Following on from his excellent performances in the WSK Euro Series, Anatoly Khavalkin had a remarkable run at the front of the third round of the FIA Karting European Championship on the Sarno circuit. Overall, the entire Parolin Motorsport team performed very well in the Neapolitan heat despite the tough sporting clashes that took place at all levels. The Parolin / TM Racing teams are now among the best in both the OK and OK-Junior categories.
“After a sometimes confusing Qualifying Practice, all our drivers made significant progress during the competition,” said Marco Parolin. “We are particularly pleased that Khavalkin was able to follow through on the great potential he showed on the Sarno circuit in the WSK Euro Series. He deserved his 4th place in OK-Junior and even better after his demonstration in the heats by climbing from 13th to 1st position. I think this competition marks an important step in his career. Al Dhaheri also performed well, but his Final was more complicated. We now have two top drivers to defend the team’s chances in OK-Junior. We are delighted to have Brando Badoer back with us. This young man has great potential and we will do everything to support him in his quest for victory. We are building up our strength in OK with the rise of Spina alongside Wharton and the rest of the season looks very interesting.”
Khavalkin, the hero of Sarno
Russian youngster Anatoly Khavalkin has made rapid progress since moving up to Junior at the beginning of the year. Very fast, he has now integrated all the parameters to go for rewarding results. At the European round in Sarno, he had some exceptional runs in the top three with a fastest lap and two wins. He started at the front of the Final and battled with the best with great perseverance to finish 4th.
Rashid Al Dhaheri put in four good runs out of five to come back to 8th position with a gain of 11 places. He fought hard in the Final, but a contact caused him to drop back and he finished only 15th.
Spina finishes on a positive note
Italian Champion Alfio Spina was 24th in Qualifying and improved his position in the heats, moving up to 13th despite being dropped in the fight. He confirmed his international competitiveness with a superb gain of seven positions in the Final to conclude in a very rewarding 6th place. The Australian James Wharton gave his best in the Final by taking nine places to finish 12th. Brando Badoer started his return to Parolin with a very good time in 6th place out of the 62 OK entries. The young Italian suffered slightly in the heats but made up for it in the Final with an 11 place improvement to 13th.
With a very good potential in both categories, Parolin Motorsport is now heading to Spain to compete in the Champions of the Future series at the Zuera circuit next weekend as a prelude to the last round of the European OK and Junior Championship which will take place the following week.