Sixteen-year-old driver Gianluca Dingli of BRM Virtu Ferries Racing Team recently took part in the fifth event of the Rotax Regional Championship in Class Rotax Max under 30 with his BRM GPM 66 Chassis and Rotax Max Engine.

Dingli, who was accompanied and supported by his parents, started off the Saturday morning practice sessions under the supervision and technical assistance of his team manager Mario Lena where he practised wheel to wheel with the other competitors.

By Saturday afternoon the chassis, engine and Gianluca were ready for the final races on Sunday which were predicted to take place under warm weather conditions.

Over 100 drivers in eight different categories took part in the event.

During the pole position, another driver bumped into Gianluca where he suffered damages in his kart which made him lose his performance in this very importance session of the day but despite this with his ability and strong character he still managed to finish fifth.

In the pre-final race, from 5th place Gianluca finished third but during the final race he again experienced an unfortunate accident which made him spin on track and lose his place to continue the race from last position.  But again with his determination and strong winning feeling he managed move to third place by the 10th lap after overtaking several drivers – a position he kept till the end of the race to finish on the podium.

Team manager Mario Lena was once again very satisfied with Gianluca’s result and excellent performance and he commented that despite the unfortunate accidents that he had during this event, he still managed to show his potential and that occasions  and experiences like these helped him to even improve his driving skills. 

Gianluca thanked his parents for their continous support and dedication, his main sponsor Virtu Ferries who are making it possible for him to travel for these races, his employer Hetronic Malta ( a division of Methode) Zoqdi Racing Team, Hubert Camilleri of Chevron Auto Dealer, Rabat Local Council, Viking Signs, Silcolene Oils, Badger Karting, Wayne’s Autosprayer, Kunsill Malti ghall-Isport and Malta Motorsport Federation for their support. 

Gianluca’s next appointment in Sicily will be this weekend at the Kartodromo Minoa in Agrigento.