The tough results of the 2018 Winter Cup Finals did not reflect Parolin Racing Kart’s presence in the foreground during most of this famous competition. The Parolin chassis were certainly at the forefront of the performance multiple times, in OK-Junior with Gabriele Mini, in Mini Rok with Piotr Protasiewicz and also in KZ2 with the superb performance of Alessio Lorandi.

“On Saturday night, we had Parolin drivers among the favourites of three categories: Mini, Junior and KZ2”, congratulated Marco Parolin. “There were a number of incidents that prevented them from getting the results they hoped for on Sunday, but I think we put on a nice demonstration of our skill all weekend, regardless of track conditions. I am proud to see more and more Parolins on the track. Parolin was the third best represented brand of the field at Lonato, all categories combined. We dominated for a long time in Junior and Mini Rok before the hard circumstances of the race deprived Gabriele Mini and Piotr Protasiewicz of a fair reward. Alessio Lorandi’s rapid adaptation to his new Parolin chassis and his magnificent performances are very promising. We are very hopeful of shining and achieving great success at the next sporting event at Lonato in early March at the WSK Super Master Series.”

At the wheel of his Parolin / Iame, Gabriele Mini showed in OK-Junior that the equipment worked very well. After setting the fastest time he won two races and led the category before the Super Heats. He started from the front row at the start of the Final, but was forced to retire in the heat of the action. He nevertheless posted the best time of the whole race. Alessandro Cenedese managed to qualify despite a retirement in a heat, while the Australian James Wharton was close to the top 10 before giving up in the Final.

In the Mini Rok category, Parolin Racing Kart dominated the field with more than a third of the participants. Despite varying fortunes in the Final, six Parolins were in the top 14 of the Winter Cup. The Parolin Poland team driver Piotr Protasiewicz was the big favourite after his pole position in Qualifying and his three heat wins. Leader on Saturday night, fastest in Super Heat 1 and the record holder of the event, he started 2nd in the Final, but did not take the finish. Martinius Stenshorne started from a distance with his 33rd in Qualifying and was fighting in the leading group of the Final before finishing 6th. There was also solid progress for Brando Badoer, 17th and 7th in the Final, while Andrea Barberi of AV Racing team set the fastest time and reached 8th position.

Alessio Lorandi made an incredible KZ2 debut at the wheel of his new Parolin chassis. While discovering his equipment on Wednesday, he was already the fastest in his timed session on Friday and was 4 hundredth from pole position among the 94 participants. He then won three Qualifying Heats before being delayed by racing incidents. Despite these incidents, he did not hide the satisfaction at the convincing grip of his Parolin.

In the opening race of the WSK Super Master Series, Parolin Racing Kart has demonstrated the competitiveness of its equipment against strong competition. After the good performances recorded a week earlier at the same circuit of Adria, Parolin simply grabbed the top three places in 60 Mini and came close to victory in OK-Junior in very varied and often difficult conditions.

Marco Parolin was delighted by the turn of events at the beginning of the season. The new orientation of the brand towards the youth categories promises to be a promising success: “The drivers who shined this weekend in our colours are undeniably good drivers promised a bright future. We are proud that our chassis are contributing to their sporting ascent. We have worked actively to provide high-performance equipment that is accessible to all drivers and teams at the same time. We are very happy with this success in the two categories in which we have chosen to invest this year. It’s very rewarding for us.”

“We are in a very successful period in 60 Mini, but we will not let our guard down. The season is just beginning and we look forward to making the most of our current advantage to increase our potential and keep us at the top of the game. The development continues down to the smallest detail. It is the same in OK-Junior where we are already very fast with Gabriele Mini, who remains, do not forget, a rookie. He proved that he is already very competitive. Alessandro Cenedese, who was competing in his second Junior race, also had some good performances. The Parolin drivers, their entourage and the mechanics are delighted and there is an excellent atmosphere in our new awning. It is an important element so that everyone can give their best.”

