Red Bull Motorsports
WRC
Meet the master and apprentice steering Spain back to the top of the WRC
Jan Solans is using his Junior World Rally Championship success as a springboard to reach the top of his sport. Assisting him on his mission is Carlos Sainz, Spain's greatest ever off-roader.
Part of this story
It all began with a phone call. It was just past the midway point of the 2019 Junior World Rally Championship and 21-year-old Jan Solans had put himself in pole position to claim the title. But it was the Spanish driver's rookie season and he knew he needed some help getting this thing over the line, so he called up the only Spaniard ever to win the World Rally Championship. Surely he'd know what to do from here.
Solans rang the number he had been given and waited nervously for a two-time WRC and three-time Dakar Rally winner to take his call. Carlos Sainz picked up the phone and the chemistry between the two was instant. After talking for two hours, Solans knew what he had to do to close out the job and secure the Junior WRC title in his debut season. For the master and his new apprentice, this could be the start of something very special for Spanish motorsport.
I know that without the help from Carlos my career wouldn't be where it is right now
"Carlos knows the way to arrive to the top because he's the only Spanish driver that has achieved that in the WRC," Solans says, thinking back to that first phone call. "I called him to ask if I could visit and we ended up talking on the phone for two hours. He told me that he'll do all he can to help me and I really appreciate having his support."
Sainz certain knows what needs to be done – on and off the track – to triumph in rallying. 30 years after claiming his maiden WRC title, he was taking the win at the 2020 Dakar. Despite his packed schedule, Sainz has been only too happy to share his wisdom with Solans.
"As a young driver, you set a lot of targets and are always pushing yourself to go forward," Sainz says. "In my early days, I was sometimes a little bit impatient. I see Jan has talent and now is his time to prove it in the next step after winning the Junior World Rally Championship."
The first Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia had a familiar winning driver
© Marcelo Maragni/Red Bull Content Pool
This isn't the first time Sainz has turned his hand to mentoring. His own son is a successful graduate of the Red Bull Junior Team and is currently competing in his seventh season of Formula One. Solans also has racing pedigree in his family – his father and older brother Nil are both rally drivers.
Even before he got his hands on his driver's license, Solans was getting his first taste of competitive rally action as Nil's co-driver. He was also in the paddock when Nil won both the Junior WRC and WRC-3 championships in 2017.
Since I was a child I always wanted to compete in rallying
"I have a really good relationship with Nil and he's always been my teacher," Solans says about his brother. "In the rallies we've both competed in, we always help each other with pace notes and places where we need to take care. We're always in touch and trying to help each other."
Looking up to Nil helped keep Solans on the right path as he was growing up. Despite being too young to race rallies, as a schoolboy he demonstrated his driving abilities in a range of other disciplines. This culminated in him winning Spain's Junior Cross Kart Championship in 2014.
"My family has always been involved in motorsports and since I was a child I always wanted to compete in rallying," Solans recalls. "I had to start out with karting and then cross kart. Then, when I was 18-years-old I started rallying and have been going step-by-step since then."
Jan Solans and Mauro Barreiro take flight
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
While Solans has been supported at every stage of his journey by his own family, he can now call upon the help of 'El Matador' himself, a man with 26 WRC wins to his name. When the only Spaniard who 's been there and done it all in the WRC speaks, you can bet that Solans is listening to every word.
"Carlos has an amazing knowledge of every aspect of rallying. Every piece of advice that he's given me has been very useful," Solans says. "I always pay attention to everything he has to say. Carlos is always there for me, despite having his own very busy life. He has no obligation to help me, but he does it. I think this says a lot about him as a person. I know that without the help from Carlos, my career wouldn't be where it is right now."
A shortened motorsport season in 2020 sees both Sainz and Solans back behind the wheel. Sainz is plotting his return to Saudi Arabia in 2021 to defend his Dakar title while Solans is driving a Ford Fiesta R5 in the 2020 WRC-3 campaign. There could very well be some more high-speed silverware coming home to Spain in the near future.
Part of this story
