FIVE DRIVERS ACROSS LE MANS, MONZA AND VITERBO: SPEED, RESILIENCE AND PROGRESS ON THREE MAJOR STAGES

/in /by

Five drivers on track, three prestigious events and many experiences to turn into progress. Race Weekend 41 saw DAG Management competing at the IAME Euro Cup / Ladies Cup in Le Mans, Round 4 of the Italian GT Sprint Championship at Monza and the FIA Karting World Cup in Viterbo. Different disciplines, challenges and conditions demanded focus, adaptability and determination through every session.

It was not a weekend when everything went to plan. That makes the positive signs of competitiveness even more meaningful: Maxime’s Top 10 in the Le Mans Final, Benjamin’s recovery drives, Vanesa’s front-running performances before a technical problem stopped her kart and prevented her from contesting the Final, Mattia’s work with his team at Monza and Mia’s experience against a 117-driver field at the World Cup.

For DAG Management, supporting a driver means recognising both the final result and the journey behind it: speed, decisions, difficulties faced and lessons taken into the next race. Our sincere thanks go to our drivers, families, teams, mechanics, engineers, coaches and partners who share this commitment every day.

IAME EURO CUP / LADIES CUP – LE MANS

MAXIME NOEPPEL – #178 – X30 JUNIOR

P10 in the Final among 35 drivers: a determined response

Maxime Noeppel completed Le Mans with a valuable result: P10 in the Final, in a 35-driver field. It rewarded his ability to keep working through a weekend of changing fortunes.

On Thursday, Maxime showed encouraging pace, moving from P25 in Free Practice 1 to P6 in the second session and P11 in the third. On Friday he recorded P10 in Official Free Practice and P14 in qualifying before delivering a very strong opening heat: P7, gaining seven positions.

Saturday’s following two heats ended in P19 and P18. Maxime stood P13 in the intermediate classification, but a difficult Super Heat, finishing P24 after losing eleven places, made the route to the Final more challenging.

On Sunday he responded positively, approaching the decisive race with composure and taking the chequered flag in P10. We are pleased with his resilience, the speed he showed and the Top 10 secured at a competitive international event.

BENJAMIN WESTWOOD – #271 – X30 SENIOR

Multiple recovery drives and P5 in the Consolation Race

Benjamin Westwood faced a demanding weekend in the X30 Senior category at Le Mans, repeatedly demonstrating an impressive ability to gain positions.

His Thursday practice pace was encouraging, with P10, P7, P13 and especially P3 in his final group Free Practice. Following a difficult qualifying session that left him P60 overall, Benjamin began moving forward in the heats: P11 after gaining nine places in the first and P12 with eight positions recovered in the second.

On Saturday he continued fighting, taking P14 after gaining six places and P15 with another five recovered in the first two heats of the day. The next heat ended in P22; he was P40 in the intermediate classification and finished the Super Heat P16.

On Sunday, after P7 in the Warm-Up, Benjamin did not qualify for the main Final, but completed the Consolation Race in P5. Although the overall outcome was not what he had hoped for, the many recoveries and competitive pace in several sessions provide positive foundations for the next event.

VANESA ŠILKŪNAITĖ – #918 – X30 LADY

A potential race-winning performance halted by a technical problem before the Final

Vanesa Šilkūnaitė was simply outstanding at Le Mans. Throughout the weekend, she showed exceptional speed and form, proving that she genuinely had the pace to fight for a podium and even victory in the Ladies Cup.

After practice, Vanesa found excellent pace: P8 in Official Free Practice and P5 in qualifying. In the opening heat she immediately gained three positions to finish P2.

On Saturday she confirmed her competitiveness with P1 in the Warm-Up, P2 in Heat 2 after gaining another three positions and an excellent victory in Heat 3, recovering four places. Those results put her P1 in the intermediate classification.

After P4 in the Super Heat, Vanesa had every reason to fight for the podium and even victory. Unfortunately, a technical problem stopped her kart and prevented her from taking part in the Final. It was a deeply disappointing ending for our driver, particularly after everything she had shown. Missing the Final does not reflect her weekend in the slightest: two P2 heat finishes, a heat victory, P1 in the intermediate standings and genuine race-winning potential. We are immensely proud of her, her determination and the exceptional work she delivered.

ITALIAN GT SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 4, MONZA

MATTIA BUCCI – #163 – GT CUP 1ST DIVISION PRO-AM

An outstanding race in service of Lamborghini and the team

At Monza, Mattia Bucci once again demonstrated not only his driving ability but also outstanding professionalism and team spirit. His performance on Sunday was exceptional, even though the team’s strategic instructions meant he could not drive entirely freely according to his own pace.

In Friday’s free practice sessions, the car finished P8 overall and P7 in class in the first session, followed by P25 overall and P15 in class in the second. On Saturday, after qualifying, Race 1 ended P34 overall and P14 in class: running out of fuel towards the end affected the result.

In Sunday’s Race 2, in which the crew finished P31 overall and P10 according to the supplied results, Mattia followed the team’s instructions with great maturity. He provided every bit of support requested, placing the team’s needs ahead of his individual ambitions and giving his maximum contribution to Lamborghini and the entire crew.

We are extremely proud of Mattia’s race and of the generosity with which he worked for the team. Some performances cannot be judged solely by the finishing position; Mattia’s is one of them. Our thanks go to him and the entire team for their commitment and collaboration.

FIA KARTING WORLD CUP – VITERBO

MIA ZANKI – #274 – OKJ-N

First race with new FIA Karting equipment: a valuable learning experience

The FIA Karting World Cup at Viterbo, with 117 drivers in OKJ-N, was a particularly significant challenge for Mia Zanki: it was her first race using new equipment on this FIA Karting platform. Mia had to quickly learn the behaviour of a different chassis, understand the braking system and find the best way to manage the kart in an exceptionally competitive environment.

On Thursday she showed encouraging signs in testing, reaching P5 in the third session after P17 in the second. On Friday, after P16 in her series Free Practice, she finished P17 in her qualifying series and P68 overall. In her first heat, she gained three positions to take P15.

On Saturday, Mia finished P14 in Heat 2 and P20 in Heat 3, placing P29 in her Pool. On Sunday she contested the Pool 2 Super Heat, finishing P27 after gaining two places, but did not qualify for the Final.

Qualifying was inevitably affected by this adaptation process: Mia was not yet fully familiar with the new chassis and braking system, and her starting position made the remainder of the weekend an uphill battle. The final result does not reflect the work completed or the value of the experience gained in the slightest. On the contrary, Mia faced an important technical challenge and learned with every session. We are very proud of her dedication and determination; this weekend will provide a valuable foundation for the next steps.

FIVE DRIVERS, MANY LESSONS AND THE SAME COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE

Race Weekend 41 closes with five different journeys and one shared belief: a driver’s progress cannot be measured solely by the result of the last race.

Maxime earns a Top 10 in the Le Mans Final; Benjamin shows strong recovery skills and finishes P5 in the Consolation Race; Vanesa delivers an outstanding weekend with potential race-winning pace before a technical problem prevents her from taking part in the Final; Mattia produces an exceptional performance at Monza, fully supporting Lamborghini and the team’s strategy; and Mia approaches her first race on new FIA Karting equipment with dedication, gaining technical experience worth far more than the final classification.

We are proud of each of them. Our sincere thanks go to the families for their trust and to everyone working alongside our drivers. We continue building together, grateful for what we learn and determined to pursue the next objectives.