MARKAS AND VANESA SILKUNAI STAR IN AL FORSAN. SCHILLACI RETURNS FROM INJURY AT SARNO

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Last Tuesday at Al Forsan, Markas Silkunas and Vanesa Silkunaite scored excellent results in the Champions of the Future Academy Program finals.
In the weekend at Sarno, Daniele Schillaci returned to racing after months of injury, showing a great performance in the Ayrton Senna Kart Trophy.

Vanesa Silkunaite (P5 in the OK-N Junior category at Al Forsan)
The thirteen-year-old Lithuanian has always been one of the fastest girls on track across the weekend. In Final 1, she crossed the finish line in P14, but was later disqualified due to an incident. She made up for it in Final 2, where she earned an excellent P5, the best classified girl. Vanesa has been competitive in every session, so she can be satisfied with her season finale.

Markas Silkunas (Winner in the OK-N category at Al Forsan)
The fifteen-year-old Lithuanian has always been a protagonist across the weekend. He was very fast right from the Heats, where he always raced in the leading pack. After a good P4 in Final 1, Markas managed to get a great victory in Final 2. For once, luck turned on his side after a difficult season, and he finally got what he had often came close to. The result meant he earned second place in the championship, an excellent boost of confidence towards the 2025 season.

Daniele Schillaci (P7 in the OK-N category at Sarno)
The fifteen-year-old from Ragusa returned to racing after a months-long injury. To ensure a great comeback, he switched from the Lenzokart to the Parolin equipment.
He started from P17 in Final 1, but with a great start he managed to grab P8 at the flag. Starting P8 in a full wet Final 2, Daniele lapped with extreme consistency and crossed the finish line in seventh position. Daniele classified P7 in the overall standings, a great sign towards a promising 2025 season.

Author: Jacopo Rava

GOOD PROGRESS SHOWN IN THE WSK WEEKEND IN CREMONA

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The 2024 karting season ended last weekend with the WSK Final Cup in Cremona. The five Minardi Management drivers left the track with mixed feelings: some experienced mechanical misfortunes, others made sensational comebacks.

Jason Kosmopoulou (P35 in the Mini GR3 category)
The young Greek ended 2024 on a high note. He scored two beautiful victories in the three heats, but he couldn’t do the same in the pre-final due to an inevitable accident. Bad luck stroke in the final too, as a mechanical failure halted a great comeback to P4.

Nefeli Kosmopoulou (P26 in the OKNJ category)
The thirteen-year-old Greek could not run a smooth qualifying due to a technical problem. Despite this, she made lots of overtakes in each of the three heats. Unfortunately, some mechanical struggles in the pre-final and in the final prevented her from showing her true potential.

Pietro Peter Bagutti (DNQ in the OKJ category final)
The twelve-year-old Italian experienced an unfortunate weekend, as the difficult grid position did not allow him to shine in the heats. Starting from the back in the pre-final, he made an extraordinary start, eventually finishing in an excellent P20.

Vladimir Ivannikov (P16º in the OKJ category)
The fourteen-year-old Russian experienced a difficult qualifying, but showed all his overtaking prowess during the heats. His excellent weekend continued with two great comebacks in the pre-final and in the final. Unfortunately, his bumper dented after an unavoidable crash, and the resulting penalty costed him six positions.

François Kerdal (DNQ in the OK category final)
The thirteen-year-old Italian-Swiss started the weekend with some accidents and mechanical problems. Despite not qualifying for the final, his driving style improved considerably. His great speed foreshadows a very successful 2025.

2025
Considering the excellent progress shown by the drivers, the 2025 season promises to be a successful one for the Minardi Management.

Author: Jacopo Rava

INTERVIEW WITH JULIA ANGELARD

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#PROFIL
Name: Julia Angelard
Birthday: 12.02.2012
Place of residence: Piaseczno
Nationality: polish
Hobbies: Acrobatics

We already presented Minardi Management and two of its female drivers in this year‘s April issue of our magazine. The motorsport agency Minardi Management focuses on promoting young talent. Giovanni Minardi and Dorothea Schulz are very keen to make motorsport accessible to all drivers.

In this issue, we introduce you to Julia Angelard and Nefeli Kosmopoulos in an interview. First we spoke to Julia Angelard.

How did you get into motorsport?
I have an older brother, Maks, who started karting before me. I spent a lot of time watching him test and race. When I was about 4 years old, I wanted to try it myself. I really enjoyed it, so I wanted to get my own kart.

How long have you been active in motorsport?
I‘ve been active in karting for 7 years. But in the early years, it was just an occasional race when my older brother raced. Initially, I raced in the Rotax series Micromax and Minimax. In 2023, when I was 11 years old, I switched to the junior category of the ROK series. I changed series because I decided that it was what I loved and that I wanted to take it seriously. The ROK series is more similar to the main karting championships, which I want to compete in from 2025. But at the age of 11, I could only race in Poland in the Junior class due to age restrictions.

