A first lap incident during the 2009 European Open Masters race in the Circuito Internazionale di Napoli (Naples International Circuit) might have prevented 14-year-old Gianluca Dingli the satisfaction of obtaining his best result so far in the karting scene.

The youngster, who drives with a Maltese licence issued by the Malta Motosport Federation, had a somewhat slow start during the free practice, but showed progress with every lap in the qualifying stages and that enabled him to move to sixth place on the grid for Sunday’s race.

As was reported in The Malta Independent on Saturday, Sunday and last Monday, Gianluca was just taking part in his first ever European Masters Open (the youngest driver at 14 years) after being recommended to form part of the BRM team, for which he drives in races in Sicily.

Speaking to The Malta Independent, the young Dingli said he was very disappointed with the way things turned out at the end. “I had already been involved in an incident in qualifying on Saturday when a lady driver banged into my kart and did some damage to my vehicle. She was even penalised 10 seconds for her mistake. Luckily, I was not hurt on that occasion and I could take part in the main race on Sunday for which I qualified in 12th place, despite the damage. On Sunday, in the main race, I was doing quite well from that first lap, but at the first corner – when I was already in sixth place - one of the 18 competitors hit me from the back and went over my feet with his cart, sending me on the grass. I tried to re-start, but I couldn’t. Moments later, as I went out of the vehicle, I not only noticed that I was injured right under my knee – I still cannot walk properly after three days – but I noticed that the gas cable was torn and I could do nothing to remedy the situation. Of course, I was terribly disappointed, but also felt lucky that I was told by doctors at the circuit that I had no fractures,” he said.

Dingli said he does not know what would have happened if the race was run normally without any incidents. “I must say the top guys were fast and very strong. They compete regularly in such top European competitions and they have all the experience which I lack compared to them. However, I feel I was competing satisfactorily against them and I do not exclude the possibility that the incident might have been done on purpose.

“I had started slowly, but even on Friday I did well despite having started last. After two sessions, I showed improvement in seconds and was 12th overall when another hit me and sent me on the grass, losing precious seconds. The improvement was more noticeable on Saturday during qualifying when in the three races of 11 laps each, I finished 14th, 13th and 12th, thus gaining sixth place on the grid for Sunday’s race.

“In the pre-final on Sunday, I maintained my consistency. Here I tried to get better timings, but did not do so, though I still finished 12th out of 18 competitors,” he said.

Gianluca had been very successful during the Palermo race a fortnight ago. “There I did very well to win the pole position and the race itself, racing for the BRM team,” he added.

Dingli said the injury suffered last Sunday will not preclude him from taking part in future races, even if this had to be in a few days’ time. “It is the lack of sponsorships that keeps me away from taking part in such events. I have been lucky enough to have been given a trial by the BRM team with whom I could show my abilities, convincing them to take me on. They now tell me I am one of their assets. Among the next commitments, if funds are not lacking, are another Open Masters event in Castelletto, in the Abruzzo region, and the Palermo championship (250cc).”

Asked how he managed to find himself a place in such top European events such as that of last Sunday in Naples, Gianluca said: “I made contacts myself with the BRM team. I informed them of what had been going locally and of my achievements. They saw that I had an outdated chassis and offered a sponsorship consisting of more modern equipment (not all the chassis, of course). Since I have been using it, I always won locally. Then last year, I was offered the chance to take part in an official testing session in South Garda Karting, in Lonato, near Brescia. It was a really good experience for me. There I did my utmost and managed to impress them; so much, that it seemed as if a door had been opened for me. They phoned up Palermo and told them to await my arrival to join their team in the Sicilian capital. From there, I started taking part in the Sicilian events with the first one being last May for the Trofeo Pista del Lago Palermo where I finished third. The second was on 4/5 July, the second Trofeo Pista del Lago Palermo in class 250 quattro tempi (4 stroke). I won that event and it was these two performances which enabled me to get a recommendation for selection to form part of the team that took part in the Naples Open Masters last Sunday. There are many drivers who wish to be able to take part, but unless one is recommended for participation by one of the top teams, there is no chance,” he added.

Gianluca had shown interest in motor-sport since he was an eight-year-old. He used to accompany his father Wayne at some hill climbs and he started following suit. He said: “I was still young when Mario Mifsud (DJ Banana) took me to Skolasport between 2004 and 2006 to try the Go-Kart. I did and I liked it. From then on, I started taking part in the Malta championship finishing second among the adults at one of my first attempts when I was 11. In 2007-08, I finished second overall in the Rotax junior championship despite winning the majority of races. Last season I finished first overall in the 125cc Restricted Class thus becoming Malta Karting Club champion (BRM BB1/Rotax).”

Gianluca is very grateful to his parents, Wayne and Marie Therese. “Had it not been for their continuous support, I would have never dreamt of being what I am today. They have gone through a lot of sacrifices to see me enjoying my sport,” he said.

Dingli has already been confirmed for another Open Masters event in September where he will be forming part of the BRM team. Then he will be back for the Palermo races. He says he appreciates the public is happy with the results he is obtaining abroad, but reiterated that he needs to be financed to be able to reach higher levels. “I will consider any help – financial or in kind. It was BRM who launched on the scene with the opportunity to race in Sicily. Now I feel I am obliged to give them their due return,” he added.

Dingli, who trains at Hal Far and at Attard, where he gets a sponsorhip from Edwin Gauci of Badger Karting, also thanked BRM Racing, Sara Longo, marketing manager, Paolo Zani for his useful technical assistance, Mario Lena, manager Sicily, Leo Belmonte and all the other team members for their support.A first lap incident during the 2009 European Open Masters race in the Circuito Internazionale di Napoli (Naples International Circuit) might have prevented 14-year-old Gianluca Dingli the satisfaction of obtaining his best result so far in the karting scene.

