The IAME Winter Cup in Valencia was the scene of exciting races for four of our talents, Vanesa, Benjamin, Nilas and Markas. Meanwhile, Zack continues his growth path in the Open KartMag in Salbris.

Zack Zhu – P7 in the KartMag Championship in Salbris, Cat. Rotax Junior
Zack confirmed the excellent impressions of his debut with another very competitive weekend, where he set excellent times in practice. In the heats he showed all his consistency by crossing the line always in the top 10. In the final he showed excellent pace, but an unfortunate penalty prevented him from getting on the podium. Despite this, he is establishing himself as one of the protagonists of the category in his debut year.

Vanesa Silkunaite – P24 in the IAME Winter Cup in Valencia, Cat. X30 Junior
Vanesa hit the ground running, constantly being in top ten in free practice. Qualifying didn’t give the expected results, but her overtaking skill allowed her to make incredible comebacks in the first two heats and in the Super Heat, where she achieved a strong P10. Unfortunately he had a technical problem in the last heat, which compromised her starting position in the final. A further problem prevented her from making another comeback, but the speed and grit shown bode well for the rest of the season.

Benjamin Westwood – DNQ in the IAME Winter Cup in Valencia, Cat. X30 Junior
Benjamin had to adapt to a new team and a new environment, coming from the ROK, but he was fast right from the first tests. The inexperience in qualifying costed him a few positions, which he could not recover in the heats due to some technical problems. Unfortunately, these problems prevented him from qualifying for the final, but he still showed excellent speed and above all great resilience. We are sure that he will soon be able to fight for the first positions.

Nilas Malik – P14 in the IAME Winter Cup in Valencia, Cat. X30 Junior
Nilas has just joined the agency, but he’s already shown tremendous speed, grit and perfectionism. He achieved an excellent pole position in his group, which he converted into a good P3 in the first heat. The other heats were marred by an electrical problem and a bumper penalty, so he started the final from P19, instead of the top 5. But he showed great resilience, making an extraordinary comeback and crossing the finish line in P3, which unfortunately became P14 after a bumper penalty, due to the many battles fought to recover the many positions. This result doesn’t reflect the enormous potential of our Danish talent, who will certainly be one of the protagonists of the category.

Markas Silkunas – DNQ in the IAME Winter Cup in Valencia, Cat. X30 Senior
Markas started the weekend with an amazing pace, always among the top five in free practice. Unfortunately, the qualification didn’t go according to plan, and the difficult starting position made it almost impossible to achieve good results in the heats. But he showed all his talent in the Super Heat, overtaking 12 karts and crossing the line just outside the top 10. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to qualify for the final, but he will store the lessons learned in Valencia to compete again for the top positions already from the next race.

Author: Jacopo Rava

Thomas Baldassarri, born in 2008 in Lugo di Romagna, comes from a good season in the MINI Challenge championship. Let’s find out more about him ahead of his second season in the category, where he will fight again for the Italian championship.

You began racing at the age of 4. How did your encounter with the go-kart happen?
«My encounter with karting was initially born from my father’s passion, then from a request I made for my fourth birthday. That’s why he gave me a go-kart for that birthday, and from there my journey began. »

When did you understand the dream of becoming a driver could become reality?
«I understood the dream of becoming a driver could become reality when I realized the ever-growing passion, I had for this and, above all, for the first results I achieved».

Who were your benchmark drivers during your career?
«Honestly, there has never really been a driver who inspired me, because I believe every driver has an individual way of thinking and acting, so we can certainly say that my true benchmark driver is me».

You’ve been racing MINIs since 2024. What are the driving characteristics developed by this race car?
«The car I raced this year, the MINI John Cooper Works, is a very versatile car that has excellent speed both on the straights and in the corners. It’s also one of the few race cars to have front-wheel drive, which is a game-changer. Last but not least, the H gearbox, or the road gearbox, which is undoubtedly the most difficult to use».

What trophy are you most proud of?
«For now, the trophy I look at with greatest pride is the victory of the Italian go-kart championship race at Siena».

