VALENCIA, SPAIN, (March 4, 2023) – Entries are now open for the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games, the third edition of the event where racers from National Sporting Authorities (ASNs) around the globe represent their nation in a wide variety of motorsport disciplines.
The 2024 event will take place in Valencia, Spain – the prominent motorsport hub following in the footsteps of previous hosts, Rome, Italy (2019) and Marseille, France (2022).
The only event of its kind, the FIA Motorsport Games was created to unite nations in motor racing, combining sport with culture and education to create an environment that uplifts the values of respect, unity, and equal opportunities. Drivers from across the world and all levels of motorsport will compete for the honour of winning gold, silver, and bronze medals.
Entries officially opened on Monday, 4 March for FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) ASNs to nominate competitors to fly the flag for their nation.
The 2022 Marseille Games were a massive success, with 72 nations and 463 competitors competing in 16 different categories. This year’s games will be even bigger, with the number of categories expanding to 26 across six core disciplines – Circuit, Rally, Off-road, Karting, Electric Street, and Esports.
Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo will host a number of the categories in 2024, with other events staged at various venues in the region.
The world-renowned spectacular Valencia City of Arts and Sciences will not only host the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2024 games, but will also be the home for the hotly contested and expanded Esports competitions.
Racers at the FIA Motorsport Games compete to stand on the podium to win gold, silver, or bronze medals. Alongside the coveted trophy for the overall winning nation, there are regional trophies for Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Middle East/North Africa (MENA).
Additional prizes up for grabs include the NewStar trophy for the nation whose upcoming talents shine brightest in the grassroots categories and an AllStar trophy for the top-performing nation in categories reserved for more established drivers.
“The nation vs nation concept makes the FIA Motorsport Games a unique celebration of motor sport,” Marek Nawarecki, FIA Senior Circuit Sport Director.
“The event also embraced diversity and inclusivity to an extent unseen in other competitions. All that makes it very relevant both to the FIA itself but also to our member clubs worldwide. “The growth of the event has been impressive. We went from six competitions and 49 participating countries in the first edition, to 16 competitions and 72 countries in 2022.
“This October in Valencia, we’re going to have 26 disciplines, and I’m looking forward to even greater interest amongst national sporting authorities, which will hopefully translate into the strongest entry to date.”
A number of nations have already pledged to enter the FIA Motorsport Games 2024. Following its debut at the 2022 event, Andorra has indicated it will field two entries in the Esports discipline. Chile plans on expanding its participation to 11 categories, while Germany has confirmed its intentions to enter more than 20 competitions in Spain. The United Kingdom, meanwhile, has also opened driver applications to select its 2024 team.
Host nation, Team Spain is aiming high to claim overall victory on home ground. Manuel Aviñó, President of Selección Española de Automovilismo comments: “Following our success in Marseille 2022, getting eight of 16 achievable podium places, Spanish Team (Selección Española de Automovilismo) will compete in Valencia with the main goal of winning the competition. For this, we have just finished our drivers applications and I’m fully convinced we are going to participate with the best competitors possible.
“Our intention is to have Spanish drivers fighting for gold in every category in Valencia, and to offer our fans the most incredible experience in Motorsport in Spain for several years. FIA Motorsport Games has incredibly fast got the attributes an ASN was looking for.
“Since the first edition in Rome, this event allows us to develop some unknown projects for our sport. Valencia will be, even more, a great event. We are ready to host as many countries and competitors as possible in the friendly region of Valencia.”
The FIA Motorsport Games is jointly organised by SRO Motorsports Group and the FIA.
“The dramatic growth from the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games in Rome in 2019 to the most recent event in Marseille in 2022 was incredible. We’ve gone from six categories in Rome to 16 in Marseille and now to 26 in Valencia, so this third edition of the event in Spain promises to be quite special,” said Stéphane Ratel, Founder and CEO of SRO Motorsports Group.
“Both the FIA and SRO have been fielding enquiries since we announced the 2024 Games would be held in Valencia this year, and it’s great to see the ever-growing interest in this unique motorsport event.
“With more categories, more countries, more competitors – everybody on our team is very excited about the year ahead and counting down the days until we arrive in Spain.”
Entries for the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games opened on 4 March, via the dedicated FIA registration platform and remain open until 23 September.
DRIVERS
Source : Fia