Karting legend Angelo Parrilla dies
The karting world is mourning the passing on Friday of Angelo Parrilla at the age of 77.
Parrilla was the head of the little Italian DAP kart engine (and chassis) business, along with brother Achille, that took on the big boys back in karting’s ‘golden era’.
Parrilla and DAP are, however, most recognised as the combination, who ran Ayrton Senna through his international karting career – from mid-1978 through to end of 1980 on a full time basis.
Ayrton Senna driving a DAP kart at the 1980 World Karting Championship, in Sweden. Image: LAT Images
Even after 1980, Senna and DAP continued to join forces with the occasional big event ‘returns’ after the young up-and-comer had started his car racing career in Formula Ford in 1981/82.
A little earlier in 1978, DAP – which had been a growing thorn in the side of the big dominant IAME kart engine company, had won its first major international race, with Brit Terry Fullerton.
Fullerton driving a DAP-powered Zip kart took out the season-starting Champions Cup at Jesolo, before going on to win a host of races and championships that year.
Senna’s arrival, and early development in the DAP kart team signalled the start of an intense two-year head-to-head between the two – almost previewing the Senna/Prost head-butt to come – with the pair dominating international karting.
Senna’s DAP and karting rival
Terry Fullerton. Image:Alastair Staley/LAT Photographic
Both Senna and Fullerton came tantalisingly close to winning a world title for DAP – both would have been justified.
In the end it was Dutchman Peter Koene who did so (at Senna’s expense, in 1979 – due to a one-off change in the three-final tie-breaker rules).
Fullerton had it shot to pieces in 1980, only for a cruel mechanical issue to take it away in sight of victory.
The DAP/Parilla Kart of Ayrton Senna from 1979.
Come 1981 and the huge IAME engine company, stung by DAP’s success, had pulled political strings and helped push through a major change in engine spec for international karting (from 100cc to 130cc – by coincidence IAME already had a suitable, easily-adapted 125cc Komet engine in production! …).
DAP was not equipped or prepared for the change and thus its period of world success came to an end, along with what is generally recognised as the ‘golden era’ of international kart racing.
Harm Schuurman and Angelo Parrilla with two of Graham Powles’ restored karts. Image: Karting Australia
With Senna’s rise to F1 greatness, Parrilla became something of a celebrity – known as the man whose karting business gave the Brazilian’s career its international kick start, something he was always immensely proud of.
In Australian terms, DAP had a long and successful relationship with Australian karting legend John Pizarro, who contested a number of world championships and won Australian titles using DAP karts and engines.
Thoughts are with Achille and the Parrilla family – a sad day.
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