Weekends come and go and they don't always resemble each other in terms of results, but performance remains a constant for the Parolin Motorsport team. Miguel Costa's 9th place in the OK class, William Calleja's excellent 6th place and Christian Costoya's incredible comeback in the Junior class were the highlights of the third round of the FIA Karting European Championship at the Slovak Karting Center.
The winding Slovakia Ring once again put the competitors through their paces. The Qualifying Heats on Friday began in fairly hot conditions, before the meeting switched to intense rain on Saturday morning for the continuation of the Qualifying Heats, before returning to sunshine and a dry track in the afternoon. On Sunday, the Super Heats and Finals took place in excellent conditions.
As might have been expected after the Champions of the Future Euro Series, the Slovakian competition was accompanied by a large number of minor incidents and penalties. Making it all the way to the Final was a dream not always within reach. Nevertheless, several Parolin Motorsport drivers put in brilliant performances throughout a complicated weekend.
In OK, Zac Drummond's raw result was tarnished by his retirement at the very start of the Final. Delayed by two retirements in the heats, Vivek Kanthan finished with a fine Final climb of nine places to 22nd. Miguel Costa proved to be the most convincing, finishing in the top three of his Super Heat and finishing in the Final top 10 in 9th place, which enabled him to move up four places in the Championship. Jenson Graham made up 16 positions in the heats, while Alp Aksoy finished in the top 10 twice.
William Calleja confirmed his rise to prominence in OK-Junior by putting in a solid performance in the heats, gaining 10 places. He was able to keep up the momentum right through to the Final, where he climbed to 6th place and gained a further eight places. His efforts were rewarded by a leap of 23 places in the Championship. After a difficult Qualifying session, Christian Costoya embarked on a wild comeback. Making up between eight and 15 places per heat, he was 41 places up on Saturday evening. The young Spaniard persisted on Sunday, making up eight places in his Super Heat and a further 11 in the Final, where he finished in the top 15. His incredible perseverance meant that he remained well placed in 4th place in the Championship thanks to a total gain of 57 places over the weekend. Efim Derunov negotiated his heats skilfully and finished in the top 10 in his Super Heat. He crossed the finish line in 22nd position after some great battles. Finally, Qarrar Firhand could be proud of his 33-place climb in the heats and his 10-place gain in 8th place in his Super Heat. Unfortunately, he didn't complete a lap in the Final.
"We had prepared for a demanding competition and we can be satisfied with the team's level of performance," explained Marco Parolin. "We've made good progress in both categories. Most of our drivers were able to express their abilities at one time or another despite the ups and downs of the race, which are an important element of success in Slovakia. Calleja's rapid progress in OK-Junior was a very positive factor, as was Costoya's incredible determination, which enabled him to save a meeting that had got off to a bad start. Costa's return to the Final top 10 in OK is also a source of satisfaction. There are other important challenges ahead with the start of the European KZ Championship in Spain".
Parolin also recorded some good results in the Italian Championship this weekend. Maksim Orlov shone in KZ2 with the Modena Racing Team, taking victory in Race 2 at Val Vibrata, a circuit on the European Championship programme. Marco Tormen and Alessio Piccini also finished in the top 10. Gioele Girardello also performed well in Mini Gr.3, while the Babyrace Academy team took its Parolin chassis to the top of the Mini Gr.3 standings with Alessandro Truchot and Albert Tamm, as well as the Mini U10 podium with Lorenzo Di Pietrantonio.