Giuliana Saladino: the inspiring journey of South Africa's seven-year-old karting prodigy
Image: Supplied
Meet Giuliana Saladino. She's only seven years old, but remember her name because, judging by her record, she's going to be another South African to make a mark in motorsport.
Women in motorsport have come a long way in the last few years, and it's not uncommon to turn on the television and hear female names behind the wheel and also commentating.
There have been many challenges, like the need for equal pay and commercial opportunities, like those afforded to most male sporting codes.
Karting marvel
Described as a karting marvel in a male-dominated sport, she sets the racing agenda with lots of help from her parents.
Her impressive list of achievements includes: 2024 Prokart SSS Championship winner in the Minions class.
Winner of the fastest lap trophy in the Prokart SSS Championship.
Second place in the 2024 Rok Cup South Africa Nationals Championship in the Tillotson Cadets.
Signed new sponsors for the 2025 season, including Supa Quick, Liqui Moly, NGK Niterra SA, Kennedy Tools, and Sparco.
This year, she is starting to train in Rotax Micro Max for club races.
In her blood
Racing is in Saladino's blood with her grandfather, Larry Wilford, a racing legend around South African circuits, having been in the sport for over fifty years, while her brother, Matteo, 11, is also a talented kart racer.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Giuliana Saladino quickly made her mark finishing third in the 2023 SSS Championship, which was also her rookie year.
Image: Supplied
Based out of the Vereeniging Karting Club, she quickly made her mark, finishing third in the 2023 SSS Championship, which was also her rookie year.
Giuliana's mom, Natalie, was exposed to late workshop nights with her dad teaching her how to use the tools and exercises like bleeding brakes, which captivated her interest in the sport.
She wasn't allowed to participate in motorsport herself, but she makes sure her kids get to realise their shared passion for the sport.
Proud mom
According to Natalie, her daughter's interest was cemented when she was found in the garage, pretending to be racing in her brother's kart.
In 2022, aged four, Giuliana's parents presented her with her first kart. She promptly gave it the number 4. Not because she's a Lando Norris fan, she's a diehard Ferrari fan, but because she was four.
'The track is my happy place,' said Natalie
'We are immensely proud of her. Her ambition, dedication, and drive to excel in her sport. She doesn't do it for anyone but herself. It brings her pure joy and a sense of achievement being on the track.
'She wants to become an inspiration and role model for other boys and girls.'
Giuliana Saladino striking a pose in her race suit.
Image: Supplied
'Always keen for one more session on practice days, Natalie says the young starlet has learnt to be a humble winner and gracious loser.
'At the tender age of seven, she can joke with her peers and have in-depth conversations with adults about the sport. Karting has brought about a maturity in her. A maturity that is important when dealing with speed, risk and awareness of not only yourself but everyone around you.
'When she was 4, she would watch Drive to Survive and say things like, 'I want to be in that movie, mommy'."
She recently attracted interest from international driver academies that focus on female drivers, like More Than Equal and Iron Dames Young Talent, which are tracking her development and progress, and have requested her application for their programs when she is eligible.
