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Birelart archives the season debut with the first round of the WSK Super Master Series at La Conca

After presenting the new features for the 2026 season, Birelart returned to the track with its new chassis to kick off the season for the OK Senior, OK Junior, and Mini classes at Muro Leccese. A solid debut across all categories with the new IAME engines, collecting valuable data in preparation for the upcoming races.

OK Senior – Sala comes close to a podium finish on his debut
The OK class weekend saw Filippo Sala (CL Racing Team) among the main protagonists of the category on his debut with the team. After finishing 2nd in his qualifying group, he completed four high-level heats with two wins and two second places. This was enough for pole position in the pre-final, which he then finished in third place. He also proved competitive in the final after a difficult start, finishing fourth to round off a very positive first weekend. Also in the final was Aston Sharp (VAR by Birelart), despite a challenging qualifying session, but able to recover positions in every heat, including a gain of more than ten places on Saturday afternoon. His speed was confirmed again in the prefinal. Top-ten finish and positive signs in the heats for Ivannikov and Mazzola, while Rousseau made his debut fully in tune with the Birelart chassis and Sabirov contested his first race in the Senior category.

OKJ – Hard-fought heats and qualifying
In OK Junior, Rea continued on the path he had already begun in the last races of 2025, gaining more experience in the category and making up ground in the heats by recovering several positions without making mistakes. Double debut for Legenkyi (CL Racing Team), who was called upon to recover during the heats, and Julia Angelard (Richard Mille Young Talent Academy), who was fast in qualifying.

MINI – Torchia, Muijs and Sheetov in the spotlight
New season also for the Mini class, with Birelart chassis fighting for the top positions. In Mini U10, Ferdinando Torchia showed great speed in the heats, including a fifth place and eleven positions recovered, until the fight for the top ten positions in the final. Sheetov and Muijs then put on a strong showing in Mini Gr.3, both following a similar path with consistent top-ten finishes, including a comeback third place for each of them in the heats. Worth highlighting are Sheetov’s second place in the prefinal and Muijs’ fifth, which secured direct access to the final. It was also a debut weekend for Bakkeegaard, who faced his first race weekend focused on learning and progression.

Jordon Lennox, Direct Drive Team Manager: «The weekend at Muro Leccese was positive, as was our debut with IAME. Given the conditions we encountered, it was certainly not easy, but we worked as hard as we could, also to understand the new engine set-up, etc., as this is a new beginning for us. Overall, we are taking home positive data from both Junior and Senior, with victories in the heats and fast laps. We are happy with this start, but obviously we are not satisfied and the goal is to do better and better race after race.»

Marino Spinozzi, Mini Class Team Manager: «It wasn't an easy weekend to deal with, as conditions kept changing between wet and dry, but all the drivers proved to be competitive. We didn't have much luck in qualifying due to traffic during the session, which forced the drivers to fight their way back up the field. All of them gained many positions during the heats, and despite starting in the middle of the pack, they easily secured top ten or top three positions on more than one occasion. Sheetov and Muijs put together two excellent pre-finals with a second and fifth place, but unfortunately, an accident at the start of the final forced them to restart from the back. Bakkeegaard also made good progress and proved to be competitive. In the U10 class, Torchia also made an excellent debut. In the U10 category, it was also a very positive debut for Torchia. In the final, something may have been missing, but he confirmed expectations by consistently being among the quickest in the heats, securing a top-five finish, and showing strong pace again in the prefinal. Overall, it was a challenging but more than positive weekend in terms of the new season.»

The Birelart Racing Team will be back on track at the Circuito Internazionale Napoli in Sarno between 4 and 8 February for WSK Super Master Series Round 2.

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