Following Monday’s Stage 1, 30 drivers, including three females, set out on a mission to reach Wednesday’s eagerly anticipated Final this morning (Tuesday).

After two runs in both directions of a 1800-metre mixed-surface stage, 12 drivers representing Paraguay, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and USA made it through to tomorrow’s Final when a place in the FIA Rally Star Training Season will be up for grabs. Two further drivers qualified through the Digital Challenge held later in the day.

Tuesday’s competitive running began with the three remaining groups from Stage 1 finishing their timed runs after Monday’s challenging weather conditions delayed the action.

Although bright sunshine greeted the FIA Rally Star American Final contenders, overnight rain made for tricky stage conditions.

Despite the added challenge, the drivers – several of whom had only competed online before – adapted well, gaining confidence and improving their lap times as their experience behind the wheel of the TN5 Cross Car, built and prepared by Thierry Neuville’s LifeLive organisation, increased.

The Semi-Finalists were split into five groups of six with the fastest two after the timed runs qualifying for Wednesday’s Final.

However, the drivers in third, fourth and fifth position from each group still had the opportunity to progress via the Digital Challenge, which awarded the top two drivers the remaining places in the Final tomorrow.

Of the 14 finalists, twelve are male, while two are female with Peru boasting the most representatives with six finalists.

The FIA Rally Star American Final is the last of five Continental Finals scheduled and follows on from the European, Middle East and North African, African and Asia-Pacific shootout events held previously. The winners of these four finals, the American Final winner, plus the winner of the Women’s Final on Thursday, will enter the FIA Rally Star Training Season, which begins with an intensive Training Cup from May 21 and is followed by six national- or regional-level rallies from June onwards.

Contestants in the FIA Rally Star American Final qualified through Digital Challenges or Slalom Challenges organised by National Sporting Authorities (ASNs) or online through #RallyAtHome Challenges managed by the FIA Rally Star administration.

While the experience of the contestants differs with some only having had the opportunity to compete online, they have approached the event at the Maggiora Offroad Arena with the shared goal of trying to be the recipient of a place in the upcoming FIA Rally Star Training Season when they will savour a truly life-changing experience. And with the four drivers who impress the most during the FIA Rally Star Training Season stepping up to the FIA Junior WRC Championship for 2024 as their prize, FIA Rally Star provides an incredible chance for young talents around the world to live their dreams at little or no personal expense.

The winner of the FIA Rally Star American Final and the driver progressing to the FIA Rally Star Women’s Final on May 4 will be announced at approximately 18h00 local time this Wednesday after all drivers have been interviewed by the five-person Jury, which is being presided over by FIA Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid. The winner of the FIA Rally Star Women’s Final will be announced during the afternoon of Thursday. The FIA Rally Star American and Women’s Finals are closed to spectators.

Pernilla Solberg, FIA Rally Star jury member said: “We started off with 42 drivers yesterday in the worst possible conditions, with some of the trickiest mud I've seen. 30 of those 42 drivers qualified for today, and they have tackled this mud from the beginning. Throughout the day, the track has completely dried, so we have been able to see everything. On top of the difficult terrain, we had some slight issues with the cross cars, but they have also overcome that nicely. The drivers need to understand that problems can always arise with the vehicles, so it has been a great learning experience for them.”