For a 12 year old Marti already has quite the experience with different kinds of racing cars. Despite being very much under age even to drive on a circuit, let alone on a rally stage, this convinced the famous Vittorio Caneva Rally School to make an exception and give Marti the chance to earn his rally diploma at the circuit Castelletto di Branduzzo in Italy.
The Vittorio Caneva Rally School is one of the best rally driving schools in the world and has current WRC vice-champion Elfyn Evans, Andreas Mikkelsen, Kris Meeke, Esapekka Lappi, Mads Ostberg and many other WRC drivers amongst its graduates.
Marti’s instructor for the day was none other than 2020 Italian rally champion & Hyundai factory driver Andrea Crugnola.
The program for the day was a mix from their program for Under 18 drivers & Pro drivers. At the start Marti was supposed to drive a road going Renault Clio and then jump into the proper rally-spec Peugeot 208 Rally4. As usual, Marti took very little time to adapt to the Clio and after just a few minutes it was decided that it was waste of time going around in this car, so he was put straight into the 208 Rally4. Once again he was straight on the pace in the tricky cold & damp conditions which impressed Andrea Crugnola who was instructing Marti as a co-driver in the car. He was happy that Marti was following all his instructions and doing all he was asked for without taking much time or hesitation. Marti was very happy with the car and his smile was beaming. He enjoyed the experience a lot and made great impression on both Andrea and the team.
They were impressed how a 12 year old can be so professional in his approach, adaptive and learn so fast. Certainly Marti’s time spent around the workshop in Emil Frey Racing has paid dividends as he has developed a very professional meticulous approach in working with a racing team, once again instantly impressing the professionals.
The next test with rally car should be on gravel, but it’s yet to be decided when and where.