Parolin accounted for nearly 30% of the 60 Mini entry at Adria. The Parolin chassis already achieved three of the four fastest times in Qualifying and confirmed by taking the top three places in the Final. Success was not long in coming for the young Norwegian Martinius Stenshorne, followed in 2nd place by the Pole Tymoteusz Kucharczyk, who posted the fastest lap in the race and was the record holder of the event. Brando Badoer, in a very elegant style, was once again on the podium to ensure Parolin’s triumph.

Gabriele Mini put on a great demonstration in OK-Junior. Delayed in his last Qualifying Heat, he made it a point of honour to win his Prefinal. He continued his momentum in the Final, attacking at the right moment to take the lead of the race a few laps from the finish. He missed his goal by a fraction, after being hit hard in the last corners. His 2nd place nonetheless marks an important step in his rapid progression in Junior and suggests other leading results will soon come.

The entire Parolin Racing Kart team is getting ready right now for the rest of the season, which has started in a very positive way. The next meeting of the Winter Cup in Lonato promises to be exciting for all those who have chosen to trust Parolin.

The Parolin team did not have to wait too long to demonstrate its ability to put its drivers in the best position to fight at the front. A pole position, wins in the heats and podiums have already punctuated the 2018 WSK Champions Cup at Adria. The Parolin strategy for young drivers is more engaged than ever …

Like last year, the Parolin brand has left its mark on the 60 Mini category, but it also caused a sensation in OK-Junior with the young driver Gabriele Mini. The Italian was very comfortable with the new evolution of the Parolin chassis. “It’s a very good sign for this season,” said the Parolin Racing Kart team. “Gabriele has just moved up from 60 Mini and he has already managed to take pole position, keep his advantage at the end of the Qualifying Heats with three wins out of four, then to win his Prefinal with the fastest lap in the race. It’s very positive.”

Mini does the max
Gabriele Mini unfortunately lost a few places at the height of the fight within the pack in the Final, before returning to 6th position … again with the fastest lap in the race! Promising.

For his first race in OK-Junior, his team-mate Alessandro Cenedese managed to qualify despite a retirement in a race, which deprived him of a better place on the grid and therefore a more flattering finishing position. Certainly, the Parolin-Parilla karts have nothing to envy in the fierce competition that raged at the Adria Karting Raceway.

Double podium for Parolin
No less than 22 Parolin chassis were entered in 60 Mini. To quantity was added quality, with six chassis in the top 12 of the Final, including two on the podium! A real vote of confidence for the Parolin Racing Kart team, not forgetting the honourable performances by the other teams who have chosen the Italian brand.

This group triumph started from Qualifying. Nine times out of 15 races, a driver equipped with a Parolin chassis crossed the finishing line in the lead. Two well-known names in motorsport scored top results in the Final. Nearly 20 years after the exploits of his father Martin in 125cc gearbox, Martinius Stenshorne won his Prefinal, before finishing 2nd in the Final after a constant battle for victory.

As for Brando Badoer, accompanied at the track by his famous father, Luca Badoer (former Formula 1 driver), he lost big points in one heat, but bravely made up for it by finishing on the Final podium.

In addition, ranked 6th was Bartlomiej Piekutowski (Parolin Poland), 7th Lukas Malek (AV Racing), 9th Tymoteusz Kucharzyk (AV Racing), 11th Akshay Bohra (Parolin Racing Kart), 16th Maksililian Popov (Parolin Racing Kart), and so on.

The new competition structure of the Parolin factory has clearly succeeded at its 2018 debut, and it’s only the beginning …

During the last two major events of the 2017 season, the Parolin Racing Kart chassis sparkled on the Adria circuit with two podium finishes. The WSK Final Cup saw a massive participation from Parolin in 60 Mini, while Gabriele Mini made his debut in OK-Junior.

Parolin Racing Kart has decided to increase its presence in the categories for young drivers in the future. This new objective has already materialised during the two successive weekends of the WSK Final Cup on 4th-5th and 11th-12th November 2017 at the Adria Karting Raceway.

