Former British Rally champion Gwyndaf Evans looks behind the scenes at GEMsport and how to find future champions.
Identifying what makes a champion in the sports world is no easy feat. What qualities were the most important for Michael Schumacher? What drives Tiger Woods and how did Steve Redgrave maintain his motivation to secure so many gold medals?
While there is no easy answer, it’s something I have been studying closely in the setting up of GEMsport and our own mission to find young drivers with the potential to compete in the World Rally Championship.
The prospect of developing home grown talent and for the UK to have another world rally champion is a mouthwatering prospect - but certainly not easy.
Finding the drivers with the potential is one thing but success is far more than just the ability of one person - there are so many people involved in this mission from the financial backers at hustings.com, to car preparation companies and suppliers, co-drivers, the technicians and of course mentors.
But just looking at the drivers, it is amazing the different qualities that are needed. Assessing the likes of former and current world champions there is no set formula for success. Some have natural ability as a great starting point, for others their mechanical knowledge was crucial, personality certainly opened doors for some drivers and in an increasingly commercial world you need drivers who will deliver both in and out of the car.
At GEMsport our emphasis is on finding young drivers with potential and developing these skills.
We have Elfyn Evans and Meilyr Evans this year, who are already proving they have potential. Elfyn won the first round of the Fiesta SportingTrophy in Ireland and set three fastest stage times on the recent Malcolm Wilson Stages while Meilyr has been putting in some impressive stage times in his first Fiesta season.
The lads both have natural flair which is a great starting point. They have both been heavily involved in motorsport and rallying since they were very young and have both immersed themselves into the mission to succeed.
![Elfyn Evans. GEMsport. FST. Malcolm Wilson Rally. 2008. [PIC CREDIT: cmwi.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/416229.jpg)
