Twelve months ago, the prospect of competing in the World Rally Championship would have been a pipe dream for a quartet of youngsters from all four corners of the world. But now these inexperienced drivers are daring to turn their dreams into reality thanks to the FIA Rally Star Initiative.
The brainchild of Jerome Roussel, one of the figures who worked on the Rallye Jeunes program who discovered the likes of WRC legends Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier, Rally Star is designed to discover the champions of tomorrow and offer those who might never otherwise have the chance to compete in rallying.
Earlier this month, four aspiring drivers – some of whom had given up on rally careers – unveiled through the scheme, took their first step onto the WRC ladder by competing in the opening round of the Junior WRC Championship at Rally Sweden. Not only did they compete on the same stages as Kale Rovanpera and Ott Tänak, but they turned heads in the process.
There have been initiatives to discover talent in the assembly industry before; Think of the Pirelli Star Driver and WRC Academy that helped develop Tänak, Hayden Paddon and the late Craig Breen more than 10 years ago. But the new FIA Rally Star initiative has taken that idea to the next level, finding candidates aged 17-26 who will benefit from a fully-funded four-year program (including two JWRC campaigns) driving an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3 car. If a driver wins the JWRC title, they will receive a sponsored program in WRC2 in 2026.
A global search involving 7,000 people led to four pairs of people: Romet Jurgenson/Oja Siim [Estonia]Taylor Gill/Daniel Brkic [Australia]Max Smart/Cameron Gallery [South Africa/Great Britain] and José Abito Cabarro/Esther Gutierrez [Peru/Spain], each of them gets a golden opportunity to start a career in the WRC. The quartet has been whittled down from a pool of six participants who took part in last year's six-rally training season, which was undertaken to prepare them for the rigors of the five-round Junior World Rally Championship season which began on the snow and ice of Sweden.
For Smart, the challenge was enormous considering this was just the former motocross rider's seventh rally event and his first time seeing snow and ice. This, on top of the opportunity to compete in the World Rally Championship, was not lost on the 21-year-old South African either.
South African company Smart was dealing with snow for the first time
Photo by: M Sport
“It was like stepping into a whole foreign world,” Smart told Motorsport.com. “When I started walking around, it was the slipperiest thing ever. I'd never experienced that before, it was crazy.”
“Honestly it was unbelievable. I had to pinch myself. You're on a stretch of road and you pass Thierry Neuville or someone from the World Rally Championship and then you watch them drive the stage on Rally.TV on your phone before you get on the stage. This is something you normally watch on your sofa in “Home. It's unbelievable. It blew my mind.”
Each of the drivers has their own unique stories. Jurgenson saw the ad for the FIA Rally Star program while participating in his National Military Service. The Estonian qualified through Rally Star's Esports competition held during the COVID-19 pandemic and now finds himself competing on the biggest stages.
“On Friday, Taylor and I were driving the JWRC at some point, which is really nice to see, and for the FIA to see that this program is working.” Romet Jorgenson
“It's crazy, even before seeing this program I was afraid to dream anymore,” Jorgenson told Motorsport.com. “You've already gotten rid of that dream and now you're part of it. It's hard to appreciate it now because the pressure and all the focus you have is so great. After the events you realize what a great opportunity I have.”
Gill is perhaps the most famous rally driver of the four, having competed in the Australian Rally Championship. But reaching the Junior World Rally Championship was always going to be an elusive level for the 20-year-old, who became the first Australian to compete in the JWRC Championship for more than 10 years.
“I remember coming home to Australia and saving the documents on my computer after sitting at school and writing about the JWRC and how great it would be to do it, how much it would cost and the unreal numbers I needed to put together.” says Gill, who has now moved from Australia to Finland to pursue this dream. “To be able to do this through a well-run program with the FIA, it's very surreal.”
For former national karting champion Caparo, the opportunity simply means “everything” to represent Peru on the world stage.
“For me, that's it, it's only five rallies but there are a lot of historic rallies,” he told Motorsport.com. “It's amazing to race alongside the great drivers and I'm so grateful for everything the program has done. All I can do to say thank you is doing things right.
Caparo had an early retirement after a snowbank altercation in his first event alongside co-driver Esther Gutierrez
Photography: Red Bull Content Pool
Caparo hits the nail on the head. Now your training is complete, it's time to grab this unique and potentially life-changing opportunity with both hands. It has been a journey for these drivers to reach the Junior World Rally Championship, but this is just the first step on a long road that will lead this four-legged hope to compete at the top of the World Rally Championship.
Rally Sweden provided the first test of the FIA's Rally Star programme. Did she select the right candidates and did all the preparatory work pay off? Early indications are that the answer is yes to both questions. Three of the four drivers left Rally Sweden, finishing in the top 10 of a record 19-car field in the JWRC field, which only adds to the achievements of this group of emerging talent that the Rally Star program is cultivating.