How satisfied are you with your 2024 season so far?
I drove on tracks in Italy for almost the entire 2024 season. I like the kart tracks in Lonato and Franciacorta. Those are the tracks where I feel most comfortable. I‘m happy with some races, not so much with others. I generally have a good pace in the races and on the test days. However, I still need to work a little on my qualifying pace. Because when you start in the middle of the field, there are often incidents. I‘m one of the youngest drivers and compete against other drivers who have a lot more experience. My goals for the 2024 season were therefore from the outset to focus mainly on racing and gaining experience and not just on results.

What are your best moments in motorsport so far?
One of the most exciting things that happened to me this year was being invited to the IRON DAMES Young Talent Selection Program, which I took part in at the end of July. I was one of 20 girls from all over the world and had the chance to meet a lot of great female drivers and make some new friends. It was a great experience working with the Prema team and Kart Republic, meeting IRON DAMES drivers and getting to know the general concept of the program.I also finished 4th out of 50 drivers in the 3rd round of the ROK CUP Italia in May, which was my best result so far.

Are there already plans for the 2025 season?
We are still working on that. Originally, we had planned to switch to the OK Junior Series and take part in the Champions of the Future and the FIA European Series. But as I‘m only 12 years old, I still have time. I enjoyed the ROK CUP Italia this year and had my own little personal successes. That‘s why I might stay in the ROK CUP Italia next year. The Champions of the Future Academy also seems to be a very interesting option. In general, we plan to do as many races as possible, as far as our budget allows. I will definitely take part in some WSK races as well. Nevertheless, I will continue to focus on my development in motorsport and on gaining as much experience as possible in karting. I also train my physical strength 3 times a week in the gym. Concentration and precision on the racing simulator are also part of my daily training.

What are your wishes for your future in motorsport?
My biggest wish in motorsport is to get into Formula 1. But that is a dream that is almost impossible. There aren‘t many in Formula 1 and there are currently no women in Formula 1, so the more realistic dream is to get into the F1 academy for women. Who knows what my performance would be like then. Otherwise, I would probably try to switch to racing cars like GT3 and hypercars – like the IRON DAMES do.

What else would you like to tell the readers of our magazine about yourself or motorsport?
It‘s really hard to take part in a sport that is dominated by boys and there aren‘t many girls in karting. But I want to show that a girl can do well on the track. Like many other sports, motorsport requires a lot of humility, but it also teaches precision and endurance. Driving at more than 130 km/h just two centimeters above the track gives you a lot of thrills. We have to be focused and concentrated to be safe.

#MOTORSPORTCAREER
2021
Rotax MicroMax Poland 11th Place overall
2022
Rotax MicroMax Poland 28th Place overall
2023
ROK CUP Poland 17th Place overall ROK Superfinal
2024
ROK CUP Italy 21th Place overall (best Result race 3 place 4) ROK Superfinal

Interview: Petra Röhrig
Photo: Elena Bars Instagram: Elenabarsphotographer

INTERVIEW WITH NEFELI KOSMOPOULOS

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#PROFIL
Name: Nefeli Kosmopoulos
Birthday: 15.06.2011
Place of residence: Thessaloniki
Nationality: Greek
Hobbies: Sim Racing, Drawing, Music, Climing und Skiing

As previously announced, here is the interview with Nefeli Kosmopoulos. Nefeli is another young and talented driver at Minardi Management. Find out more about her here.

How did you get into motorsport?
I got into motorsport through my father, who was a karting and rally champion and a really strong personality in Greek motorsport. My father founded the Cosmosrally Kart
Academy karting team with the support of my mother. Even though I grew up in this environment, I didn‘t want to go karting at first because I thought it was only for boys.
But that changed one day when I was 4 years old and we traveled to Italy to meet other drivers from our team. I met a young female driver who inspired me a lot.

How long have you been involved in motorsport?
I‘ve been interested in motorsport since I was a child. I grew up in the Cosmosrally team and started driving my own kart at the age of 4. A few years later, at the age of 8, I took part in my first race in Greece. In the same year, I also drove my first World Championship race in Italy. I remember that day very well, because I was super excited before that race.

How satisfied are you with your 2024 season so far?
The 2024 season was my first season in the junior categories. I learned a lot from the races and gained a lot of experience, even if the results weren‘t the best. In the first half of the season I wasn‘t able to do many races because of school, but in general I‘m still very happy with the season as I gained a lot of knowledge and I was able to arrange a lot of things for my school to be able to do more in the future.

What are your best moments in motorsport so far?
In motorsport you can experience many highs and lows, emotions can change from one day to the next. That‘s why I don‘t just have good moments in motorsport, but generally the best moments are when you achieve a good result after hard work and failures and celebrate this with family and friends from the team.