The official Parolin Racing Kart driver in 60 Mini, the Italian Gabriel Mini, has already been successful many times, and immediately found his place in the international OK-Junior category in his third race at this level. The competitiveness of his Parolin chassis allowed him to take a pole position, to win three Qualifying Heats and to take the 2nd place in the Final, with the fastest lap in the race, during a sensational debut against a field representative of the best drivers in the world for the coming season.

No less than 12 Parolin chassis started in 60 Mini. During the first competition, the Norwegian Martinius Stenshorne won Prefinal A and the Pole Tymoteusz Antoni Kucharczyk Prefinal B. During the second weekend, Brandon Badoer, the son of the former F1 driver Luca Badoer, won Prefinal A, while Kucharczyk won again at the end of Prefinal B, before finishing 3rd in the Final as well as in the championship. Alessandro Cenedese was back in the top five in the race and the series. Parolin Racing Kart was the only team to place four drivers in the top 10 of the WSK Final Cup overall standings.

With these first-rate results, Parolin Racing Kart was confident in its choice to step up its presence in 60 Mini for next season, as well as in OK-Junior with a full development programme of the new 2018 chassis and increased ambitions.

This year Parolin Racing Kart has launched in the very competitive 60 Mini category. The debut of the Romano d’Ezzelino brand in the young drivers category was immediately successful. Gabriele Mini won the two major championships of the season at the wheel of his Mini Opportunity 60 chassis. Winner of the WSK Super Master Series at the beginning of the season, he confirmed his form by winning the ACI Karting Italian Championship.

“It gives us great satisfaction to have dominated the 60 Mini category with our factory team as soon as we arrived,” confided Marco Parolin. “To win in Italy, where the competition is the toughest, we could not hope for better! Gabriele Mini has shown incredible consistency at the forefront of every race he has competed in the most competitive category. We congratulate our driver and do not intend to finish there.”

In 10 race weekends at the highest level of 60 Mini, WSK and ACI combined, Gabriele and his Parolin chassis took seven pole positions, seven 1st places at the end of the heats, 11 podiums and four wins. Achieving so many good results on the ground confirms Parolin’s quality of production in the eyes of all. Beyond Italy, the Italian chassis have also shone in Scandinavia, Mexico and the United States. After winning the Rok Cup USA in Mini, Parolin also hopes for great performances in Las Vegas at the SuperNationals.

“This year was very positive for us in Mini,” Marco Parolin continued. “This gives us the opportunity to showcase our products in other categories and develop our overall strategy in competition. We will continue our collaboration with Gabriele Mini in OK-Junior next year and increase our involvement in Mini through the official team, as well as the satellite teams. This will allow us to assign different tasks to each of us, from the training of beginners, an essential element for the youngest, to the support of the most seasoned in the struggle for victory. We have definite ambitions in the short and medium term in South America, the Middle East and Asia.”

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.”

On the Sarno circuit, the final meeting of the WSK Super Master Series confirmed the excellent standard of performance of the Parolin Racing Kart chassis. Problems in the races left Lorenzo Camplese and Shihab Al Habsi without of good places in KZ2 and OK-Junior, but Gabriele Mini managed to regain the lead of the 60 Mini category to win a well deserved title.

Gabriele Mini has undoubtedly been the top performer of the entire 2017 WSK Super Master Series. With three pole positions out of four, leading the Qualifying Heats at each event, he has gradually moved up the rankings to win the title at the Sarno round. This weekend, at the foot of Vesuvius, Gabriele won his four races and his Prefinal before finishing 3rd in the Final in an epic battle where he made intelligent decisions to secure the title. Always very fast, he is holder of the record lap time of the event. This magnificent result allowed him to surpass all his opponents in the final standings of the series and to crown the crown with a good lead.

“We are very happy with Gabriele’s success. Albino Parolin declared. “He is a very good driver and we are proud to have provided him with the equipment to win while the competition was extremely tight. The whole team congratulates him. We also have the satisfaction of seeing our other two drivers line up with top performance. Racing incidents and mechanical problems did not allow them to shine until the end of the meeting, but everything is in place to start the European Championships in very good condition.”

