On 20 August 2022, Stefan Trimmel and Ioan-Victor Sima won the Austrian national Best Young Driver Contest at the ÖAMTC Driving Technical Centre, and qualified as participants in the FIA Region I International Best Young Driver Contest.

In addition to tasks focusing on individual driving safety, the Austrian qualification round also involved keeping a cool head in simulated emergency situations and knowing how to react correctly. 30 young drivers had to demonstrate at various stations that they could take the right steps in an emergency – this included, for example, driving in challenging situations, manoeuvring a car using only integrated camera systems, or driving through difficult terrain.

Driving skills were also required in a timed slalom on various surfaces. Driving, accelerating and braking with a vehicle in which a ball was to remain in a bowl mounted on the hood demanded a particularly high level of sensitivity. Among the participants, the performances of Stefan Trimmel (1st place) and Ioan-Victor Sima (2nd place) were particularly outstanding and so they were able to win against their competitors as Austria’s national Best Young Driver.

The FIA Region I International Best Young Driver Contest will be held in Madrid on 8-9 October 2022.