“We often say that the best drivers are perhaps not the ones driving, but those that have never had the opportunity,” says 2001 world rally champion co-driver and FIA deputy president Robert Reid, as he watches on as FIA Rally Star finalists strap themselves into a Ford Fiesta Rally3 car, for a first taste in remote Sardinia.
It’s a statement that perfectly explains why the FIA has embarked on perhaps one of its boldest and largest investments in unearthing driving talent, which it hopes will deliver future World Rally Championship champions. There have been talent-finding initiatives in rallying before, think Pirelli Star Driver and WRC Academy, that helped develop the likes of Ott Tanak, Hayden Paddon and the late Craig Breen, more than 10 years ago.
