VANESA SILKUNAITE WINS THE FIA GIRLS ON TRACK EDITION 2023 IN JUNIOR

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Minardi Management proudly announces that our young girl Vanesa Silkunaite could win the FIA Girls on Track 2023 – Rising Stars in the Junior category. A dream is coming true for Vanesa and for sure she will certainly have the opportunity to participate in the season 2024 in the major and most important Karting Championships worldwide such as the Champions of the Future (RGMMC), the European CIK FIA and the CIK FIA World Championship.

Giovanni Minardi: “I am really proud of Vanesa, after all the sacrifies she made in this long 2023 season, and at the end she could manage to achieve the most important goal and win the most important selection for girls at her age in the Motorsport. She worked so hard both, on the track and in the gym, day after day for the whole season, and deserves this victory more than anyone else.
Vanesa has always shown that she has speed in her veins and I’m happy to finally see that we were right and that also FIA, FDA and the ACI Federation School confirm this.
The opportunity to work in a top team, with people with very high experience, will give Vanesa the opportunity to grow a lot and I am convinced that she will achieve very important goals. Unbelievable proud of this young lady!”

MINARDI MANAGEMENT INCREASES THE GIRL POWER WITH JULIA ANGELARD

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We are pleased to announce the entry into the Minardi Management family of another girl, the eleven-year-old Julia Angelard, from Poland.

Next season Julia will participate as the main program at the Italian OKJN Championship and in preparation she will do some races at the beginning of the year most probably in the WSK Championship, in the same category, as training before embarking on the adventure of the Italian Championship.

Giovanni Minardi: Julia’s entry represents another important and beautiful challenge for Minardi Management. We will work hard to bring Julia to the highest levels of Motorsport, because we are convinced, following the actual tendences in the world of Motorsport, that girls will give an unplus value to this mainly male sport, even more girls like Julia, who has all the characteristics and the talent to do well.

Julia Angelard: Thrilled to announce that I’ve joined the Minardi Management family! Excited to accelerate my journey in karting with their incredible support and expertise.
Grateful for this opportunity and ready to hit the track with full throttle!

VLADIMIR IVANNIKOV CHANGE TEAM

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Amazing news are coming ahead…
Vladimir Ivannikov changes the team, and will switch from Team Gamoto to the official Energy Corse Team, powered by Machac Motors.
In the last two days Vladimir already worked on track with his new team Energy Corse Racing Team to test the new material between the two most important tracks, Lonato and Franciacorta, until the end of the season 2023. Vladimir immediately adapted to the new material and showed already great improvements lap after lap. The team, we as his management and also Vladimir and his family were all extremely satisfied after these test days and sure about the decision we all made together. In the next two weeks he will participate in the last two WSK events, the Final Cup, in preparation for the new season already with his new team.
In 2024, Vladimir’s schedule will be very tight, he will participate in all WSK, RGMMC, CIK FIA European and World races, as well as other races around Europe and beyond.

Giovanni Minardi: “I am very happy for Vladimir to have reached this agreement with Michele Panigada and his team. I’m sure we can do great things together and obtain amazing results. I have to thank a lot to Machac Motors for their support and help they have given us and will give us throughout the next season.”

Vladimir Ivannikov: “In the last two days I’ve done a few tests with my new team Energy Corse Racing Team, and I’m really satisfied with the feeling with the new chassis and we are very positive looking forward for the next races. I see this change of team as a huge opportunity for my personal and sportive growth and I am excited to start racing under the colors of my new team for great results, victories and trophies in OKJ category.
A special thanks to my manager, Giovanni Minardi which fought so much in the last months to obtain the best sportive opportunity for me”.

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!!”