The youngster, who drives with a Maltese licence issued by the Malta Motosport Federation, had a somewhat slow start during the free practice, but showed progress with every lap in the qualifying stages and that enabled him to move to sixth place on the grid for Sunday’s race.

As was reported in The Malta Independent on Saturday, Sunday and last Monday, Gianluca was just taking part in his first ever European Masters Open (the youngest driver at 14 years) after being recommended to form part of the BRM team, for which he drives in races in Sicily.

Speaking to The Malta Independent, the young Dingli said he was very disappointed with the way things turned out at the end. “I had already been involved in an incident in qualifying on Saturday when a lady driver banged into my kart and did some damage to my vehicle. She was even penalised 10 seconds for her mistake. Luckily, I was not hurt on that occasion and I could take part in the main race on Sunday for which I qualified in 12th place, despite the damage. On Sunday, in the main race, I was doing quite well from that first lap, but at the first corner – when I was already in sixth place - one of the 18 competitors hit me from the back and went over my feet with his cart, sending me on the grass. I tried to re-start, but I couldn’t. Moments later, as I went out of the vehicle, I not only noticed that I was injured right under my knee – I still cannot walk properly after three days – but I noticed that the gas cable was torn and I could do nothing to remedy the situation. Of course, I was terribly disappointed, but also felt lucky that I was told by doctors at the circuit that I had no fractures,” he said.

Dingli said he does not know what would have happened if the race was run normally without any incidents. “I must say the top guys were fast and very strong. They compete regularly in such top European competitions and they have all the experience which I lack compared to them. However, I feel I was competing satisfactorily against them and I do not exclude the possibility that the incident might have been done on purpose.

“I had started slowly, but even on Friday I did well despite having started last. After two sessions, I showed improvement in seconds and was 12th overall when another hit me and sent me on the grass, losing precious seconds. The improvement was more noticeable on Saturday during qualifying when in the three races of 11 laps each, I finished 14th, 13th and 12th, thus gaining sixth place on the grid for Sunday’s race.

“In the pre-final on Sunday, I maintained my consistency. Here I tried to get better timings, but did not do so, though I still finished 12th out of 18 competitors,” he said.

Gianluca had been very successful during the Palermo race a fortnight ago. “There I did very well to win the pole position and the race itself, racing for the BRM team,” he added.

Dingli said the injury suffered last Sunday will not preclude him from taking part in future races, even if this had to be in a few days’ time. “It is the lack of sponsorships that keeps me away from taking part in such events. I have been lucky enough to have been given a trial by the BRM team with whom I could show my abilities, convincing them to take me on. They now tell me I am one of their assets. Among the next commitments, if funds are not lacking, are another Open Masters event in Castelletto, in the Abruzzo region, and the Palermo championship (250cc).”

Asked how he managed to find himself a place in such top European events such as that of last Sunday in Naples, Gianluca said: “I made contacts myself with the BRM team. I informed them of what had been going locally and of my achievements. They saw that I had an outdated chassis and offered a sponsorship consisting of more modern equipment (not all the chassis, of course). Since I have been using it, I always won locally. Then last year, I was offered the chance to take part in an official testing session in South Garda Karting, in Lonato, near Brescia. It was a really good experience for me. There I did my utmost and managed to impress them; so much, that it seemed as if a door had been opened for me. They phoned up Palermo and told them to await my arrival to join their team in the Sicilian capital. From there, I started taking part in the Sicilian events with the first one being last May for the Trofeo Pista del Lago Palermo where I finished third. The second was on 4/5 July, the second Trofeo Pista del Lago Palermo in class 250 quattro tempi (4 stroke). I won that event and it was these two performances which enabled me to get a recommendation for selection to form part of the team that took part in the Naples Open Masters last Sunday. There are many drivers who wish to be able to take part, but unless one is recommended for participation by one of the top teams, there is no chance,” he added.

Gianluca had shown interest in motor-sport since he was an eight-year-old. He used to accompany his father Wayne at some hill climbs and he started following suit. He said: “I was still young when Mario Mifsud (DJ Banana) took me to Skolasport between 2004 and 2006 to try the Go-Kart. I did and I liked it. From then on, I started taking part in the Malta championship finishing second among the adults at one of my first attempts when I was 11. In 2007-08, I finished second overall in the Rotax junior championship despite winning the majority of races. Last season I finished first overall in the 125cc Restricted Class thus becoming Malta Karting Club champion (BRM BB1/Rotax).”

Gianluca is very grateful to his parents, Wayne and Marie Therese. “Had it not been for their continuous support, I would have never dreamt of being what I am today. They have gone through a lot of sacrifices to see me enjoying my sport,” he said.

Dingli has already been confirmed for another Open Masters event in September where he will be forming part of the BRM team. Then he will be back for the Palermo races. He says he appreciates the public is happy with the results he is obtaining abroad, but reiterated that he needs to be financed to be able to reach higher levels. “I will consider any help – financial or in kind. It was BRM who launched on the scene with the opportunity to race in Sicily. Now I feel I am obliged to give them their due return,” he added.

Dingli, who trains at Hal Far and at Attard, where he gets a sponsorhip from Edwin Gauci of Badger Karting, also thanked BRM Racing, Sara Longo, marketing manager, Paolo Zani for his useful technical assistance, Mario Lena, manager Sicily, Leo Belmonte and all the other team members for their support.