Kiwi young drivers Jackson Clendon and Mathew Smith continued today with 24 other drivers from seven ASNs going for 13 places in Wednesday’s The FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final deciding day of action at the Madras International Circuit in Chennai, India.
With four female drivers among the 26 aspiring FIA World Rally Championship contenders, the participants were split into five groups of four plus one group of six.
Equipped with TN5 Cross Cars from FIA World Rally Championship driver Thierry Neuville’s LifeLive organisation, the competitors tackled a 1300-metre stage, which featured additional gravel and asphalt sections from the layout used on day one.
The stage was set up in such a way that two individual loops were created to increase the challenge facing the drivers and to give more opportunity for the Jury members to assess the performances of each competitor.
And with a day spent building their confidence behind the wheel of the TN5 Cross Car on Monday, Tuesday’s running gave an opportunity for drivers to focus on stage times in warm conditions that ranged from sunny to cloudy.
The top two from each group qualified for Wednesday’s final with two drivers progressing from the Digital Challenge. This used a modified version of Nacon’s WRC 9 game and provided an alternative method for reaching the deciding Stage 3 for those drivers eliminated after Stage 2.
Of the 13 finalists, two are female drivers, underlining the accessible nature of the FIA Rally Star concept, which aims to increase motor sport participation around the world by removing any barriers of entry.
The following drivers have qualified for Stage 3, Wednesday’s final:
Jackson Clendon (New Zealand)
Mathew Smith (New Zealand)
Taylor Gill (Australia)
Kushan Peiris (Sri Lanka)
Muhammad Iqbal Ahmad Suji (Malaysia)
Eshan Pieris (Sri Lanka)
Vikmal Ranasinghe (Sri Lanka)
Ryan Williams (Australia)
Farrell Haiqal (Indonesia)
Molly Spalding (Australia)
Aidan Peterson (Australia)
Jaidyn Gluskie (Australia)
Pragathi Gowda (India)
The FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final winner plus the driver progressing to the Women’s Final later this year will be announced at 17:00 local time on Wednesday after all drivers have been interviewed by the Jury.
Whoever wins the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final will have the honour of representing the region in the 2023 FIA Rally Star Training Season. In addition to six rallies in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3, the Training Season package includes physical and intellectual assessment, driver coaching and testing. The aim is to equip the successful contestants with the attributes they need as they attempt to secure a drive in the FIA World Rally Championship in the future.
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