Parolin Motorsport completed the fourth round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series at Kristianstad with front-running speed in both OK and OK-Junior, as William Calleja finished 4th in OK and Gioele Girardello led the factory team in OK-Junior with 9th. Dean Hoogendoorn produced one of the strongest recovery drives of the weekend in OK before penalties dropped him to 14th, while Troy Ferguson also moved forward in the OK-Junior Final.

Ward Racing added further strong results on Parolin chassis, with Antonio Pizzonia finishing 2nd in OK-Junior, Martin Bertolaccini 6th, Gabriel Canal 5th in OK and Benjamin Manach setting a new lap record and showing race-winning pace throughout the weekend.

The Swedish round was an important preparation event before the final round of the FIA Karting European Championship at Kristianstad next weekend. Conditions were cooler than recent races, with temperatures between 19 and 22 degrees, and both categories racing on Maxxis tyres.

In OK, Calleja led the Parolin Motorsport challenge with another highly competitive weekend. After showing strong speed from Qualifying onwards and winning one of his heats, he secured 7th on the grid for the Final and fought in the leading group throughout the race. He eventually finished 4th, just off the podium, confirming his pace ahead of the European Championship round at the same circuit.

Hoogendoorn made excellent progress after a difficult Qualifying. He recovered strongly through the heats and Super Heat to start the Final from 23rd on the grid, then climbed rapidly through the field and crossed the line 2nd. Two penalties later placed him 14th in the final classification, but the pace and recovery shown across the race were clear positives.

Nicolo Cuman also reached the OK Final after a consistent weekend and finished 18th, while Giacomo Giusto qualified for the decisive race and was classified 32nd after a penalty.

Ward Racing was also very competitive in OK. Manach was fastest in Qualifying with a new lap record, won three heats, remained at the top after the heats and then won his Super Heat to secure pole position for the Final. He led the early stages before finishing 7th. Canal completed a strong weekend by finishing 5th after starting from 8th on the grid.

In OK-Junior, Girardello delivered the best result for Parolin Motorsport. He made strong progress during the heats, then recovered from 19th on the grid in the Final to finish 9th. After topping his session in Qualifying, Ferguson also moved forward well in the Final, gaining three places to finish 13th.

Albert Tamm finished 20th after another solid weekend in the category, while Alexander Lazarus and Oskari Walle both reached the Final but were unable to finish after difficult races.

The headline OK-Junior result on Parolin chassis came from Pizzonia, who finished 2nd for Ward Racing after fighting for victory throughout the Final. He had already been among the frontrunners all weekend and converted 2nd on the grid into a podium result. Bertolaccini also ran at the front for Ward Racing, briefly leading the race before finishing 6th.

Marco Parolin said: “Kristianstad was a very useful weekend for us before the European Championship. The speed was strong in both categories, even if the final results did not fully reflect everything we showed. William drove a very solid race in OK, Dean made an excellent recovery from the back half of the grid, and Gioele and Troy both moved forward well in OK-Junior. Ward Racing also showed the competitiveness of the Parolin package, with Antonio on the podium, Martin in the top six, Gabriel 5th in OK and Benjamin setting the pace for much of the weekend. We now need to use this preparation well for the European Championship.”

Parolin Motorsport will remain at Kristianstad for the final round of the FIA Karting European Championship next weekend, before the Champions of the Future Euro Series concludes at Sarno from 9th to 12th September.