So, remember her name … Giuliana Saladino
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
27 minutes ago
- The South African
Gayton praises Dricus: 'You will come back stronger'
Gayton McKenzie has heaped praise on Dricus du Plessis after he lost his Middleweight World Champion title to Khamzat Chimaev at the UFC 319 on Saturday. The undefeated Russian fighter dominated his five-round match against the South African MMA star. Minutes after he was dethroned of his title, Minister of Sports, Art and Culture Gayton McKenzie praised Dricus du Plessis for his efforts. He posted from his X account: 'Dricus du Plessis, you made us proud as one of the great champions, and we know you will be back. You faced a tough wrestler today, but you will come back stronger. 'It was hard to watch, but you never gave up. You almost had him, and you'll always be a legend. Chin up.' Gayton's post comes after he consoled the Springboks, who lost 38-22 to the Wallabies at Ellis Park. He tweeted, 'We're still proud of you guys. A stumble on the road is part of all journeys. Let's get them next week. Go Bokke.' Khamzat 'Borz' Chimaev dominated Dricus 'Stillknocks' du Plessis in a lopsided affair to capture the UFC middleweight title at UFC 319. Image: UFC In his interview after his defeat, Dricus du Plessis praised his opponent, Khamzat Chimaev, for He said, 'He deserves this 100 percent. 'He beat me fair and square tonight; he was the better man. Dricus vowed to avenge his loss and win his belt back. He added, 'I'll be back stronger and better than ever.' Addressing his home country, Dricus continued: 'To everybody in South Africa, you all know this flag means the world to me. I am sorry to anyone I let down. 'I'll be back stronger. South Africans, we rise and fight through adversity, and we will show the world that they still don't know what we know.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
41 minutes ago
- The Citizen
Development players gear up for the big leagues
Development players gear up for the big leagues The historic CMR Golf Club hosted the latest round of the Big Easy Golf Tour from August 5 to 7. The Big Easy Tour was founded in 2011 as a developmental leg of the iconic Sunshine Tour, South Africa's most prestigious golfing event. The name alludes to legendary South African golf player Ernie Els. According to club president Winston Smith, what makes this year's tour special is the fact that seven former development players, who had their start at CMR, are part of the tournament. 'We're very proud as a club for our continued focus on development,' he says. 'These players started as children at CMR, receiving training through our partnership with the South African Golf Development Board. 'They eventually became fully-fledged members of the club and are now playing at a professional level.' He adds that CMR is the only golf club that offers free membership to its juniors. 'Our programme exposes the young players to the various local, provincial, and national leagues.' 'It is part of our initiative to encourage young talented players to join the sport, and it is bearing fruit. These young players who fought their way up the ranks are now vying for a place in the top tournament in the country.' Out of the seven former CMR juniors that took part, three are playing in the amateur league, looking to move up in the rankings and turn professional, and four are playing on a professional level, trying to qualify for the Sunshine Tour. 'We look forward to seeing big things from these players in the future,' he concludes.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Victory against Chimaev is no different to any of my preceding victories, says Du Plessis
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, emphasised that beating the number three-ranked middleweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev will carry the same weight as beating any of his opponents in the UFC thus far, despite Chimaev being highly rated. Du Plessis will face Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago in the early hours on Sunday morning (South African time), a fighter that many consider to be "The boogeyman" of the UFC. Because of the dominant nature of the majority of Chimaev's victories in the UFC, coupled with his unbeaten record in his career, many fighters fear him, making him one of the highly rated fighters that the South African has faced in his career. However, despite all the aforementioned reasons, Du Plessis made it clear that beating Chimaev does not carry any more weight than beating Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland or any of his opponents in the UFC. The trash talk king added that Chimaev has been respectful to him, a feat that contributed in the lack of trash talk or banter in the pre-fight press conference on Friday. "This will mean for me exactly what it meant to beat every other guy before this. It's not about the opponent, it's not about who I face, it's about defending this belt every time somebody steps up to try and take it from me. That's all that matters to me," said Du Plessis. "This is the first time meeting him this week. I don't know the man. He seems respectful up until now, that's why there's no trash talk." It is safe to say that the people of Chicago, at least those who were present in the press conference on Friday, were heavily in favour of Chimaev. As a result, the people of Chicago were not shy in letting Du Plessis know of their dislike of him as they booed him from the start to the finish of the press conference. However, Du Plessis seemed unfazed as he told the media that he had gotten used to the negative response in Chicago, as he had never been the favourite to win any of his main event fights in the UFC. The 31-year-old South African fighter added that the fact that Chimaev is motivated by money instead of legacy and the ambition of being champion might be his downfall. "I've walked into every fight, especially as a main event, and heard the exact (same response from the) crowd, but guess what, I've walked out with the belt every single time," said Du Plessis. "We all have our different motivations. The motivations differ, the outcome will be the same, I'm walking out the champion. He's getting his money whether he wins or loses, so for him (regardless of the outcome), it's a good day at the office for him. I'll only be satisfied when I walk out of there with my belt."