How do you feel racing in the same circuits as Formula 1?
«It’s very exciting to drive on the same tracks as Formula 1 drivers, because while you’re racing there, you think about some of the best drivers in the world have raced on that circuit».

What car, from the past or present, would you choose for a day of testing in Imola?
«If I really could choose a car for a day of testing, I would undoubtedly choose the Ferrari 488 GT3».

What are your interests outside the track?
«Outside the track, I do my duty as a young science high school student, but in my free time I love to approach the world of video games, and also collecting some rare pieces».

What’s your next dream to fulfil?
«The next dream to fulfil is obviously to win the championship that I will contest this year».

Author: Jacopo Rava

• The first cup in the 2025 season is a good opportunity to warm up for the upcoming season for Julia Angelard, driving for JSTR by Jastrzębski Racing.
• The Polish driver qualified for the final race in the OK Junior class in 19th place, but unfavourable weather conditions, leading to minor mistakes on the track, resulted in finishing the final race in 26th place.

Although most of the competitors gathered at the South Garda Karting track in Lonato were not lacking in optimism, the weather accompanying the ROK Cup Winter Trophy 2025 made it clear that the first competition of the season would not be the easiest. Rainfall with variable intensity posed a real challenge for mechanics and drivers in the next qualifying races, in which Julia Angelard began this year’s competition on the international stage.

The JSTR by Jastrzębski Racing competitor, who is under the care of Minardi Management, did indeed make it to the final round of competition in her Junior ROK category, but it was not without difficulties and struggles with both other competitors and equipment.

Plans for a solid start to the season thwarted
“The time trial went quite well for me, although not entirely as I had planned. Problems with starting the engine meant that I did not go out on the track as we had planned. As a result, it was difficult for me to complete that perfect qualifying lap. It was wonderful to get to the final despite the difficulties. Unfortunately, in difficult weather conditions I fell off at the first corner. My pace was very good and I managed to regain a dozen or so positions, after which I had a collision with another competitor while overtaking and with the damaged front of my kart I was not able to make up for the loss,” emphasizes Julia Angelard.

There was no shortage of difficulties
“All in all, it was a good first race weekend for Julia at the ROK Winter Trophy. All test days went perfectly, and she achieved a very positive eighth place in her qualifying group and 15th overall. On Saturday, she showcased her quality with a fabulous sixth place in the first manche. Unfortunately, during the second manche, she encountered some technical difficulties and faced intense battles on track, which prevented her from finishing.

On Sunday, the weather conditions changed significantly, with rain and a lot of water and dust on the track. This made it quite challenging for her, but she managed to maintain her position and finished ninth in the first manche. It was a great job and a clear demonstration of her determination!

In the final, however, she had to start from the back due to her missing result in the second manche. This was particularly penalizing under such conditions, and the final result did not accurately reflect her true performance, improvement, and resilience throughout the weekend. We are continually convinced that Julia’s will, talent, and intelligence make her one of the promising female talents to watch in the near future!” – commented Giovanni Minardi, the racer’s manager.

Showing her true face
The Minardi Management protégé will soon have another opportunity to compete on the South Garda Karting track. Julia Angelard will certainly try to settle scores with Lonato, and the opportunity for this will be the third round of the WSK Super Master Series. Right after it, the Polish racer will move directly to Portimão, where she will start in the first round of the prestigious Champions of the Future Academy series, supported by the F1 Academy.

JULIA ANGELARD, a nearly 13-year-old karting competitor, a protégé of Minardi Management, a member of the PZM junior national karting team in the 2025 season. Representing the colors of JSTR by Jastrzębski Racing, in the 2025 season she will compete in the Polish Karting Championships, in the Italian ROK Cup Italia series and in the international Champions of the Future Academy program, supported by F1 Academy – a series accompanying Formula 1. In July 2024, she was the only Polish woman to be among the 20 competitors who appeared in the Iron Dames Young Talents shootout finals.

