ZACK ZHU A NEW ENTRY FOR MINARDI MANAGEMENT

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Minardi Management is pleased to announce that the French/Chinese driver, Zack Zhu, joins our Motorsport Agency.
Zack started this year to race in Italy participating at the ROK Cup Italy, and afterwards during the year also in the WSK Championships and the Italian Championship.
His last appointments for the 2023 season will be the two WSK Final Cups in Lonato and Franciacorta with his team Gamoto, after which we will focus on the planning of the 2024 program.

Giovanni Minardi: “I am really very happy to welcome this young talent in our family and to manage and support Zack and his family on his way to a sportive career. I already noticed Zack at the beginning of the year when he was racing alone, under his own tent and with his father who acted as his mechanic. He showed great speed and a beautiful way of driving already at the beginning of the season, and so my interest for him was awaken. Today he has grown a lot and has shown that he has great potential to work on and obtain excellent results.
I am convinced that next season he will be one of the protagonists of the Mini category”.

Zack Zhu: “Hello everyone, my name is Zack Zhu, I’m 11 years old. I’m Chinese, born and live in France. Today I’m proud to join the Minardi’s”

MINARDI MANAGEMENT AND BENJAMIN WESTWOOD TOGETHER

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Giovanni Minardi is pleased to welcome to the Minardi Management family the young maltese driver Benjamin Westwood, born in 2012.
In the current season Benjamin participated in the category Mini Rok at the ROK Cup Italy, the ROK Cup Trophy and as well as at the ROK Superfinal at Lonato, with his team GP Racing Karts and at several local Championships in Malta.

Giovanni Minardi: “I’m really proud to have found an agreement with Benji and his family. I believe Benji has great potential, despite his lack of international experience.
I am sure that next season, by being able to plan the season in the best possible way, we will be able to get some excellent satisfaction.
We are evaluating what will be the best path for Benji for next season and we will talk with GP Racing team about any possibilities for professional growth.”

Benjamin Westwood: “A dream I had of building a kart to ride in the streets near my house, has turned from a weekend hobby to now racing both locally in Malta and in Italy.
We are excited to announce that I will be joining Minardi Management team, where I look forward to further developing my karting career.
I would like to thank Giovanni for this great opportunity moving forward, and I’m excited and really looking forward to a good year of competitive karting in 2024”.

DEVEN GRABKO MAKES HIS DEBUT IN JUNIOR

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Deven Grabko is ready to debut in the new Okj and X30 Junior categories.
At the end of the season, in addition to carrying out a good number of test days, he will also start racing with his team AD Motorsport with a good defined program. Deven will do his first race in X30 at the IAME Final at Lonato and his debut in WSK at the WSK Final Cup again at Lonato.

Giovanni Minardi: “I am very happy that Deven is making the leap in category, because unfortunately this season we have paid a bit for his physical size which has compromised on several occasions the ability to bring home excellent results. I am convinced that with his driving skills, he will quickly adapt to the new category and will immediately go strong and be able to compete with the strongest in the category. I can’t wait to see him in action in the race.”

Deven Grabko: “It feels amazing to move into juniors! I’m really happy with the decision to make the move up after getting into the kart for the first time. The speed and power is incredible! It is a whole new challenge for sure, everything is new! It is going to be really tough, but I am super excited to take this on full speed ahead, and I’m really looking forward to these next weeks of hard training to make sure I am ready for my exciting Fall Race Program. During my first test days, I’ve already had the chance to test in both wet and dry conditions, which is great, and I am so looking forward to getting down to business!
I’ve had awesome support from everyone around me – Giovanni, AD Motorsport, my mechanic Hugo Holm, my family, and of course my sponsors!
I’m really grateful for that, because without all these people I wouldn’t even be here. I’m going to do my very best to repay the trust and support from them with good results. Let’s do this!”

DEVEN GRABKO CROWNED SWEDISH WESTERN REGIONAL CHAMPION – WILL MAKE INTERNATIONAL RACE DEBUT IN THE JUNIOR CATEGORIES

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Trollhättan native, 11 year old racing talent, Deven Grabko, to make his international race debut this Fall in the Junior Karting Categories.