The meeting had started badly for Shihab Al Habsi in OK-Junior, who only clocked 60th in the time trial. The young Omani driver was able to get back into the Qualifying Heats before making an extraordinary comeback of 18 places in his Prefinal to reach the top 10. While he had a great card to play starting 20th in the Final, a 40-place win since Qualifying, Shihab unfortunately had to retire early in the race. His good progress since the beginning of the season nevertheless shows a very interesting potential for the European Championship.

Lorenzo Camplese was very much in the frame at Sarno. Having already set the 7th fastest time in Qualifying, he returned to the top five during the heats, in particular posting the best lap of the first race, whereas the overall standard of competition was higher than ever. Confirming his speed in Prefinal, he expected to do even better during the 17 laps of the Final. Unfortunately, a mechanical problem forced him to retire early.

In less than two weeks Al Habsi in OK-Junior and Camplese in KZ2 return to the Sarno circuit for the first event of the CIK-FIA European Championships with the ambition to carry the colours of Parolin Racing Kart to the highest level.

As spring approaches, international kart racing is seeing a weather situation more in line with the standards of the discipline. The Parolin Racing Kart team was able to perform very well during the third round of the WSK Super Master Series. To the excellent performance of Camplese among the best in KZ2, was added the well deserved victory for Gabriele Mini in the youngest category.

“Until now, we have not had the opportunity to demonstrate the breadth of our knowledge this year,” Albino Parolin pointed out. “We were confident in the quality of our equipment and the strong potential of the team, but that had not yet been reflected in our results. At La Conca, we have taken an important step towards our objectives. The development continues and we have other strong cards to play in the near future.”

The circuit of La Conca is unique. In addition to the temperature of around 20°C in the region, the surface of the track can baffle competitors with the very strong grip it generates. The Parolin Racing Kart team was not at all destabilised by these unusual conditions, and the chassis of the Bassano brand was reacting perfectly to the different settings. Shihab Al Habsi’s OK-Junior progress was unfortunately affected by several clashes that tarnished the record of the weekend, despite the interesting performances that the young Omani has achieved when he didn’t suffer any setbacks.

Unnerved until then by the wet circuits of the 2017 WSK Super Master, Lorenzo Camplese found his smile in the grip of La Conca. Early season efforts were rewarded with flattering results, although a mechanical problem prevented him from completing the demonstration in the Final. With 3rd in KZ2 Qualifying, a best lap in the race, heat finishes between 2nd and 4th place and a top five in the Prefinal, Lorenzo was well on his way to a great Final because he had already taken five positions when his engine broke down. Thanks to the level of performance displayed throughout the weekend, satisfaction has prevailed nevertheless.

A contender in 60 Mini since the first races of the season, Gabriele Mini finally got the victory that he deserved. Once again on pole position and the undisputed leader of the qualifying heats, the young factory Parolin Racing Kart driver fought until the end of the final stages to reach the first step of the podium that he coveted so much, and shared the joys with the whole team. He moved back to 2nd place in the championship, very close to the leader.

More motivated than ever, the Parolin Racing Kart team is set to arrive at the Sarno track with solid assets for the finale of the 2017 WSK Super Master Series.

On the track at 7 Laghi di Castelletto, the second weekend of the WSK Super Master Series again thwarted the Parolin Racing Kart team’s objectives. However, there have been good performances already to the credit of the Italian team whose ambitions remain very high for the 2017 season.

“The results of this WSK Super Master round are not really in line with our ambitions, but the level of performance of our chassis is already very encouraging,” Albino Parolin commented. “We saw that Camplese could be very fast in KZ2, while Mini went well in 60 Mini. Al Habsi is making good progress in OK-Junior and he put in some good performances this weekend. We all look forward to getting out of these winter conditions to see more representative races. The team has not yet reached its cruising speed, and arrival of new drivers will allow us to develop our already competitive equipment.”

