Team Spain has revealed its full selection of drivers for the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games.
The nation will be represented in three categories, tackling the GT Cup, Touring Car Cup and Formula 4 Cup at Vallelunga Circuit next month (1-3 November). When doing so, it will compete under the 'Racing Team Spain' banner.
The GT Cup effort will be spearheaded by Álvaro Lobera and Fernando Navarrete, who will drive Lamborghini's successful Huracan GT3 Evo model. Lobera brings considerable circuit racing expertise with both GT and touring car machinery, particularly in his homeland. In recent years he has also competed in several rally events, adding a very different set of skills to his arsenal.
Navarrete’s career behind the wheel stretches back almost 20 years and includes single-seater, touring car and GT series. He and Lobera know each other well from several endurance outings together and currently compete as teammates in Spain’s domestic touring car championship. Navarrete also knows his way around the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, having driven the same machine during this year's Total 24 Hours of Spa.
In the Touring Car Cup, Racing Team Spain will call upon the experienced Gonzalo de Andrés. The Madrid native comes with 20 years' experience in a wide variety of categories, including domestic and international competitions. Indeed, while he will compete for gold in the Touring Car discipline, De Andrés has also amassed significant mileage in GT machinery.
He will drive a Peugeot 308 TCR at the FIA Motorsport Games, extending a long and successful relationship with the French brand. To date, De Andrés has amassed five national titles and numerous international victories with Peugeot and will look to add another at Vallelunga.
Finally, Spain's representative in the Formula 4 Cup will be Belén García. The Catalan racer is contesting her debut campaign in the F4 Spanish Championship this term and took a race win during the season-opening weekend. As well as pursuing a career in motorsport, 20-year-old Garcia is also a student of telematic engineering. She is the second contender from Spain's F4 series to be confirmed for the FIA Motorsport Games following the announcement that Belgian teenager Nicolas Baert would represent his country in the same discipline.
Hosted by Rome and with the nearby Vallelunga Circuit staging the on-track action, the FIA Motorsport Games is a new multi-disciplinary contest that features six categories: GT Cup, Touring Car Cup, Formula 4 Cup, Drifting Cup, Karting Slalom Cup and Digital Cup.
Competitors from across the globe will chase a spot on the podium, with gold, silver and bronze medals awarded to the top-three finishers in each event. These results will produce an overall medal table, with the top National Sporting Authority (ASN) awarded the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games trophy during the closing ceremony in Rome.
Further entries will be announced next week prior to the entry list being finalised. Sporting Regulations are available at fia.com.