Deven, who is represented by the famous Italian Driver Management Agency, Minardi Management, was only last weekend crowned the Swedish Autosport Federation Western Regional Champion in the Mini 60 kart racing category. He will now make the step up to Juniors, joining the age group of 12-15 year olds before his 12th birthday, making him one of the youngest drivers to make the jump to this larger, much more competitive category.
 
Deven currently races with his team AD Motorsport, who are based in Helsingborg, Sweden. Together with his team, he has enjoyed multiple podium and top 10 finishes this season, as well as his first international category race win, when he claimed victory in the final round of the IAME Series Sweden at the Sviestad Motorsport Complex Karting Circuit in Linköping, Sweden in September.
 
The young racing talent has made huge development steps this season, and Giovanni Minardi, his manager, believes he is ready to take the next step in his career, and make his international race debut in Italy.
 
Deven will spend the next 6 weeks in intensive training to prepare himself for his debut at the IAME Final Games Italy on November 11 and 12. The event takes place at one of the most famous and prestigious karting circuits in the world, South Garda Karting, in Lonato, Italy.

Following this race, Deven will make his WSK Promotions debut at the same track from November 16-19, and officially enter the international karting scene, racing against many of the best drivers in the world in their categories.
 
Deven says, “It feels really good to claim the SBF Regional Championship. I worked really hard all season in a new class, and made huge steps in my development. Now I am really excited to take this next important step in my career. It is going to be a huge challenge to not only move up to the junior categories, but also to race against the best in the world on my debut in the class. Junior karts have bigger chassis, more powerful engines, and higher grip levels than I have ever driven, but I will do everything I can to make sure I am prepared and ready.”
 
Giovanni Minardi believes Deven can go far. “I am very confident Deven will thrive in the Junior categories. He has a huge talent, is super fast, and is a smart guy as well. I cannot wait to work with him down in Italy where he can be looked at by all the big players. I am going to do everything I can to support his journey and his dream.”
 
Deven Grabko is a Swedish American racing driver born in Trollhättan, Sweden, and raised in both Trollhättan as well as San Diego, California. He attends school in year 6 at Paradisskolan’s English Speaking Curriculum in Trollhättan.
 
Minardi Management is a well reputed Italian Driver Management Agency run by the same family who owned the Minardi Formula One team from 1985 to 2000’s and have been an active and influential name in motorsports throughout the years. They are known to bring their drivers from a young age through the kart racing categories and into single seater formula racing.

KAÏS AZIZA CHANGES TEAM

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The driver Kaïs Aziza has decided to change team for this end of the season.
The handover from Team Driver to Gamoto, by Salvatore and Vincenzo Gatto, will take place from this weekend for the last race of the Aci Italian Kart Championship on the Franciacorta track and will continue for all events from here until the end of the season.

Giovanni Minardi: “We had to make this change to ensure that Kaïs was in peace and could continue his professional training in the new category that had just started, the Okj-N. I thank Team Driver, from the owner Devid De Luchi to the whole team for the excellent work done until today.
I’m sure that the choice of Team Gamoto will be able to give all the serenity the driver needs and lots of excellent advice to improve day after day.”

FRANÇOIS DARIO KERDAL SIGNS WITH MINARDI MANAGEMENT

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Minardi Management is pleased to welcome to its agency the French-Swiss-Italian driver, François Dario Kerdal.
François comes from an excellent season in Mini, in the WSK and Italian Championships, where he collected several poles, victories and podiums, together with the team Team Driver.
At the end of the season he will switch the category entering in Okj and Okj-N, participating at the last races of the Italian Championship and the WSK Final Cup.

Giovanni Minardi: “I’m very excited to start working with François. He has shown that he is a very fast driver in Mini and I am sure that he will be able also very soon to demonstrate his extra class in the new category OKJ / OKJ-N.
As team choice for the second half of the year 2023 we selected CRG Factory Team, because we think that together with this excellent team François will have the best possibility to prepare himself for the season 2024, where he will face the entire season in OKJ try to collect best results as possible.”

