The dynamic PR people of Fiat Group Automobiles Belgium SA invited me to a press conference in the Brussels Hotel Barsey where they unveiled this years’ edition of the fascinating “Make It Your Race ” concept. of Abarth.

Hans Knol ten Bensel

In the hall of the Barsey Hotel we already stood eye to eye with the magnificent 500 Abarth...  

What's new for 2012 is that "Make it your race" will become the first talent show dedicated to aspiring drivers. The setting is the race track. 105 amateur drivers, from all over Europe, will compete for the final goal: driving on the track circuit in an Abarth 500 "Assetto Corse" together with professional drivers.

A challenge for all…

Just enlarge the photo using Ctrl + to see more info...

All amateur (and therefore unlicensed) drivers aged between 18 and 40 and resident inItaly,Germany, the UK, France, Switzerland or Belgium are eligible to take part. Selection will take place via the makeityourrace.it website and the YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels.

Enrolment for the 2012 edition of "Make it your race" started at www.makeityourrace.it on the first of March. To date, over 10,000 pre-enrolments have been collected in the six countries involved in the project, following a video teaser which was watched nearly 600,000 times on YouTube.

These numbers suggest that this edition will be as successful as the one in 2011, which involved over 5000 young people and made the dream of a lifetime to come true for 20 of them: that of competing in a real race at the wheel of a real race car.

PR & External Communication Manager Dominique Fontignies explained the concept of "Make it Your Race", edition 2012...

The procedure to enroll is very simple : just visit the site www.makeityourrace.it, complete the form and download a video (which you make with your smartphone for exemple), where you tell the world that you are very keen on making driving on a racing circuit the dream experience of your lifetime. This video will also be shown on a specific space on the national Abarth site, i.e. on www.abarthbelux.be for Belgium and Luxembourg.  

Selection…to the Abarth Driving Academy

From the aspiring drivers who sign up, 105 will be selected to take part in a special driving experience at the Abarth Driving Academy. The 24 best, representing the six countries, will take part in a boot camp, where they will live out a team experience for a week and put their abilities to the test, facing all kinds of challenges every day.

After a further selection process, a race driving course will prepare the best to face the adrenaline rush of the track, ensuring the utmost safety through professional, technical and practical training. This stage will narrow the competition down to six finalists, the best, who will be able to take to the track in an Abarth 500 "Assetto Corse" together with professional drivers, in the Trofeo Abarth test on the Franciacorta circuit, on24 June 2012.

Wouldn't you like to be behind the wheel of an Abarth on a racing circuit? Already the "street" version is an exhilerating  experience...  

An Abarth trophy…

The driver who achieves the best overall place will have a car all to himself in addition to the possibility of racing in an Abarth 500 Assetto Corse again.

A beautiful Abarth history book…

PR & External Communication Manager Dominique Fontignies also handed us a stunning Abarth book on the life and cars of Carlo Abarth.

We just remind you here that Carlo Abarth (15 November 1908–24 October 1979), was born Karl Alberto Abarth inAustria, but later naturalised as an Italian citizen. Abarth then founded the Abarth & C. company with Armando Scagliarini (father of Cisitalia racing driver Guido Scagliarini) in Turin (31 March 1949), using his astrological sign, the Scorpio, as the company logo. More on this beautiful book, and the life and cars of Carlo, in a later report…

Hans Knol ten Bensel