Are there already plans for the 2025 season?
My plans for the 2025 season are to ride more races than in the 2024 season, as I have found a way to solve the problem with school, improve and get better results in the world championships. I feel really ready for the season and I‘m super excited because I‘ve been working a lot. Among other things, I am doing a lot of tests in Italy and in our home country Greece. In Greece, my family and friends of ours have started to build an international karting track.

What are your wishes for your future in motorsport?
My wish is that one day I will manage to get into a program for girls and get into the F1 academy. But if you ask me, my real dream is to be a female F1 driver. I don‘t know how I will try to realize my dream (the valuable support of the Minardi management helps a lot), but I am sure that I will give everything and work hard for it. In any case, all this is taking place in a really colorful, interesting, inspiring and dynamic world and I am here to enjoy it to the fullest; with my eyes on the forest around me and not just on a tree!

What else would you like to tell the readers of our magazine about yourself or motorsport?
I would like to say that I am very grateful to my family and the Cosmosrally Kart Academy for giving me the opportunity to lead this kind of life and that I wouldn‘t trade it for anything in the world. Finally, I applaud the efforts of the FIA programs to give us (girls) more opportunities to be active in motorsport. I feel a responsibility from my own experience to inspire younger girls to get involved in motorsport.

We will continue to follow the further development of Julia and Nefeli and will of course keep you up to date.

#MOTORSPORTCAREER
2019
First race in Greece (at the age of 8)
2021
Rotax Max Challenge in Greece
(Micro Max category first place)
2021
First races in Italy (WSK series category MINI GR3)
2022
WSK series and Italian championship races
2023
Promotion to the junior class and participation in international races
2023
Participation in races in international OKJ categories and races in Italy

Interview: Petra Röhrig
Photo: Sportinphoto

DEVEN GRABKO IS THE MOST DECORATED JUNIOR DRIVER IN SWEDEN FOR 2024

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With two national Championship Series titles to his name, and the Winner of the Gothenburg Grand Prix, no other driver in the country has achieved the same level of success.

The Swedish American ace pilot only made his Junior category debut this season, but has made an immediate impact in every category he has competed in.

The young 12 year old talent took victory at the most prestigious race on the Swedish karting calendar in September, the Gothenburg Grand Prix, and simultaneously secured his first national title in dramatic fashion, completing an amazing comeback to take the Swedish Junior X30 Crown with a flawless victory in the final round and becoming the 2024 IAME Series Sweden Champion, Deven proved a worthy Champion.

Grabko then completed his remarkable first junior karting season the first week in October, by finishing on the second step of the podium in the 7th and final round of Sweden’s most hotly contested and distinguished national karting Series, the South Sweden Kart Champions Cup (SKCC).

The result secured the young racer’s 2nd national Championship triumph of the year with an over 30 point margin to his nearest rival in the Junior Open 125cc category. The ultra-competitive class pits the Rotax Max, Vortex ROK, and IAME X30 125cc engine packages against each other in a gruelling 7 round long battle for supremacy with entries from throughout Scandinavia fighting for the title.

Deven scored 2 race victories and 2 second place finishes whilst never finishing out of the top five, his consistency confirming his Championship pedigree.

The double national Championship winning performances, combined with the Gothenburg Grand Prix win, not only show Deven’s quality on any given race day at any given track, but also his consistent high level of performance, and have earned him every accolade.

Deven Grabko “What a year it has been! I never thought I would be able to achieve all of these championships and big race wins going into the season. I just listened to my coaches and mechanics, focused on trying to improve and put my best out there every time I got in the seat, and in the end it paid off huge! I’ve learned so much this year, I feel like a completely different driver now than I was at the start of the season. I have too many people to thank – everyone who has supported me, my sponsors, coaches, management team, my family, AD Motorsport of course, everyone who cheers for me and sends me messages of congratulations and support – it all means so much. I am thankful for you all every day!”

Giovanni Minardi “We are so proud of Deven’s remarkable achievements this season as a junior rookie. His development rate has been unbelievable, and he has been our standout driver this season. Big compliments to him, and to his team AD Motorsport, who have done a wonderful job with our driver. Deven has proven himself to be a true champion, and he deserves every accolade for his accomplishments. For us, easily the strongest junior driver in Sweden this year.”

Next up for the promising young driver are two trips to Valencia, Spain, in quick succession. Deven has been selected to the U.S. National Team, and will represent the USA at the FIA Motorsport Games on October 23-27 where he will be fighting for medals at motorsport’s own olympic games. Two weeks later he will be back again for the IAME Junior X30 World Finals, which he qualified for via his IAME Series Sweden Championship Victory.