François Dario Kerdal: “It is my pleasure to announce that, effective today, I will be collaborating with Minardi Management. The objective of this partnership, based on mutual trust, respect, and realistic expectations, is to create the conditions for a successful career as a professional driver. I fully rely on Minardi Management’s support to leverage my driver skills, develop strategic alliI just follow the filing of my son and you know when you will now him better you will understand what iam seeing.
Thank you very much for you help.
Have a good eveningances, gain a deep and accurate insight and find my own way into the motorsport world.”

ALESSANDRO NANNI CHANGES THE TEAM

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We are pleased to announce that Alessandro Nanni is changing the team for this last part of the season. He will move from Alessandro Villa’s AV Racing team, to whom we send our special thanks for all the work done with Alessandro in the first part of the season 2023, to Salvatore Gatto’s Gamoto Team with whom he will participate in the last three events of the Rok Cup Italy at Cremona, the Rok Cup Trophy at Lonato and the Rok Cup Superfinal also at Lonato and the last race of the Italian Championship at Franciacorta.

Giovanni Minardi: “We decided to make the change at this time of the season because there was a need for a change for Alessandro. He needs a new push and I am convinced that Salvatore Gatto and his team could be the right combination to make him regain his enthusiasm.
I believe that the change will only be good for Alessandro and I am sure that as early as next weekend in Cremona for the last stage of the Rok Cup Italy we will be ready to fight for the victory.”

Alessandro Nanni: “I am very happy with this change, I really want to get on the EKS chassis and ride the TM engine again. I am absolutely confident of the new team, and we will work to have the best “package” Team, Driver, chassis and engine!! ….and above all, always with a smile!!”

KAÏS AZIZA JOINS MINARDI MANAGEMENT

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Minardi Management is extremely pleased to welcome Kaïs Aziza. Since a long time Giovanni Minardi observed Kaïs on track and he was immediately impressed by his cleverness and talent.
The Swiss driver who comes from a first part of the season done in Mini in Babyrace Driver Academy, will compete instead in this second part of the year in the category Okj for Team Driver. Kaïs will finish the 2023 season, participating in several races between Okj-N and Okj to prepare as best as possible for the next season 2024.

Giovanni Minardi: “I’m very happy that we can proudly present Kaïs to be part of the Minardi Management family, right at the time of the category change from Mini to Okj. It’s a very important moment for his career and I am sure that I can be of great help to him. Although Kaïs’ few experience in this new category, he will quickly obtain very good results, because he doesn’t lack speed at all.”

Kaïs Aziza: “I’m so proud, for me Minardi is the legend of Motorsport.
The car is my passion it is what makes me live and it is an honor to join the Minardi Management family and to be next to Giovanni so that he can help me to rise with his great experience in the automotive world. Thank you.”

AN ELEVEN YEAR OLD FULLY DEDICATED TO REACHING THE ELITE: “…MEANT TO DO THIS“

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The go-kart does lap after lap at Uddevalla karting club, can reach speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour depending on the track. Behind the wheel sits 11-year-old Deven Grabko from Trollhättan.

– I can’t really explain it, but it just feels like I’m meant to do this.
He has been competing for just over three years and has just signed with Italian Minardi Management to be able to invest fully in his big dream. The hope is that the management company will get Deven into international competitions, something TTELA has written about before.

That Minardi even had an eye on Deven has a lot to do with his presence on social media, where the father-son duo goes by the name “GrabkoGP”. Look for it on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube.

– We got in touch with Minardi via Instagram at the beginning of the season and after a few races they asked me to send a driver presentation, so I sent one. So we kept in touch for a while and they thought it was interesting and wondered if we had any plans or interest in competing internationally, says father Dan Grabko while Deven drives out on the track.

– Absolutely, I said, and started checking them out a bit to see if it was real, and they had a really
impressive driver portfolio they represented, and so we felt “okay, we’ll sign and see what happens”
and that’s kind of where we are now.

Early Commitment
It’s fast on the track, but it’s also gone quickly this past year for Deven, who has already started to rack up podiums and top ten finishes in his first year as a driver in the Mini 60 class. The eleven-year-old is fully invested in his racing, there is no other sport for Deven Grabko.

