Silkunas struggles in Valencia, signs of progress for the drivers competing in the WSK Euro Series and Iame Winter Cup

The first to hit the track in the WSK Euro Series in Viterbo were Tariq Soofi, Zack Zhu and Benjamin Westwood.
Seasonal debut for Nilas Malik in the IAME Winter Cup in Valencia.
Third round of the Formula Winter Series in Spain, also in Valencia, for Markas Silkunas.


Tariq Soofi – P48 – WSK Euro Series, Viterbo (Italy), Mini GR3
Seasonal debut for Tariq, racing this weekend in the WSK Euro Series in Viterbo. His first race weekend of the year proved quite challenging due to weather conditions that did not suit his driving style. Despite this, Tariq showed strong pace from the start, improving in every heat.
The Bahraini driver will already be back on track next weekend, aiming to put into practice what he has learned and continue his development path. In Viterbo he showed great determination and eagerness to learn: at this stage of the season, being the first races of the year, he mainly needs mileage, experience and data collection. Results will come soon.

Zack Zhu – P19 – WSK Euro Series, Viterbo (Italy), OKJ
Zack Zhu returned to the track in the WSK Euro Series. The Chinese driver delivered an excellent weekend, consistently running at the front and even winning one heat. In qualifying he secured an outstanding second place, confirming his speed in the following heats with finishes always inside the top four. In the final, however, contact with another driver forced him to restart from the back and attempt a difficult comeback. Rain further complicated the race, preventing him from finishing in the position he deserved.
Zack leaves Viterbo with strong awareness of the progress made: although the final result does not reflect his potential, his overall performance and speed in the heats confirm he can consistently fight for top positions. Focus now shifts to the next round.

Benjamin Westwood – P32 – WSK Euro Series, Viterbo (Italy), OKJ
A positive weekend for Westwood, who managed to reach the final in Viterbo in the WSK Euro Series. Despite some initial difficulties, the young driver worked hard, gaining positions and securing a place in the final. In the last session, however, Benjamin was forced to retire after contact, undoing the good work shown up to that point.
Westwood nevertheless showed clear improvement in the conditions that had previously caused him the most trouble — wet racing. During the weekend he set the fastest sector several times, demonstrating growing confidence in these situations. Attention now turns to next weekend, with expectations remaining high after the progress shown.

Nilas Malik – P10 – IAME Winter Cup, Valencia (Spain), X30 Junior
Nilas returned to the track, this time competing in the IAME Winter Cup in Valencia. The young driver showed clear improvement, consistently running in P10 in the heats and finishing one of them in second place. In qualifying, Nilas secured a fantastic P4, demonstrating excellent pace. On Saturday, however, due to adverse weather conditions, the organizers decided to cancel on-track activities. This prevented Nilas from competing in the decisive phases, ending the weekend in P10 in the overall heats classification.
Nilas appears to be back in great form this season. A comeback year is expected from him, given his strong potential and good knowledge of the category. Unfortunately, this weekend did not allow him to fight in the final — where he would have started from P5 — but we are confident he will soon have the chance to prove his full value.

Markas Silkunas – Formula Winter Series, Valencia (Spain)
RACE 1: P28
RACE 2: P23
RACE 3: P20

Third weekend in Formula 4 machinery for Markas. In Valencia, the Lithuanian driver encountered several difficulties throughout the weekend. On Friday he showed consistent pace, while on Saturday all sessions were suspended due to adverse weather conditions. As a result, qualifying and races were concentrated on Sunday. Markas therefore ended the weekend in a challenging way, unable to fully express his potential.
During the weekend he paid the price for a few mistakes, probably linked to his limited experience in the category. The goal now is to reset, regain focus and consistency, and make the most of what he has learned: weekends like this are a fundamental step in his development path.

Author: Gabriele Bovio