ACA Club Relaunches Youth High-Performance Motorsport Programme After Decade-Long Hiatus

The ACA Club's Sports Commission has relaunched its youth high-performance development programme, reviving the project after nine to ten years as the successor to the Joves Pilots initiative.

Five drivers aged 16 to 25, selected from the 2025 Andorra Mountain Automobile Championship (CAAM), will take part: Guilherme da Silva, Miquel Guiral, Biel Martínez, Marcel Sala, and Mikel Sánchez. Coordinated by Marc Gutiérrez, the programme draws on a multidisciplinary team covering driving techniques, physical preparation, sports psychology, track engineering, and officiating. The participants will compete in all 2026 CAAM events—Arinsal on 30-31 May, Arcalís on 27 June, Peguera on 25 July, and Beixalís on 26 September—with the possibility of extending to the Andorra Rally.

Gutiérrez, who oversees technical training and coordination, emphasised that the young drivers remain inexperienced and need professional support to compete in an organised, safe, and rapid manner. He noted the national championship's cost benefits and the programme's focus on building secure foundations in preparation, safety, discipline, and responsibility, beyond just speed.

Local resident Juan Manuel de Mingo Smörg, competing in Supercars España and Iberian Supercars with an Andorran licence in a BMW M4 GT4 EVO, is offering financial backing, time, and expertise. He described it as an obligation to support emerging talent, stating that sport develops better people, with his involvement available to these drivers, future participants, and Andorra as a whole.

ACA Club general secretary Toti Sasplugas described the structure as ideal for motorsport growth, crediting last year's CAAM revival for making it feasible. He stressed the need for a stable development framework to provide novices with essential competition knowledge, aiming for multi-season cycles per driver and overcoming economic barriers through family and sponsor management. Club president Enric Tarrado highlighted Smörg's pivotal role and affirmed the ACA's commitment to nurturing young talent for the future of Andorran motorsport.