HENRY BRINCAT
A fortnight ago I had printed an interview with Gianluca Dingli which confirmed the progress of this youngster in this sport discipline.
However, it only fair to state that it is not Dingli alone who is serving as an ambassador for Malta abroad, especially in Italy.
Another driver, 16-year-old Jacques Mizzi, has also been doing quite well, first in Malta, and now also in Italy where he is a member of the Iscaro team at Maranello Karting.
The only difference is that he was not noticed before because Mizzi drives with an Italian licence and therefore under an Italian flag, unlike Dingli whose licence was issued locally and therefore races under the Maltese flag.
Mizzi was born on 13 August 1992 in Attard, but now resides with his family in Bidnija.
He told me that he had always followed his father Paul who had been a driver himself in his days. “I like all kinds of motor sport, but especially go-karts. When I was young, my father took me to Badger Karting at Attard and I did well. But it was in 2007 that I really got going. I took part in the first race in the air cool 100cc category and finished first. From then on, I have never looked back.
“In the same year, I changed to the water cool 100cc category and finished fifth in the local championship. Considering that it was my first event in this category and there were more than 10 competitors, I think I did well and was quite satisfied with my performance,” he said.
Mizzi went on to say that in the second year, an Italian person from Maranello Karting was in Malta. Mizzi said: “He had talks with my father offering to take me to Italy to drive for the Iscaro team. The move materialised and till now I have taken part in races in Sarno (at least three times), Lecce, Arce and Milan. A few weeks ago, I also took part in the Open Masters (not in the same category as Gianluca).”
Mizzi, who holds the track record at Hal Far with a time of 28.54 seconds, finished second in the Malta Championship this season. He took part in the KF1 (125cc) class. “I hope to win the local championship next season,” he added.
Mizzi claimed that before accepting to drive for the Iscaro team, he had also raced for AV Racing. He added: “I had other offers from teams like Leotta of Sicily, CRG Racing of Brescia and even Formula Azzurra (equivalent to F3) and Mack Racing. However, I accepted Iscaro’s offer.”
With the team, Jacques’s first race was in Arce, finishing a creditable fifth from among 17 competitors. “One of my best results, if not the best, was in Sarno, outside Naples. In one of three races, I finished fourth from 32 karts. Later in Lecce, I finished 16th from among 120 competitors. There I also managed to advance to the final rounds.
“Only recently I took part in the Sarno Open European Masters. From among the 62 competitors, I finished 28th. It was a difficult event as I was competing against the top European drivers. Many of them, especially the Italians have a very good knowledge of the track – training and competing there very frequently. We Maltese cannot do that because of lack of funds. We only get to know about the conditions on arrival two days before each race. That is one handicap which we have to face continuously in such events,” he added.
Asked to describe his biggest disappointment so far in his career, Mizzi said: “In my second race in Italy, in Sarno, I was competing with 32 karts. At the start I was in 11th place, but had managed to overtake many of my opponents to move to third place with just four laps remaining. Then my engine failed and I was out of the race!”
The Iscaro Team provides him with the kart which has a Parilla engine. “In Malta, however, I have my own cart. Had it not been for the support given by my father Paul and sponsors like Caffe Oasis, especially Sequella Caffe, my participation abroad would not have been possible. I would also like to thank Iscaro Team manager Artilio, as well as mechanics Giuseppe and Carmine, who have always given me their full support. I also get a lot of help from RS Garage of Fgura, agents of Maranello and TM engines, and also Joe Farrugia, who prepares the engines for me which have enabled me to be so successful. I cannot but fail to mention the club (Karting Club Malta) which helped me to obtain my foreign licence. Without it I would not have been able to race abroad,” he added.
Mizzi said he is already looking forward to take part in the forthcoming competitions. “The Malta racing calendar will be out in the next few weeks and I am keen to win the title this coming season. Besides, in the next two months, I will be taking part in other competitions in Sicily and in Sarno,” he said.
Asked whether he found it embarrassing to be competing with another Maltese (Dingli) abroad, Mizzi quickly said: “Of course not. I am pleased we compete together. We race in different classes and we always support each other.”