Gill, who qualified for the programme as the winner of the Asia-Pacific Final, was one of six FIA Rally Star drivers in action on the mainly gravel event organised by Federazione Auto Motoristica Sammarinese.

While all six learned and progressed, it was the 19-year-old from Australia who shone brightest by finishing 10th overall and winning the Rally3 category.

The rally, a round of the Campionato Italiano Rally (CIR) from ACI (Automobile Club d’Italia) Sport, was the first of a six-event schedule designed to equip the six aspiring FIA World Rally Championship winners with essential skills. It also gave them more experience of the Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta Rally3 designed, prepared and maintained by M-Sport Poland.

Armed with extensive guidance and knowledge handed out by industry experts during the intensive FIA Rally Star Training Camp in Sardinia last month, the six drivers headed to San Marino eager to put theory into practice. At the same time, however, completing as many kilometres as possible was the clear objective.

While Abdullah Al-Tawqi, Annia Cilloniz, Romet Jürgenson and Gill had rallied previously, the San Marino-based event represented unchartered territory for Jose ‘Abito’ Caparo and Max Smart, whose competitive experience was restricted to karting and motocross respectively.

Under the close supervision of the FIA Rally Star programme representatives onsite, three of the six drivers – Gill, Caparo and Smart – were able to reach the finish. And although Al-Tawqi, Cilloniz and Jürgenson were not as fortunate, the learnings of all drivers are being pooled together for the post-event debrief. This will give the opportunity for the group of young talents to discuss all they learned and the areas of development they will focus on during the next event, the all-Tarmac Rallye Weiz in Austria (July 13-15).

FIA Rally Star Project Leader Jérôme Roussel said: “We can take many positives from the first FIA Rally Star Training Season event, as can all the drivers, and this is the most important aspect of the weekend. It was not an easy rally by any means and that was reflected in the rate of retirements among many experienced drivers. The target was to get all six cars to the finish and while that was not possible for all, the lessons learned will be shared between the entire group. They are young people from different cultures and backgrounds, but they work very well together. They will all head to the next event with so much invaluable experience and knowledge to build upon. We are already working with them to highlight what was good and what can be improved in terms of how they performed both inside and outside the car. There is work to do but there was so much potential on show. It’s only the first event but I want to thank everybody who has contributed to this important project, designed to find the next world champion rally driver. In particular, I wish to express our gratitude to the San Marino Rally organiser, Federazione Auto Motoristica Sammarinese, for its unwavering support and assistance.”

FIA Rally Star San Marino Rally driver-by-driver round-up

#37 Taylor Gill (19, Australia) Co-driver: Daniel Brkic (AUS)

Finished 10th overall and won the Rally3 class on the back of a strong, standard-setting performance. His attitude was exemplary and he wisely resisted the temptation to increase his already impressive pace having been given a clear instruction to finish the rally.

Taylor Gill: “My first rally in Europe was a big learning curve and it was quite a challenge to do three passes of the same stage because the surface was changing on each run. Everyone in the team was super-supportive of each other and it was a relief to get to the finish with no major problems. The Fiesta Rally3 was really cool to drive, with a base set-up that’s easy to get into and it handled both the smooth and rough terrain really well. I had a ball to be honest but now we’ll be learning on the run during the next event because I’ve never done a Tarmac rally before.”

#41 Jose ‘Abito’ Caparo (26, Peru) Co-driver: ‘Willy’ Guillermo Sierra Ovalle (PER)

For a driver who’d never rallied or competed on gravel before, ‘Abito’ was able to set some competitive times in comparison to his more experienced team-mates. Despite a turbo intake issue delaying his progress on SS2 he reached the finish and gained a clear understanding of the challenge being a rally driver entails and the commitment required.

Jose ‘Abito’ Caparo: “The goals we have are bigger for sure but this rally was about gaining confidence, which is something I was able to do with the support of all the team. We know we have to be patient and we also know gravel is not our best surface. But we didn’t hit anything on the stages and this was important. We will prepare even more for the next event and be even more focused.”