– I can’t really explain it, but it just feels like I’m meant to do this.
During the first two years of racing, the pair were on their own, and were responsible for everything themselves, from chassis and motor adjustments on race day to data analysis and coaching. But now Deven drives for AD Motorsport, which has brought no few improvements, according to dad and former coach/mechanic Dan.

– “In my own opinion, it has been a disadvantage for Deven up until this season. When I got it right with the engine and setup, then everything went well, and he could show how good he was. But I don’t come from motorsport, and don’t have the knowledge, so that happened less than it should’ve. Now he has professional help basically all the time and just needs to focus on the driving and racing,” says a relieved dad, Dan, after trying and failing to fix the problem that stopped training during the day.

In the autumn, there are hopes that Deven will come out and run international competitions in Europe, perhaps especially in Italy. That is in large part thanks to the new agreement with Minardi Management.

The fact that the effort to get as far as possible has already started at the age of eleven is not something that makes Deven feel extra pressure.

– “I just drive and have fun, and drive to be fast. At a race it’s a bit different, though. When I’m sitting in the car waiting to drive I’m quite nervous and my stomach is a bit weird. But then when we pull out of the grid and get on track, I have laser focus, the second we drive away the nervousness disappears. But in training it’s just fun!”

Do you feel any pressure to deliver and perform?

– “No, it is and will be fun. No pressure, eh?” Deven says, looking with a big smile at dad Dan, who laughs heartily at his son’s answer and agrees. No pressure.
– “Now he has eyes on him more than before. It’s really crazy, he’s eleven years old and already has to start thinking about all of this stuff. Start preparing and building now if he wants to go far,” says Dan.

Is it di cult as a parent to know whether to slow down or accelerate the investment?

– “Of course it is hard, there has to be a balance. It has to be fun as well. As a parent, you really want it to go well for the sake of your child, but you have no control over it and it’s so nervous for me because of that. One can only hope. Deven just lives in the moment, though, that’s what is so charming about him. When he’s out there, he doesn’t think about anything else but the next corner, the next car to pass. He loves it so much.”

Originally published by: TTELA, Trollhättan, Sweden’s regional newspaper
Photos and Original Text: Hanna Bernhardsson
English Translation: The Grabko Group AB
Full text media blackout in force until Tuesday, August 8, at 17:00 local Swedish time.

DEVEN LEWIS GRABKO JOINS MINARDI MANAGEMENT

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Minardi Management is pleased to welcome Deven Lewis Grabko, a Swedish-American driver born in 2011, whose race program for the 2023 season includes several highly contested Swedish championships at the national level, such as the Kart Cup West Championship, IAME Series Sweden, Swedish Kart League, South Swedish Kart Champions Cup, the Swedish National Championship and the prestigious Kristianstad Karting Club Grande Finale.

Giovanni Minardi: “I’m really happy to have Deven join our ranks, he’s a very interesting prospect. In addition to being very fast, he shows much more maturity than his age would suggest. I am sure that we will create something very interesting together. Through the end of the season, we will continue to focus on the Swedish race program he and his family together with his team have already planned for him, before our partnership started. Our goal for 2024 will be a more international program.”

Deven Lewis Grabko: “I am extremely grateful to have been presented with the opportunity to work with Giovanni, Dorothea and the entire Minardi Management team and organization. They are a true motorsport family, with a long history and deep roots in the industry, and it shows in their passion and knowledge of the sport.

The list of drivers they’ve got on their books is really impressive, and it is a real privilege to have my name next to theirs.
Joining forces with Minardi Management has given me a real boost, and I am so happy to start this journey with them. My dad is always telling me to give 110% every time I get in that driver’s seat, and having Giovanni at my side will just give me more motivation to do exactly that. Really can’t wait to get started!
I’ve been working so hard to accelerate my development, having so much less experience than most of the guys I race against at my age, so it feels especially great that Giovanni has recognized my potential, shown an interest in helping me take my career to the next level, and will guide me through the steps I need to take so I can maximize my growth as a driver and a person, and realize my dreams.
I am super thankful for their trust and support at this early stage of my career and I am going to do everything I can to make sure their time and effort are rewarded in the future.”