MINARDI MANAGEMENT AND ACHILLE REA ARE SEPARATED

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Minardi Management reluctantly communicates that the collaboration between the Agency and the driver Achille Rea has come to an end.

They have been two intense years of collaboration, with ups and downs, where together we have won several poles, heats, races, championships and also several trophies that have made Achille one of the fastest drivers in his category.

Giovanni Minardi: “We are very sorry for Achille that the collaboration with him has ended early, but unfortunately we had reached a point of no return and it could only end this way. We send him a big good luck for the future and we hope he can achieve all the goals he has set for himself“.

MINARDI MANAGEMENT ENGAGES MARCUS JAMES GALANIS-SINAI

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Marcus James Galanis-Sinai, a young multicultural driver born in Australia, but living between three nations, Australia, UK and Monaco, joins the Minardi Management family.
Marcus entered the world of Motorsport this year, he spent these first eight months training every day, he took part in races in various English Championships and now he is ready to enter the Championships that count.
Although he does not have much experience, he is not afraid of competing with the strongest, because he has great ambition and the desire to achieve excellent results.

Giovanni Minardi: “The collaboration with Marcus Galanis and his family is a project that gives me great energy, because it starts from a blank sheet of paper. Despite being twelve years old, Marcus has only tried his hand at Karting this year, but he has shown great things right from the start. Marcus comes from the world of football, where he was doing very well and with excellent prospects, but he chose to move to Motorsport and especially to Minardi Management, so that we could help him grow and make his dream come true.”

Marcus James Galanis-Sinai: “I am both humbled and honoured to be a part of the Minardi Motorsport family moving forward. With such a rich heritage in Formula 1 and motorsport in general I am grateful for the belief shown in me by the Agency and Giovanni Minardi himself. I look forward to and am excited about what lies ahead and I cannot wait to repay the Agency for their faith in me.“

FEDERICO SBARDELLATI JOINS MINARDI MANAGEMENT

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Let’s give a roaring welcome to Federico Sbardellati as he joins the Minardi Management family!
Hailing from Rome, Federico is making waves in the ROK Italy Series Championship, showcasing his talent with impressive results. With victories and podium finishes under his belt, he is a force to be reckoned with in the Junior ROK category. We are thrilled to have Federico on board and can’t wait to see him continue to shine on the track. Here’s to a fantastic journey ahead with Minardi Management!

Giovanni Minardi: “I am thrilled to have finalized an agreement with Federico and his family. I have been closely monitoring his performance since the beginning of this season in the ROK Championship, where he has consistently stood out as one of the key contenders. Our aim for Federico is to facilitate his rapid growth every day, leading him to compete in prestigious Championships alongside the top drivers in the world of karting.”

Federico Sbardellati: “I am honored to be part of Minardi management, a historic family in the Motorsport world since 1979.I will do my utmost to satisfy the trust placed in me.”

BENJAMIN WESTWOOD WILL PARTICIPATE AT THE UPCOMING FIA MOTORSPORT GAMES IN VALENCIA

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Minardi Management adds Maltese driver Benjamin Westwood to the list of participants of the next FIA Motorsport Games in Valencia at the end of October.
Benjamin will be the fourth driver of Minardi Management who will defend the colors of his Nation at this magnificent event, where athletes from all over the world arrive.
Benjamin has been selected by the Federation of his Country, to defend the red and white colors of his small nation, Malta.
He will participate in the races in the Junior Sprint category, in the kart section.

Giovanni Minardi: «Nice to see how a small nation like Malta wants to emerge in the world of Motorsport through one of our drivers. We are really happy that Benji gained the possibility to compete at this magnificent event, comparable to the Motorsport Olympics and I am convinced that he will do his utmost to obtain an excellent result.»

Benjamin Westwood: «I am happy to go the FIA Motorsport Games and I wish to get a good result for Malta.»

VANESA SILKUNAITE IN KOSKI FOR THE TWO PF INTERNATIONAL RACES

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We are pleased to announce that our driver Vanesa Silkunaite, after the experience at the beginning of the year in CRG in the WSK Master Series and in the FIA ​​Academy, has decided to participate in the two English PF International races, the Champions of the future race on 08/09/24 and the race of the races, the FIA ​​World Champions on 15/09/24.

The Team chosen for this new experience is the Koski Motorsport team, by Jan Koski. We are sure that with the experience of the Team, the OTK material and the Machac Motors engine, Vanesa will be able to perform well in these two events even if in very competitive contexts.

Giovanni Minardi: “I am happy that Vanesa has joined Koski, because it is an excellent Team that can teach her a lot. For Vanesa it will not be the first experience in this context because last April she took part in the Valencia race of the Champions of the future and the CIK FIA European Championship. Thanks to the experience accumulated in these additional months and the knowledge of the level of this type of race, he will certainly have some extra weapons to play to do well.”