2024 FIA Rally Star – Rally Italia Sardegna occasion preview
- Romet Jürgenson leads FIA Junior WRC Championship after two rounds
- Taylor Gill in second place following first class podium on Croatia Rally
- Max Sensible joins FIA Rally Star team-mates in getting ready arduous for gravel spherical
- Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó returns to Sardinia boosted by first Junior WRC factors
A difficult gravel contest awaits the FIA Rally Star drivers this week with Rally Italia Sardegna marking the subsequent stage of the quartet’s FIA Junior WRC Championship journey.
Primarily based in Alghero from Could 30-June 2, Rally Italia Sardegna is spherical three of the five-event Junior WRC season and an opportunity for Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó, Taylor Gill, Romet Jürgenson and Max Sensible to go to some previously-charted territory.
Twelve months in the past, the rising abilities had been in Sardinia for the FIA Rally Star Coaching Camp the place they had been put by their paces in gravel and Tarmac take a look at periods and coaching workshops, benefitting from a wealth of experience and recommendation from the FIA instructors. The Coaching Camp included the reconnaissance for Rally Italia Sardegna, plus a day of media actions.
Caparó, Gill, Jürgenson and Sensible now return to Sardinia having efficiently progressed by the FIA Rally Star Coaching Season in 2023 and into the Junior WRC for 2024.
Following the high-speed, ice-coated levels of Rally Sweden and the low-grip Croatia Rally asphalt, Rally Italia Sardegna is an opportunity for the quick 4 to construct their expertise on tough and hard gravel. With excessive temperatures, rock-lined roads and a compact itinerary which means early begins and late finishes, a difficult three days of motion awaits.
FIA Rally Star newest information and views
• Victory on April’s Croatia Rally propelled Romet Jürgenson to the highest of the provisional Junior WRC standings after two rounds.
• He holds a 20-point benefit over Taylor Gill, the subsequent highest-placed Junior WRC common.
• Gill’s championship standing follows his runner-up inserting on Croatia Rally after the Australian completed eighth in Junior WRC in Sweden again in February.
• Estonian Jürgenson reacclimatised to gravel by contesting Rally Adriatico in Italy earlier this month as a part of his further competitors programme. He completed a powerful second in Rally3 and sixteenth total.
• Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó opened his Junior WRC points-scoring account with sixth place on Croatia Rally, making amends for his non-finish on Rally Sweden.
• After ending tenth among the many Junior WRC contenders in Sweden, Max Sensible was seventh in Croatia. The South African has ready for Rally Italia Sardegna by following a rigorous bodily and psychological coaching programme in his residence metropolis of Cape City.
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The complete Be The Subsequent One YouTube collection, which follows the FIA Rally Star drivers by the 2023 FIA Rally Star Coaching Season and offers an enchanting perception into their achievements, has been launched with the complete playlist out there right here.
FIA Rally Star pre-Rally Italia Sardegna quotes
FIA Rally Star Undertaking Chief Jérôme Roussel stated: “With Romet and Taylor first and second within the provisional FIA Junior WRC standings, it’s truthful to say the 2024 season goes higher than we may have imagined. There are three very difficult gravel rallies remaining and loads of studying nonetheless to be accomplished and progress to be made, which could be very a lot the main target going into Rally Italia Sardegna. Whereas Romet and Taylor have tailored very well to the calls for of Junior WRC, Abito and Max are nonetheless discovering their toes however clearly exhibiting loads of potential and an actual dedication to enhance. They’re working arduous and can take confidence from what they’ve achieved up to now. This might be a troublesome occasion, there’s no query, however the plan stays for our 4 drivers to complete all levels whereas demonstrating their velocity when the circumstances permit.”
Romet Jürgenson (EST) stated: “Snow and Tarmac is over now and it’s time for gravel. It’s a floor I’m extra used to however, on the similar time, I do know Sardinia goes to be a extremely tough occasion – possibly one of the tough of the season. With so many Rally2 automobiles in entrance of us, we’ve got to take a special strategy, significantly for the second move of levels when the roads might be fairly broken. I like these sorts of roads the place it’s a must to be correct, you possibly can’t actually go large wherever as a result of you will have some hidden rocks on the facet of the highway. We now have a very good overview of the levels from the recce we did final 12 months though my pacenote system has developed rather a lot since then. We’re in a very good place within the championship so let’s attempt to proceed this.”
Taylor Gill (AUS) stated: “Sardinia is clearly going to be an enormous problem, a really tough occasion as everybody is aware of. Fortunately we’ve got some form of thought of what to anticipate having accomplished the recce and the Coaching Camp in Sardinia final 12 months. This offers us a little bit bit of information versus strolling into the unknown. We’ve ready actually arduous, making an attempt to work out what are the levels the place we are able to push and maximise the velocity and what levels we actually should take straightforward and get by. We simply wish to get by the occasion cleanly and if we are able to do each stage with out stopping that might already put us in place for a very good outcome.”
Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó (PER) stated: “It will likely be a problem to be on a very good tempo however for certain I’ll apply what I realized on the recce final 12 months. It’s serving to rather a lot as a result of I can realise how the levels might be and what the climate could be like. For certain I’ve to be on a very good tempo however I’ve to enhance rather a lot and I’m engaged on this, with a whole lot of steps. I’ve ready a whole lot of recordsdata with photos and descriptions of the highway. I’m working rather a lot on the simulator and bettering my reflexes and my reactions with my bodily exercise to be in a very good place. I wish to be in a very good place on the end, however with a very good tempo and attempt to enhance extra with Esther my co-driver. We’re having a very good confidence and that’s the principle factor.”
Max Sensible (ZAF): “I’m actually eager for Sardinia and actually eager to get again on gravel, I really like gravel and it’s so enjoyable to drive on. The levels look superior, a mixture of medium-speed, low-speed and even some high-speed sections. There are many totally different traits all through the rally with slim sections, some wider sections, some actually bumpy and cresty sections by to superior flat-out sections the place you possibly can see far forward. Doing the FIA Rally Star Coaching Camp final 12 months meant we received to take a look at a number of the levels after we did the recce, which was nice. Even from doing the preparation I do know a bit about what’s arising. I’m going to this occasion with the goal of getting a extremely good rally.”
Rally Italia Sardegna in numbers
Stage distance: 266.12 km
Complete distance: 1035.46 km
Variety of levels: 16
FIA Junior WRC Championship occasion schedule refresher
The 2024 FIA Junior WRC Championship consists of 5 rounds as follows:
- Rally Sweden (Snow/ice), February 15-18
- Croatia Rally (Tarmac), April 18-21
- Rally Italia Sardegna (Gravel), Could 30-June 2
- Secto Rally Finland (Gravel), August 1-4
- EKO Acropolis Rally Greece (Gravel), September 5-8
FIA Rally Star drivers (in Rally Italia Sardegna begin quantity order)
70. Romet Jürgenson (24, Estonia) Co-driver: Siim Oja (EST)
71. Taylor Gill (20, Australia) Co-driver: Daniel Brkic (AUS)
79. Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó (27, Peru) Co-driver: Esther Gutiérrez (ESP)
80. Max Sensible (21, South Africa) Co-driver: Cameron Truthful (GBR)