Not yet very comfortable in the rain with the new Bridgestone tyres, Lorenzo Camplese (KZ2) showed excellent speed as soon as the track dried. Even though the level of grip was never exceptional, he already gained 12 positions in the last qualifying heat on Saturday while achieving the fastest lap of the race. On Sunday, he assured his qualification in the Prefinal before exploiting the full potential of his Parolin / TM in the Final. Thanks to his performances that were very close to those of the leaders, he managed to regain no less than 14 places to finish 13th in the race, making him the driver to achieve the most number of passes in the Finals while maintaining an extremely fast pace throughout the race. He set his fastest time on the last lap, demonstrating the effectiveness of his equipment over the long term.

The young driver from Oman, Shihab Al Habsi, has courageously faced weather conditions that are a very long way from those of his country. Only 47th on a very slippery track, he progressed despite the intensity of the fighting in the qualifying heats and his Parolin / Parilla was in the top 10 several times. With combativeness, Shihab managed to qualify and ranked 28th in the Final despite a motor problem that prevented him from getting a better result.

In the very competitive category of 60 Mini, Gabriele Mini again sparkled at the wheel of his Parolin / TM. He took pole position in the timed practice among the 79 participants, then dominated the qualifying heats with three wins and two fastest laps. 3rd in his Prefinal, he climbed up two places in the Final to finish 4th. Gabriele is therefore close to the leaders in 4th position of the Championship.

Parolin Racing Kart is looking forward to the next round of the WSK Super Master Series at La Conca on March 18th and 19th, to better reveal its potential.

Lorenzo Camplese’s performance in the major KZ international events last year confirmed the quality of the Parolin Racing Kart chassis and prompted the Italian factory to reinforce the competitive presence of its Racing Team in 2017. The exceptionally difficult conditions of the first round of the WSK Super Master Series at Adria did not achieve the expected results, but the level of competitiveness of Parolin / TM suggests considerably better results at their next racing appearance.

To start the 2017 season, the Parolin Racing Team is relying on a more extensive programme consisting of four drivers. Lorenzo Camplese and Michelangelo Amendola defend the colours of the Venetian brand in KZ / KZ2, Gabriele Mini is the spearhead in the category 60 Mini, while the Omani driver Shihab Al Habsi is in OK-Junior. According to the categories available, the competition programme for Parolin Racing Kart includes the events of the WSK Super Master Series, then those of the CIK-FIA European Championship and the World Championship, a few races of the DKM and the Supernationals of Las Vegas at the end of the year.

The arrival of an additional driver in KZ / KZ2 will allow the intensification of the development work on the chassis of the queen category. The deplorable weather conditions of the first event of the WSK Super Master Series made it very difficult to find good results. Constantly wet throughout the weekend, the track often changed grip and complicated the objectives of the technicians and drivers. The frequent clashes and the numerous penalties for dropped spoilers clearly disrupted the course of the competition.

In spite of this unfavourable context, the team nevertheless managed to collect a lot of data needed to follow its plan of equipment development, and the balance of the meeting of Adria is far from negative. For his first race at the wheel of a Parolin with an IAME engine, the young Omani Shihab Al Habsi posted very promising performances. He returned to the top 10 of his second heat after setting the 20th time of qualifying practice. A penalty of 10” for an unhooked spoiler unfortunately cost him his place in the Final.

It was in 60 Mini that the very beginning of the season was the most convincing for Parolin Racing Kart. The Italian hopeful Gabriele Mini was able to use his new chassis straight away. At the WSK Champions Cup, he finished 2nd, on the podium with more than 100 participants, and for a long time held the first place in the WSK Super Master Series the following week. In the Final, four laps under the yellow flag and one incident after the restart prevented him from fighting as he knows how to do for victory, and he finished in 7th place.

All the resources of the Parolin Racing Kart team have been mobilised to approach the next race with the best chances of success, at the beginning of March on the 7 Laghi circuit at Castelletto di Branduzzo.