#38 Max Smart (20, South Africa) Co-driver: Lorcan Moore (IRL)

It was a challenging start to the event for Max after a roll in shakedown left his car in need of major repair by the M-Sport Poland mechanics. A spin on the first corner of SS2 was an important wake-up call but he showed a steady pace thereafter, getting his confidence back in the process by finishing his first rally.

Max Smart: “The start was hectic and it did damage my confidence a bit. But I was back in the zone by the end of the rally and it was good to be at the finish. I learned a lot about pace management and how much of a head game rallying is. You have to control yourself and it’s not easy trusting your pacenotes and running a stage blind in effect. But I feel like a rally driver 100 per cent. I’ll be doing more preparation and I’m really keen for the next event.”

36 Romet Jürgenson (23, Estonia) Co-driver: Siim Oja (EST)

Adopting a measured approach to ensure a strong finish meant Romet was doing everything that was being asked of him. Unfortunately, a hidden rock on SS6 broke part of his car’s rear suspension and forced him to retire.

Romet Jürgenson: “We have to analyse fully what happened, but I think I was little too wide for a corner and hit a rock, which broke the wishbone and meant we couldn’t continue. It was disappointing but the speed was there and we were able to improve consistently. On the next event on Tarmac we need to drive consistently throughout the event and avoid making mistakes. I actually like this surface even though the first tests in the four-wheel drive Fiesta were more difficult for me than in the two-wheel version I’ve also driven.”

#40 Annia Cilloniz (24, Peru) Co-driver: Esther Gutierrez (ESP)

A technical issue meant a slow run through SS1 before two half-spins on SS3 led to more delay. Although a damaged front wheel caused by hitting a rock on the inside of a corner forced her to retire, Annia’s times were improving on each stage and her collaboration with new co-driver Esther worked well.

Annia Cilloniz: “Probably everything that could happen during a rally happened to me, but it was a very good experience and I learned so much. The rally didn’t go as planned because I couldn’t finish, but I will take a lot of positives from it. I didn’t always have the best confidence due to some difficult situations, but I was proud and happy that my times were okay. I did everything possible to repair the car after the crash, but it just wasn’t possible.”

36 Abdullah Al-Tawqi (24, Oman) Co-driver: Ronan Comerford (IRL)

Despite his limited experience, Abdullah consistently reduced the gap to the faster drivers and demonstrated plenty of commitment and focus. His car was undamaged after he went off the road due to not correctly interpreting a pacenote, which meant he paid a high price for a small mistake. But his potential was obvious.

Abdullah Al-Tawqi: “I was third in the Rally3 category in the morning and I was clear with my driving and my pacenotes were nice. I did a small mistake with the pacenote, the car was sliding and I went off the road. Mistakes happen but how you improve is how you learn from the mistakes and that will be the most important thing for me. We will be ready for the next rally.”

FIA Rally Star Training Season event schedule refresher

The FIA Rally Star Training Season consists of six events, four on gravel and two on Tarmac:

- San Marino Rally (Gravel), June 16-17

- Rallye Weiz, Austria (Tarmac), July 13-15

- Rally Nova Gorica, Slovenia (Tarmac), September 22-24

- Rally Saarema, Estonia (Gravel), October 6-7

- RallyRACC, Spain (Gravel), October 20-21

- Lausitz Rallye, Germany (Gravel), November 9-11

A test will take place ahead of each event along with an extensive post-rally debrief. The FIA Rally Star Training Season events have been specifically chosen to equip the drivers with experience of a wide variety of conditions and circumstances.

The six FIA Rally Star Training Season participants will compete in identical Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta Rally3s run by M-Sport Poland.

All costs are covered by the FIA with the best four drivers at the completion of the FIA Rally Star Training Season securing a fully-funded season in the FIA Junior WRC Championship in 2024.