Former Rallycrosser wins FIA award

Former Ford RST Rallycross driver Kevin Abbring has won the 2011 Driver of the Academy award for the inaugural FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy. The Dutchman, who started his autosport career in the buggy class [650kg lightweight buggies with a 60bhp strong 1300cc Ford Ka engine] at the Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard in the spring of 2005, was presented with the trophy during a ceremony following the final Academy workshop at Teesdorf in Austria yesterday evening. According to FIA “Abbring’s ability on the track and his understanding of the safety elements of the Academy’s curriculum impressed the Institute throughout the year. He has already expressed his commitment to be an ambassador for the Institute, advocating the Academy-learned safety messages.”

The 22-year-old, who won both the 2005 and 2006 Dutch Ford RST Rallycross titles before moving over to rallying, has spent the 2011 season in the French Gravel Championship where he impressed with superb results, beating 4WD cars with a Citroën DS3 R3. The son of Rally veteran Edwin Abbring is now looking forward to the Wales Rally GB in less than two weeks time, where he will get the chance of driving a Škoda Fabia S2000 as part of Volkswagen’s WRC development programme.

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