PINAY RACER TO REPRESENT PH AT 2021 FIA GIRLS ON TRACK GLOBAL SCHOLARSHIP SHOOT-OUT
ne of 14 selected from 70 applications around the world, Bianca Bustamante, a 16 year-old Pinay race driver, has been selected to participate in the 2021 edition of FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars Youth Scholarship Shoot-Out. Bustamante is the only Asian driver chosen by the FIA to take part in the shoot-out. “Thank you to the FIA for selecting me as one of the 14 drivers for the Girls On Track scholarship shootout. I fell in love with racing ever since I was a kid, and I haven’t stopped training in preparation for this moment. Now that it’s becoming a reality, I will continue to work hard towards being selected for the Ferrari Driving Academy race scholarship. I am so proud
O
44 AUTOCAR.COM.PH SEPTEMBER 2021
to represent the Philippines in this competition and to be the only Asian driver selected is an added bonus, but also adds a bit of pressure to represent the Asia region against the global field. I will continue to train hard leading up to the event and do my best in France!” said Bustamante. Started racing go-karts at the young age of 5, Bianca Bustamante has since established herself as a rising racing driver having multiple karting championships across Asia. Now ready to take her racing career to the next level, Bustamante is aiming for her professional Formula racing debut. Here are some of Bianca’s notable achievements in kart racing: • 4-time Winner of the
China Grand Prix Kart Scholarship (2018-2019) • 3-time Macau International Kart GP Champion (2014, 2018, 2019) • 2-time Junior Asian Karting Open Championship – Overall Champion (2018, 2019) • 3-time Philippines Driver of the Year – Karting (2018, 2019, 2020) • Philippines National Junior Karter of the Year (2018) The youth motorsport program is spearheaded by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission to encourage more young women in motorsport. The scholarship was organized by FIA in partnership with Scuderia Ferrari’s own racing driver development arm, Ferrari Driver
Academy (FDA), which has produced talented F1 drivers in the form of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, and Haas’ Mick Schumacher among others. The shoot-out will be held at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France on October 21 to 23, 2021 and will serve as the participants’ first challenge. Bustamante
and 13 others will undergo a series of race tests in the 3-day shoot-out. Eight of the best performing drivers will be selected to attend FIA training camps. The final test will be in Fiorano, Italy where participants will drive Formula 4 race cars. The winner will be granted a full race scholarship at the FDA.
