The 2022 motorsport season kicks off next week with a total of 84 official competitions scheduled in the 8 Andalusian provinces, in addition to 17 Sim-Racing events; a driving simulation modality with an increasing number of fans in our country.
The official calendar was made public today at the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto (Jerez) during an event presented by the President of the Andalusian Automobile Federation, Manuel Alonso, who was accompanied by the veteran driver and FAA delegate in Cádiz, Amador Jaén and Carlos Melero, from the Federation’s Board of Directors.
Alonso highlighted to the media the high degree of consolidation of our sport in Andalusia, with nearly a hundred competitions, which represents a remarkable growth that is being consolidated year after year.
For 2022 the sporting competition, which starts next week with the I Rally-Crono Ciudad de Córdoba, foresees a total of 12 championships in Andalusia divided between different motoring modalities: 8 asphalt and regularity rallies, 8 dirt rallies, 14 Mountain Climbs, 8 rally-cronos, 9 Time Trials, 5 speed trials in Circuits, 4 karting trials, 6 Enduro trials, 6 Extreme 4×4 trials, 5 Autocross trials, 10 Slaloms, 1 Andalusian Tractor Championship trial and 17 Sim-racing trials (9 mountain trials and 8 rallies).
National and international events in Andalusia
It should also be noted that Andalusia also hosts an international rally such as the Sierra Morena Rally, two Spanish Gravel Championship rallies (Pozoblanco and Granada), two national mountain climbs (Ubrique and Estepona), a national gravel rally such as the Baja Andalusia (Seville) in November, a Spanish Touring Car Championship (CET) race in May and another Spanish Endurance Championship (CER) race in September at the Jerez Circuit; and finally two international Karting races at the Campillos circuit (Malaga): The Winter Rotax International in February and the IAME European Championship in November.
Outside the official Andalusian calendar there are also two other international events taking place this year: the ‘Andalusia Rally’, scheduled for June in the provinces of Cadiz and Seville, and the Regularity Classics Rally to be held in Fuengirola (Malaga) in September.
By provinces, this season Cordoba is the one that hosts the largest number of races with a total of 18; followed by Cadiz with 15 official competitions, Malaga with 14, Almeria with 12, Granada with 8, Jaen with 5 and finally Huelva with 2.
The president of the highest motorsport institution in Andalusia, recalled in this regard that “this season remains the same as last year, but in the mountains we have recovered new events such as the Subida Noalejo and the Subida a la Mota, the new Rallye Valle del Guadiato in Córdoba and the Benamahoma and Adamuz Time Trials. In total 5 more races than in 2021”.
For his part, Amador Jaén underlined the continued importance of motor racing in the province of Cádiz “where we are really proud to have so many events, both on the road, such as the two rallies in Jerez and Sierra de Cádiz, on circuits in the best circuit in the world, such as Jerez, in the mountains with Vejer, Algar and Ubrique and of course the slaloms, where we are pioneers”. For these reasons he emphasised that in Cádiz “we have a superb calendar, with races on spectacular tracks”.
Finally, Carlos Melero emphasised that “the FAA is redoubling its audiovisual commitment this year with streaming broadcasts on the internet and social networks”. In fact, this season the 8 rounds of the Asphalt Rally Championship, the 4 rounds of the Andalusian Karting Championship, the 5 rounds of the CAVA, as well as the champions’ galas of the different provincial and Andalusian championships and finally the news coverage of the presentations of the races will be offered live and free to air.
This commitment of the FAA to give more visibility to drivers, teams and organisers of motor racing events in Andalusia will also be complemented by the weekly programmes and summaries that are broadcast on the more than 100 Acutel TV stations, and other Andalusian radio and television stations, and the weekly programme that RTVA has been offering for some years now through Andalusia TV. In Melero’s opinion, “this is an important technological and human effort, of which we should feel proud due to the high impact and viewership that our sport is having at all levels”.