Karting talent Lukas Pelizzari claims first Junior podium in IAME X30 Juniors - GK4 Kart Series!

GENK – After a tough fight in the final, Lukas Pelizzari has secured his first Junior podium. The thirteen-year-old karter from Troisvierges in Luxembourg came home third on Saturday in the IAME X30 Junior class of the GK4 Kart Series. The race weekend was only the second round of his very first season at Junior level.

“It was a crazy race, with a lot of people fighting”, Lukas said about the final. “I was leading, but then I dropped back to P5. I didn’t want to settle for P5, I wanted the podium. I told myself: go, go.” From there, he climbed back to third before he took the chequered flag.

The build-up to that final had been strong. Lukas qualified third, and in the opening heat the driver of the Euro Karting Racing Team matched that result. Heat two brought him second place. “I led for half of that heat”, he said. “That already showed that I was really quick.”

The race weekend in Genk was Lukas’s first big test in his new class. After two seasons in the Mini category, he made the step up to Junior earlier this year. The category is more competitive and faster on every front. “In this category, you have to fight more”, he said. “There is more top speed and more speed in the corners.”

The biggest adjustment, however, was physical. Heavier karts demand more from the body, especially the neck. Lukas works with a physical trainer to prepare for these larger machines. “My trainer and I work together, and he makes me stronger. That helps a lot.”

On track, that preparation comes together at a circuit Lukas has come to know well. He took his first-ever Mini victory at Genk during his time in that class, and the layout still suits him today. “I like Genk because of the speed”, he said. “The feeling on this track is so good. I like the layout, and I like the battles here.”

His bond with his sport began at the early age of nine, in the Mini Rookie category at the Mariembourg circuit, going straight into a training session rather than a rental kart. Two months later he was racing. He had wanted it for far longer.

“Actually, I had wanted to do this since I was three years old”, Lukas said. “My parents had to make me wait.” The interest came from Formula 1, and a family member’s enthusiasm for the sport played a part. “My grandma is also a Formula 1 fan, and through her I felt: I want this too. I love speed and the adrenaline.”

From those early ambitions, Lukas now looks ahead to the rest of his season. He will continue in the GK4 Kart series, with one round of the IAME Euro Series at Franciacorta also on the table. He would also like to take part in the IAME Warriors Final later in the year, although the budget for that prestigious race is out of reach for now. “Too bad, but the other races are also amazing to race.”

Looking further ahead, he has a clear ambition. “I’d like to move into car racing someday, Formula 1 or GTs, and the Le Mans series too”, he said. “But first, I want to win as much as I can in karting!”
 

Lukas Pelizzari thanks his dad and his mum, his manager Lionel, his mechanic Antoine Landero, Silvano Caira, Thierry Lepin and the entire Euro Karting racing team.