F4 Eurocup 1.6, Motorland Aragón - Presentation

…and here they come!

2010 is an important date in the history of Auto Sport Academy, the FFSA training centre - the competition it organizes will be celebrating its 18 years of existence and for this occasion, it will completing the World Series by Renault. Renamed F4 Eurocup 1.6, it therefore becomes the 4th major discipline of this exceptional event.
Twenty drivers will be placed on the starting grids this year and each one of them has the same dream: being the winner! For the majority of them, this will be their very first official competition in motorsport.

Only Paul Lanchere (Centre Steering Wheel Trophy holder) and Franck Matelli (Corsican Steering Wheel Trophy holder) are used to this competition since they have decided to reiterate their experience in this discipline but their stress remains the same. Member of the French FFSA Go-Kart Team from 2007 to 2009, Norman Nato (PACA Steering Wheel Trophy holder) will be doing his best, betting on his experience. But he is not the only one! The RACB Steering Wheel Trophy holder, Stoffel Vandoorne, hopes to follow the steps of his predecessor, the 2009 Champion, Benjamin Bailly.

Together with these drivers, competition will be of a very high level with the youngsters supported by a Regional Committee of Motorsport: Paul-Loup Chatin (Poitou-Charentes), Pierre Sancinéna (Normandie), Jean-Baptiste Lahaye (Limousin), Tristan Papavoine (Bourgogne Franche-Comté), Valentin Simonet (New Caledonian), Maxime Raphoz (Rhône-Alpes) and Sébastien Le Bras (Bretagne-Pays de la Loire). Without mentioning Alexandre Mantovani, double Steering Wheel Trophy holder : Ile-de-France and ACO-AutoHebdo - Alexandre Anezo (Languedoc-Roussillon) – let us also mention the “juniors” who are no older than 15: Nicolas De Moura (Auvergne), Mathieu Jaminet (Lorraine-Alsace) and Alexandre Jouannem-Sivan (Nord-Picardie) and yet another girl: Marie Baus-Coppens who will be representing the Champagne-Ardenne Committee.

Not only one girl will be present this year, since the Italian Giada de Zen will be completing the crew of the F4 Eurocup 1.6. Member of the 'Draco Drivers Development' programme, with her 14 years of age, she will be the youngest of the group. Lastly, the Moroccan Hamza El Fatouaki and Maxime Bourcet will have a very tough season as they have everything to learn as far as competition is concerned, their sportive achievements being inexistent - their motivation is however greater than ever!

After the test days on the Bugatti Circuit, the activities organised by Auto Sport Academy for becoming a professional driver (English, media-training, physical and psychological preparation, sporting regulations, etc), the trainee drivers are ready to jump into the deep end of the pool face to their predecessors such the 2008 Champion Arthur Pic, today in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0!

This first event in Spain will also be the official take-off for other trainees of Auto Sport Academy. Next to the excited drivers engaged in the F4 Eurocup 1.6, other youngsters will also be learning a trade, that of `competition mechanic’.

 
Blanca de Foronda