Six young drivers from around the world have triumphed in the Pirelli Star Driver Global Shoot-Out, which finished today in Salou, Spain. Pitted against 10 other drivers, the winning six will become part of the FIA’s young driver programme which, next year, will be integrated into the newly-created WRC Academy.
The drivers
Andrea Crugnola (Italy)
Date of birth: 25.09.89
WRC rounds started: 0
Achievements:
2008 Under-23 Italian Rally Championship winner
2009 Suzuki Trophy Italy winner
2009 Suzuki Trophy under-23 winner
Crugnola said:
“I am very emotional now. It was a great weekend. I learned a lot of new things. I am very excited to drive the Fiesta on tarmac and gravel and I enjoyed my time here in Salou.”
Craig Breen (Ireland)
Date of birth: 02.02.90
WRC rounds started: 6
Achievements:
2009 Fiesta SportTrophy International winner
2009 Fiesta SportTrophy Ireland and UK winner
2010 International Rally Northern Ireland winner
Breen said:
“This is fantastic. It’s been a fantastic couple of days, there’s a lot of pressure, but this is a fantastic opportunity made possible by the FIA and Pirelli. It’s a great chance for a young driver like myself to be seen in the WRC. To be honest, at the moment, it’s a complete flow of emotion, but it’s time for me to move on to the next step of my career.”
Fredrik Åhlin (Sweden)
Date of birth: 08.02.91
WRC rounds started: 0
Achievements:
Youngest ever overall winner of a rally in Sweden
Winner of Northern European Zone Pirelli Star Driver qualification
Åhlin said:
“It’s the best feeling ever. This is the best step ever. I am so happy right now. It’s been one of the toughest experiences; I was so nervous, but I wanted to do the best. When I saw the drivers and thought they were so good, I thought it was impossible [for me], but now I’m here.
Brendan Reeves (Australia)
Date of birth: 29.08.88
WRC rounds started: 1
Achievements:
2008 Rally New Zealand class winner
2010 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship – Pacific Cup winner
2010 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship – New Caledonia Rally winner
Reeves said:
“It was pretty amazing, right from the start with the training with Robert Reid. Then we came to the driving and we took that really seriously. The media interview went well this morning.”
Molly Taylor (Australia)
Date of birth: 06.05.88
WRC rounds started: 0
Achievements:
2007/2008 Australian Formula 1600 winner
2009 British Suzuki Sport Cup winner of two rounds
2009/2010 British Ladies Rally Champion
2010 British Citroën Racing Trophy third
Taylor said:
“I feel overwhelmed just to be sitting here. Opportunities like this don’t come along very often to be selected – I’m just pinching myself at the moment!”
Jan Cerný (Czech Republic)
Date of birth: 06.06.90
WRC rounds started: 0
Achievements:
2010 Class A6 Czech Republic Championship winner
2010 European Rally Championship two-wheel drive winner
Cerný said:
“I feel great because this is a little dream. I am really happy. I want to thank my father and all the people; I hope the jury make a good choice. I am very happy.”
On Friday, prior to the driving element of the Shoot-Out, the 16 drivers – and their co-drivers – took part in a day-long training session with ESP, the company which has run the Pirelli Star Driver training for the last two years. After two lectures from ESP co-founder and 2001 FIA World Rally Champion co-driver Robert Reid, the 16 crews were split into four groups and undertook a team-building exercise which illustrated various aspects of the World Rally Championship and the sport in general.
Prepared for the day of competition, the drivers enjoyed the Spanish sunshine on Saturday as they lined up for their drives. Piloting Ford Fiesta R2s, the drivers tackled two runs at a gravel stage and two runs at an asphalt test, with Pirelli Scorpion tyres used for both surfaces.
After evaluating the driving skills of the 16 hopefuls, the potential Pirelli Star Drivers then made a presentation to the jury this morning, outlining their careers to date and aspirations for the future. They then answered questions from the judging panel – which included former world rally winner Michèle Mouton – before the jury selected the drivers they felt most deserving of one of the six available spaces on next year’s young driver initiative.
FIA World Rally Championship Commission President Morrie Chandler said: “This is the first time we have held a ‘global’ shoot-out. The camaraderie between the crews from various parts of the world was great to see and created a good competitive environment. I am sure all the participants learned from the experience.”
Pirelli Motorsport Manager Mario Isola said: “It’s really exciting to see the next year of Pirelli Star Drivers coming through. Once again, I think we have found some real talent. Having drivers coming from across the world for the Shoot-Out has made this a very interesting event for us. Pirelli is proud to have backed the FIA’s young driver development initiative and we are delighted to see this continue into next season, maintaining Pirelli’s presence in the FIA World Rally Championship and furthering our rich history at the pinnacle of world rallying.”
Next year’s young driver programme will run within the all-new WRC Academy. The six drivers will contest six rounds of the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship in Ford Fiesta R2s.
– Credit: FIA.