She began competing in karting at the age of 4. She began her professional starts in the Rotax Max Challenge Poland series in the years 2017-2022 in the MicroMax and Minimax categories. In 2023, at the age of 11, she started in the ROK Cup Poland in the Junior category. In September 2023, she made her international debut as part of the ROK Superfinal and ROK Cup Italia, where she also appeared in 2024, becoming the fastest and highest ranked competitor and advancing 17 positions in one of the races.

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After a beautiful win in the last race of last season in Abu Dhabi, our Ferrari Driver Academy talent will be back for more in the 2025 F1 Academy championship. Racing with MP Motorsport, she has a very good chance of winning the title and establishing herself as the fastest girl in the world.

Giovanni Minardi: “We are extremely pleased to have found a seat for Maya with MP Motorsport, and we thank Scuderia Ferrari for helping us closing the deal: we will defend the colors of the Maranello team again in the 2025 season of the F1 Academy championship.

We are certain, the Maya/MP Motorsport combination is the right choice to fight for the win in every race, and, most importantly, to win the championship.

Our agency is looking forward to begin this new adventure with Maya in this championship, because it’s the first time one of our girls participates.

One of the best qualities of this championship is the calendar: each of the seven rounds will be held alongside Formula 1 weekends on the most important and glamorous circuits on the calendar. Moreover, we will be part of the most important marketing show in the world of motorsport”.

Maya Weug: “Can’t wait to get started with MP Motorsport for my second season in F1 Academy! MP is a team with a lot of experience and I’m sure we’ll be working hard all year to fight for more wins! And proud to be racing in Ferrari colors again in 2025”.

Wouter Blokhuis: “We are very pleased that Maya has joined us for our F1 Academy season in 2025. With her speed and experience she will be among the leading drivers in a very talented field of young female drivers, so we look forward to seeing her at the sharp end of the grid, as we continue to support our sport’s inclusive journey towards more diversity.”

Author: Jacopo Rava

Luka Sammalisto kicked off his 2025 season with an impressive debut for US Racing at the Formula Winter Series in Portimão. After joining the championship-winning team run by Gerhard Ungar and Ralf Schumacher, Luka quickly adapted to his new environment, showing both speed and consistency throughout the weekend.

Building Momentum in Qualifying
Luka demonstrated steady progress during Thursday and Friday’s test sessions, culminating in a P4 finish on Friday afternoon. In Saturday’s qualifying, he secured P6 for Race 1 with a time of 1:45.999 (+0.466). His second-fastest lap also placed him P6 for Race 2. Luka qualified P8 in the second session with a time of 1:45.947 (+0.524), setting him up well for the weekend’s races.

Race Recap: Consistency and Growth
Race 1: Luka made an immediate impact, gaining a position on the opening lap. With strong pace, he overtook Red Bull Junior Fionn McLaughlin and soon closed in on his US Racing teammate Edu Robinson. After a well-executed pass, Luka crossed the finish line in P3, securing his first podium of the season. Unfortunately, a five-second time penalty for track limits dropped him to P10.

Race 2: The second race was dominated by two extended safety car periods, leaving little room for overtaking. Despite the limited action, Luka maintained his starting position and benefited from penalties ahead, finishing in P4—his best result of the weekend.

Race 3: Sunday’s race presented tricky conditions after a pre-race shower. While some drivers opted for slicks, most, including Luka, started on wet tires. After an early red flag and restart behind the safety car, Luka capitalized on the gaps that opened ahead. He overtook Maximilian Popov, closed a three-second gap to teammate Edu Robinson, and ultimately finished in P6. Post-race penalties for other drivers promoted Luka to P5.

Luka’s Reflection on the Weekend
“It was a positive start to the season. We showed good pace, learned a lot, and I’m confident heading into the next round in Barcelona.”

Looking Ahead
Luka’s strong start with US Racing is a promising sign for the upcoming season. With valuable experience gained and solid results in the bag, the focus now shifts to the final round of the Formula Winter Series in Barcelona, followed by preparations for the Italian F4 Championship.

Stay tuned for more updates on Luka’s journey by visiting www.lukasammalistoracing.com.

Author: Lukas Wunderlich