• At the final E-Prix of the season in London, Olivia Van Dalen, Racing Host and part of the CUPRA Sponsorships team, successfully completed her challenge to go from rookie to professional, driving a Gen 3 Formula E car for the first time
• For seven months she has been preparing herself thoroughly and learning all the ins and outs of the sport, with the support of the ABT CUPRA FE team
• Olivia: "My journey won't end here. I plan to continue training and, who knows, it would be a dream to represent CUPRA in a championship such as TCR”

Mission accomplished! After seven months of exhaustive preparation, Olivia Van Dalen, Racing Host and part of the CUPRA Sponsorships team, successfully completed her personal challenge to drive a Gen 3 Formula E car. She did so last Friday, 19^th July, during the Formula E E-Prix in London, making good on all the hard work she has put in since embarking on this adventure as a motorsport enthusiast and karting aficionado. Thanks to the support of the ABT CUPRA FE team, with the advice of drivers Lucas di Grassi and Nico Müller, as well as the backing of some of CUPRA's ambassadors, such as Marc ter Stegen, Olivia has fulfilled her dream, going from rookie to professional. 

It's very difficult to put into words! The feeling I experienced when I sat in the car was incredible. Thoughts of all the preparation over the last seven months rushed into my mind, as well as all the advice given to me by the drivers of the ABT CUPRA FE team, the CUPRA ambassadors and experts in the field such as Jordi Gené, Xavi Serra and Dr. Werner Tietz. But I was very impressed that in the Gen 3 you are very close to the ground and despite the power delivered by the electric motor, the car's grip is outstanding. It was a super fun experience.

I couldn't have done it without the support and help I received from the whole team. I learned so much by doing track walks with them, analysing data with the engineers and studying every detail of the car. But above all, I have to thank Lucas and Nico for all their advice and explanations. In Mexico, Lucas gave me very clear guidelines to follow to make it this far. In fact, my training programme for the last seven months has been entirely based on that: practicing karting and getting behind the wheel of a TCR, cardio and strength training, learning how to cope with the pressure, training in the simulator.

To tell the truth, there have been so many! Drivers have to undergo an exhaustive schedule and it hasn't been easy to adapt to this lifestyle, especially with such demanding endurance and strength training. I then had to spend a lot of time practicing behind the wheel to perfect my handling and racing lines. Karting helped me a lot to improve, but then switching to the CUPRA Leon VZ TCR was a major challenge. Yet for me the keys have been perseverance, determination and, above all, approaching the challenge with a lot of enthusiasm and passion.

First of all, I take away some unforgettable memories and the chance to fulfil a childhood dream. Thanks to CUPRA, I have been able to experience endless emotions and connected with numerous people who didn't hesitate to support me throughout this journey. I can confidently say that thanks to this experience, 2024 has been the best year of my life

I would absolutely love that. However, during these months I have also realised how intense and demanding it is to train to become a professional driver. It's also very challenging to combine it with a full-time job, but my journey won't end here. I plan to continue my training and, who knows, it would be a dream to represent CUPRA in a championship like TCR.

Olivia Van Dalen’s journey and challenges can be followed or revisited on the @CUPRA_official Instagram account.