FIA opens its doors for aspiring truck racers

The FIA has hosted a one-day even in its headquarters in Paris for young up-and-coming drivers targeting a professional career in Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship

The initiative driven by the FIA’s Circuit Sport Department and supported by the European Truck Racing Association, the promoter of Goodyear FIA ETRC, gathered a group of young guns from the series, but also from national truck racing competitions in France and Spain with the aim of guiding young drivers in how to best translate their passion for truck racing into a professional career in motor sport. 

The agenda of the meeting included a refresher from the history of truck racing (which dates back to the 1980s), as well as presentations on technical and safety aspects of the sport, each run by a representative of a relevant FIA department.

The FIA’s Communications Team shared tips on best social media practices, offering advice on how to build social media presence, while ETRA Managing Director Georg Fuchs spoke about topics such as making the best out of sponsorship opportunities, traits that make a driver successful and on how the promoter can support their drivers.

Five-time FIA ETRC title winner Norbert Kiss joined via videoconference, talking about the early days of his career and the route that led him to become one of the most successful truck racers in the history of the discipline. He also shared his tips for pre-race preparations. The day also included simulator sessions.

The event was part of ongoing efforts of the FIA’s Truck Racing Commission and ETRA to attract more young blood to the grids of European truck races. The European Young Star Trophy for drivers under the age of 30 was introduced as part of Goodyear FIA ETRC ahead of the 2023 season. The winner of this trophy receives an automatic invitation to the end-of-season FIA Prize Giving gala, where winners of all FIA championships are crowned.

2024 calendar is set to be announced at this month’s FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, and entries for next year’s season are set to open early next year.

Manuel Vidal, FIA Truck Racing Commission President, said: “Traditionally the sport of truck racing has mostly attracted experienced drivers who already had a career in other forms of racing. But, like other sports, we need to evolve and one of our main objectives is to attract more young blood to Goodyear FIA ETRC, making this series a viable career prospect for younger drivers. Therefore, initiatives such as this as FIA ETRC Young Driver Day are very important. Being a complete racing driver is much more than just the work done behind the wheel. This is the reason why it’s so important to give young racers a comprehensive overview of all areas of truck racing – from technology, through communications to marketing. That should help them to raise their profiles, attract partners and in the end, become professional race drivers who get paid to race.”