Annia Cilloniz from Peru has taken a huge step towards competing in the FIA World Rally Championship by winning the FIA Rally Star Women’s Final.
Cilloniz joined Maja Hallén Fellenius (Sweden), Kristie Ellis (South Africa) and Pragathi Gowda (India) at the Maggiora Offroad Arena in Italy on Thursday May 4, to compete for the inagural title and a place in the FIA Rally Star Training Season starting later this month.
In warm and dry conditions, the four finalists were put through their paces in the TN5 Cross Car, built and prepared by Thierry Neuville’s LifeLive organisation, on a 4.7-kilometre mixed-surface stage, which consisted of five laps and was run three times.
The stage performances, along with the results of physical and reflex tests, were carefully evaluated by the Jury, led by FIA Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid. Following a Jury interview, Annia Cilloniz, 24, was announced as the winner of the FIA Rally Star Women’s Final.
As well as winning the coveted accolade, Cilloniz secures a place in the FIA Rally Star Training Season, which consists of an intensive Training Camp in Sardinia from May 21 to June 1, followed by six rallies in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 run by M-Sport Poland on Pirelli tyres.
The competition schedule begins with the gravel-based Rally San Marino from June 16 to 17 and if Cilloniz completes the FIA Rally Star Training Season as one of the four best performing drivers, then she will win a dream drive in the 2024 FIA Junior WRC Championship, a further life-changing opportunity.
Annia will join previous Continental Final winners, Jose “Abito” Caparo (Peru), Max Smart (South Africa), Taylor Gill (Australia), Romet Jürgenson (Estonia) and Abdullah Al Tawqi (Oman) as the last driver to complete the FIA Rally Star team for the Training Season.
The Wild Card candidate attended the American Final as Peru’s hope for WRC glory, where she secured her place in the Women’s Final. Cilloniz can now look forward to growing her experience and expertise during the Training Season when she will be a contender for a prize drive in the FIA Junior WRC Championship for 2024.
Annia Cilloniz, 24, from Peru: “The FIA Rally Star Finals made me proud of myself. It gave me the opportunity to believe in my dreams and to keep growing. I know that it’s just the start of a new adventure with a lot of things to learn, but this is the best program I’ve ever seen. I got a promise to keep, to be the best one for the FIA Rally Star program and a big mission for the women. I want to make them on the top of the Motorsport world.”
Pragathi Gowda, 26 from India: “Winning or losing is secondary. The best thing is coming up with such a great program and to build young talent. That’s something good for the future.”
Pernilla Solberg, FIA Rally Star jury member said: “I think it’s important to have a Final where we give the opportunity to girls all over the world to compete on equal terms with the boys, and to have the help and support that’s needed to get them in a rally car. I’ve been really proud to be part of this project. It’s been great and I’m so happy with the winner we picked today.”