Jurgenson was at the forefront, finishing an impressive second in the JWRC class, 48.9 seconds behind winner Mille Johansson, effectively making him an early title contender. The Estonian was in conflict with Gil, who led the class on Friday morning before suffering a double puncture on the seventh stage.
“We knew that if we ran a clean event in Sweden, you could easily be in the top five, and that was my goal,” says Jorgenson. “Even in the first category, Sweden showed this time that it is a difficult event and a lot can happen, and it was the same in the JWRC as well. Combined with my speed and consistency, it was really good.
“What I really enjoyed was all of us [FIA Rally Star drivers] It turned out to be a beautiful program. On Friday, Taylor and I were driving the JWRC at some point, which is really nice to see, and for the FIA to see that this program is working.
Gill, also competing in his first snow rally, was able to recover from the costly tire drama to finish the event eighth in class. Although he was initially amazed at the speeds that could be achieved on the snow, the Australian's pace certainly highlighted his ability to be in the title fight. But Gill is quick to highlight that without the training provided by the programme, this achievement would have been highly unlikely.
“Four drivers drove the rally over the weekend and we were one of them, so that's a positive,” says Gill. “But it's hard not to be disappointed with the overall results because if we take that stage out of the equation, we should be on the podium. Having never done a snow rally and holding off against some fast guys, it was very surreal.
Gill caught the eye in Sweden by briefly holding the lead before being held back by a double puncture
Photo by: M Sport
“You're walking around the service yard and you can barely stand up, but when you get into the car your grip is more than the gravel. It's a bit too wrong, but it was a great challenge. If we hadn't done the training season last year, Sweden would have been a disaster for the Rallystar crews. It was The training last year was very crucial for all of us. We achieved mixed results, but it could have been a different story without the training.
Heading to Sweden against drivers with 70 events on the books meant Smart was already at a disadvantage. However, the winner of the Rally Star African Regional Final showed the biggest improvement during the event. Starting to set times around the edges of the top 10, Smart finished the race with the second-fastest time in class in the race-ending Power Stage to finish 10th, the final points-paying position in the JWRC.
“I think it went very well,” Smart says. “Even after the pre-event testing, I was feeling like I wasn't comfortable. I was going to make it work but I wasn't speaking the same language as the car. At first I was thinking maybe snow isn't for me. I was just trying to keep it clean and build it stage by stage. I was impressed Really some of the times you set as well.
“When you are looking to develop some drivers, you need very good competition because only competition will force you to get out of your comfort zone and improve.” Jerome Roussel
Perhaps the biggest challenge awaits the fourth Rally Star duo between Caparo and Gutierrez. Not only were they competing on snow for the first time, but this event was the duo's first as driver and navigator. The duo quickly caught on and reached sixth in class before a collision with Sweden's notorious snowbanks damaged the Fiesta's cooling package, leading to early retirement.
“I'm proud,” Caparo reflects. “We have gained a lot of experience and this was the first rally with my new co-driver and there were a lot of things to learn. It is not only exciting, it is very competitive. We have to take it seriously. The main thing is to gain that experience again. “
It's early days for these ambitious young drivers as they take the first step on the WRC ladder, but after one of five rounds, Rossell, the brainchild of Rally Star, has cut a proud figure in the service yard. All four drivers have shown their potential on the toughest JWRC field in years, which will only accelerate their personal development. On paper, the Rally Star program is an ambitious project and a huge investment from the FIA, but Sweden has provided the first real indication that the initiative could unearth a future WRC star.
“This shows that the whole process from the regional finals, the judges’ selection of the winners, the training we did last year and this year’s driver selection, and these results [in Sweden] We can be confident that we made a good choice.
Jurgenson finished with an impressive second to establish himself as a contender for the JWRC title
Photography: Red Bull Content Pool
“These results are the result of intense preparation by the crews. I am really happy with their attitude, commitment and willingness to explore every detail to improve. This was part of the result. This shows that they are taking it seriously because they have a unique opportunity.
“We are on the right track but we have only done one rally out of five, so we have to keep pushing and improving in all areas. When you are looking to develop some drivers, you need very good competition because only competition will force you out of your comfort zone.” And improving. Having such a large field in the JWRC is positive.
“the [drivers] I have a serious approach but I also like the fresh attitude they bring. They all have their own stories and they all bring something completely new to the rally, and that was our first idea. Maybe rallying is too European and we should do something to bring in new faces and new stories from more countries to make the sport more international. I hope this will help young people from South Africa or Peru to get interested in the World Rally Championships and follow this sport.
Sweden has provided a glimpse of the stars of tomorrow at the World Radiocommunication Championships, but the journey has only just begun. Croatian asphalt presents the next challenge in April.
What will Jorgenson and the other Rally Star players do in Croatia?
Photo by: M Sport
