WEEKEND OF GROWTH AT COTF, ROK CUP ITALY, AND LIGUE IDF. GRABKO DEBUTS AT MANTORP PARK

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It was an intense and emotional weekend for our drivers competing across circuits throughout Europe. Facing tough challenges, showing clear improvements, and demonstrating great determination, our young talents proved their growth and strong character.

From the Champions of the Future in Portimão to the Nordic Aquila Formula 1000 Championship in Sweden, the ROK Cup Italy in Franciacorta, and the Ligue IDF, each driver displayed significant progress, highlighting the potential that will fuel future successes.

Nilas Malik – DNQ at Champions of the Future in Portimão (Portugal), OKJ Category
The young Danish driver, having recently switched teams, showed clear improvement. Despite the positive work and encouraging performances, Nilas narrowly missed out on qualifying for the final.
Next week, he will be back on track at the European Championship, again in Portimão. His main focus will be on improving his qualifying performances to secure a spot in the final and aim for strong finishes.
This weekend was still a crucial step for Malik, who is gaining more confidence with his new team. Now the goal is to immediately bounce back, fighting for top positions at the next event.

Vanesa Silkunaite – DNQ at Champions of the Future in Portimão (Portugal), OKJ Category
Vanesa’s weekend at COTF in Portimão was positive in terms of performance, even if the final result didn’t fully reflect her true potential. Although she didn’t manage to qualify for the final, the young Lithuanian’s growth was evident for everyone to see.
Vanesa continues to progress, adapting better and better to both the category and the team. This weekend marked an important step forward in her development. We are confident that in the upcoming races, she will be consistently competing at the front and fighting for top positions.

Pietro Bagutti – DNF at Champions of the Future in Portimão (Portugal), OKJ Category
It was a very positive weekend for Pietro, who delivered an excellent qualifying performance and was involved in several exciting on-track battles. The young driver successfully secured a place in the final, although he was unfortunately unable to complete the race.
As highlighted in recent weeks, Pietro has made significant progress in the latest events. Compared to the beginning of the season, he has substantially changed his approach to race weekends, showing increasing maturity.
Next week, he will have the chance to bounce back and give his all at the European Championship, where we are confident he will once again stand out with convincing performances.

Markas Silkunas – P15 at Champions of the Future in Portimão (Portugal), OK Category
Markas returned to the track after his outstanding weekend in Valencia. The young driver had another very positive weekend, although he was also hampered by a bit of bad luck.
Despite the result not reflecting his true potential, Markas worked excellently in perfect harmony with his team. Throughout the various heats, he remained highly competitive and fought hard against his rivals.
The path he is following is definitely the right one: next weekend, at the European Championship, Markas will give his best to achieve the results he deserves.

Vladimir Ivannikov – P13 at Champions of the Future in Portimão (Portugal), OK Category
The last of our drivers competing at Portimão in the COTF was Vladimir Ivannikov.
The young driver showed great speed throughout the weekend; however, a penalty prevented him from starting higher up the grid, and he eventually finished the weekend in thirteenth place.
Nevertheless, Vladimir demonstrated strong consistency and maintained a very competitive pace. This performance provides a solid foundation to build upon ahead of next week’s European Championship, once again in Portimão.

Deven Grabko – Mantorp Park (Sweden), Nordic Aquila Formula 1000 Championship
Race 1: P14
Race 2: P14
Race 3: P11

Deven Grabko made his debut in the Nordic Aquila Formula 1000 Championship at Mantorp Park. As the youngest driver on track and a rookie in the category, Deven’s inexperience showed at times. Nevertheless, he delivered strong performances and great speed, securing two 14th-place finishes and an 11th place across the three races.
Deven improved race by race, as the results clearly show. His young age has not diminished the quality of his performance: his first approach to car racing, despite his very young age, was highly positive. With plenty of time ahead to grow and improve, we are confident that the experience he will gain throughout the season will further develop his already evident talent.

Julia Angelard – P18 at ROK Cup Italy in Franciacorta, Junior Category
Julia Angelard was the only driver representing us in Italy this past weekend, competing in the ROK Cup Italy. The young driver delivered a very strong performance, highlighted by an excellent qualifying session, brilliant starts, and convincing heats. Unfortunately, in the final, she was involved in a collision during the early race chaos, which forced her to drop to the back of the field. Julia then managed to climb back up to 16th place, which later became 18th after a penalty.
As the season progresses, Julia continues to show strong growth. Her talent is undeniable; the next key step in her development will be gaining greater confidence in her own abilities.
Julia has all the tools to compete for even more prestigious results, and she will certainly give her best to achieve strong performances both in the ROK Cup and in the COTFAP.

Zack Zhu – DNS at Ligue IDF in Kartland (France)
Despite a great effort from Zack Zhu, it wasn’t enough to secure a strong result at the Ligue IDF event in France.
Throughout the weekend, the young French driver showed excellent speed, but he faced several misfortunes. In the final heat before the main event, Zack was involved in a major incident ,  luckily without serious consequences, which prevented him from starting the final and fighting for top positions.
Despite all the setbacks, Zack never lost heart and fought like a lion in every race.
He delivered outstanding comebacks in the heats. Racing almost every weekend, Zhu is showing exponential growth. Despite frequent changes of karts, tracks, and conditions, he consistently demonstrates excellent speed and performance.
The path he is on is the right one, and it’s only a matter of time before the results start to reflect his true potential.

Author: Gabriele Bovio