Rally scheme finalists announced
The 15 Pirelli Star Drivers that will fight for two seats in next year's World Rally Championship have been announced
They will go forward to a shootout in Austria on September 19 where they will be tested for their driving skills, media ability and fitness. In addition to the 15 drivers, two more will be added to the entry - one from Central America and one from South America.
Five of the drivers going to Austria emerged from an event run alongside last week's Rally Finland. Ott Tanak (Estonia), Maris Neiksans (Latvia), Vytatus Svedas (Lithuania), Anders Kjaer (Norway) and Victor Henriksson (Sweden) were all victorious in Jyvaskyla, while Ireland's Keith Cronin and Britain's Kris Hall missed out.
The other drivers to qualify from a European Rally Championship-based scheme are: Daniel Wollinger (Austria), Todor Slavov (Bulgaria), Jan Cerny (Czech Republic), Davide de Benedetto (Italy), Timo van der Marel (Netherlands), Valentin Porcisteanu (Romania), Alex Raschi (San Marino), Marko Jeram (Slovenia) and Brian Lavio (Switzerland). The wildcard entry to be put forward by the FIA is Andrea Torlasco (Italy).
The remaining three drivers in next year's six-round programme come from the FIA African, Asia-Pacific, and Middle-East Rally Championships.
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