FFSA Academy

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A Courage-Porsche Le Mans Prototype campaigned by La Filière in 1997, with Henri Pescarolo

The FFSA Academy (formerly known as La Filière, Volant Elf and Auto Sport Academy) was created in 1993 by Elf Aquitaine to promote French drivers at the highest level, in line with its marketing approach and its commitment to Renault in F1. It is located at: Technoparc des 24 Heures, Chemin aux Boeufs, 72100 Le Mans, France.

History

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A variety of driving schools and motorsport talent searches operated across France throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and were all eventually merged to create the Auto Sport Academy in 1993. It was taken over in April 2001 by the FFSA (Fédération Française du Sport Automobile), becoming one of its subsidiaries.

Its main objective is to train young drivers and promote the best to give them access to a professional career; 40 to 50 drivers are trained every year in its two main disciplines, competition karting (Formula Kart) and single-seater racing (Formula Campus Renault Elf).

Its unique feature is that its concept includes the only motorsport "Pole Espoirs" (promising young drivers' section) in the world.

In effect, until its creation, budding drivers thought that they had to systematically choose between studies and motorsport. The Academy puts the situation in another light: in view of the few successful candidates in motorsport, it offers potential drivers the option of testing their sporting talents while continuing their studies.

It also provides free training for would be mechanics, in partnership with the State Education system. 87% of trainee mechanics work in the world of competition on completion of their training.

Since 2005, the Academy offers a new training center dedicated to the profession of instructor, with official recognition by a "Brevet Professionnel" (certificate of vocational competency).

Former graduates include Sébastien Bourdais, Franck Montagny, Stéphane Sarrazin, Narain Karthikeyan, Pierre Gasly, Anthoine Hubert, Jules Bianchi, Theo Pourchaire, and Ryo Fukuda.

It was renamed Auto Sport Academy in 2007, and then FFSA Academy in 2016.[1]

Current drivers

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French F4 Championship

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The Academy currently governs the French F4 Championship and supports their drivers.[2] They are:

Driver
France Andy Consani
France Paul Roques
France Roméo Leurs
France Jules Roussel
France Héloïse Goldberg
France Jade Jacquet
France Arthur Dorison
France Alexandre Munoz
France Lisa Billard
France Louis Iglesias
Morocco Sofia Zanfari
France Hugo Martiniello
United States Maverick McKenna
France Guillaume Bouzar
France Malo Bolliet
France Nicolas Pasquier
France Angélina Proenca
Australia Sasha Milojković
France Rayan Caretti
Monaco Matteo Giaccardi
Italy Niccolò Pirri
Japan Rintaro Sato
France Rafaël Pérard
United States Jack Iliffe
Portugal Léandre Carvalho
France Hugo Herrouin
France Thomas Senecloze
France Pierre Devos
France Pablo Riccobono Bello
China Jason Shen
Netherlands Annabelle Brian
Germany Montego Maassen

Other

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The drivers currently supported by the FFSA are:

Driver Years Current series Titles achieved as FFSA member
France Jules Caranta 2025– Eurocup-3 None
France Evan Giltaire 2024– Formula Regional Middle East Championship
Formula Regional European Championship 		None
France Alessandro Giusti 2023– FIA Formula 3 Championship None
France Victor Martins 2016– FIA Formula 2 Championship Formula Renault Eurocup
FIA Formula 3 Championship
France Enzo Peugeot 2024– Formula Regional European Championship None

References

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  1. ^ "Historique – FFSA Academy". FFSA Academy (in French). Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  2. ^ "New - French F4 Championship". Auto Sport Academy. 14 October 2010. Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
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