after the heats. It is a pity that he was penalised for his start in the Prefinal. 4th on the finish line, he was ranked 23rd. His comeback of 15 places in the Final proved that he was able to aim for victory. James Wharton did a great job during the heats by taking 4th place out of the 75 participants. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire twice in the Final stages. Miguel Silva started too far back to qualify, but his last two heats revealed interesting potential.

Rashid Al Dhaheri took an important step in OK-Junior. By lining up a fastest time and four results in the top five of the heats, including two 2nd places, he was able to fight at the front of the Final stages and his combativeness allowed him to finish on the second step of the podium. Valerio Rinicella also had a very good start during the weekend, but the Final stages didn’t go as well for him. Deprived of Qualifying Practice, Maxwell Dodds was able to make some good comebacks in the heats, but the challenge was too big for him to qualify. Guillaume Bouzar and Jesse Alejandro Carrasquedo gave their all to come back from their distant lap times in solid heats and regained 12 and 13 positions respectively, but this wasn’t enough.

The Parolin Racing Kart chassis once again showed excellent competitiveness at the double closing meeting of the WSK Euro Series in Lonato in three of the four categories, despite numerous race incidents. A final victory in Mini and three drivers in the top five of the championship, a 4th place in the Final and a 7th place in the Junior championship for Dodds as well as two top 10 and a 7th place in the OK championship for Wharton attest to Parolin’s level of performance.

“We have as many reasons for satisfaction as regrets after this Lonato marathon,” explained Marco Parolin. “When the equipment is as good as ours, we certainly become demanding when it comes to results. Sorensen allowed us to dream in Mini, but he had to settle for a podium and 5th place in the championship. Gladysz delighted us with some great climbs and a top five in the Final. Dodds and Rinicella had strong cards to play in Junior, but with three retirements out of four starts in the Final, it becomes more complicated to succeed! Wharton had arguably his best performance of the year with a consistent presence at the forefront of the OK category, which resulted in two 9th-place finishes in the Finals. That said, it’s hard to complain when our chassis are so competitive in three categories at once! I would like to congratulate our drivers and our technical staff for their total commitment during this long week of intense competition.”

In OK and OK-Junior, there was no question of resting between the last round of the European Championship at Wackersdorf and the start of the WSK Euro Series at Lonato. Like others, the Parolin Racing Team did well to be in place in time at the South Garda Karting circuit.

Sorensen on the Mini podium

American driver Kai Sorensen caused quite a stir in the younger age group by leading the heats in Round 2, winning Prefinal A and fighting his way to the front of the Final before finishing 3rd. He also came back to 2nd place in Prefinal A of Round 3, but dropped to the back of the field in a collision on the last lap of the Final when he was 5th. He still finished 5th in the championship.

Polish driver Maciej Gladysz showed good fighting spirit in the face of adversity. He still moved up six places in the Final of Round 2 and was in the top five. Delayed by an incident at the start of Prefinal A of Round 3, he fought hard to qualify and gained 16 places in the Final to finish 14th. The Italian Samuele Cecchetto made his debut with the Parolin team in this very tough competition.

P4 in the Junior Final for Dodds

In Round 2, Britain’s Maxwell Dodds made a strong impression by moving up from 48th place in Prefinal B to 3rd and continuing to 4th in the Final with an unusual overall gain of 44 spots. The situation was more favourable in Round 3 and this time he reached 2nd place in the Prefinal. He moved up to 2nd place in the Final, but had to retire prematurely due to a technical problem. Maxwell was still 7th in the WSK Series.

The Italian Valerio Rinicella had a very good run in the top 10 in both rounds, but the Finals ended with a retirement each time. The Emirati driver Rashid Al Dhaheri was in a very good rhythm at Lonato. In Round 2, he progressed from 23rd place in the heats to 8th place in the Final, but a penalty in Prefinal A of Round 3 prevented him from repeating his feat in Round 3. Finally, Frenchman Guillaume Bouzar took advantage of the end of the season to move from Mini to OK-Junior.

Wharton consistent in the top 10 of OK

Mastering the OK category better and better as the races went on, Australian James Wharton put in a great performance at Lonato. Fast against the clock, consistent in the heats with notably two victories to his credit, James did not weaken in the final phases. We even saw him take 2nd place at the beginning of the Final on the third lap. His two 9th place finishes allowed him to finish the championship in a rewarding 7th position.

For his part, the Italian Lorenzo Travisanutto continued to give the team the benefit of his experience beyond any expectation of results in WSK. It is a pity that an incident at the beginning of the Final put an end to his claims on the first lap.

In the coming weeks Parolin Racing Kart will concentrate all its efforts on preparation for the OK and OK-Junior World Championship in Portugal at the end of October.