'Hamilton of the favelas' hits headlines in Brazil
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[November 10, 2021] SAO
PAULO (Reuters) - A young Black driver on Brazil's motor racing
circuits has won the moniker 'Hamilton of the favelas' and the
popular prospect says he is inspired by seven-times world champion
Lewis Hamilton to travel the same path on and off the track.
Wallace Martins, who currently drives in the Formula Delta category,
got the nickname from other drivers because of his similarities – in
looks and driving style - to Hamilton.
An engaging 18-year-old, Martins does not mind the comparison and
says one of his dreams is to emulate the Briton.
“I think he is a driver that is very dedicated to what he does,”
Martins said. “He wins one race and he’s already thinking about
winning the next one.
“And then there’s his story. He came from a poor neighbourhood and
is Black and is the only Black driver in Formula 1. There’s a lot
about his story that is inspiring.”
Like Hamilton, who has spoken about racism, the humble Martins has
faced a number of obstacles in his fledgling career.
He is competing against people who have raced in the United States
even though he has never been outside Brazil.
When he started out in the notoriously expensive motor racing
business he would race once and then sit out the next two or three
while friends and family sold t-shirts and organised whip-rounds to
raise enough money to get him back on the grid.
During the pandemic he tested cars and worked as a mechanic in
return for food for his family.
“None of it has been easy,” he told Reuters. “It’s got a lot better
but it’s still not easy.”
KART RACING
Martins began kart racing aged 10 and after success there moved on
to Formula Vee and then Formula Delta.
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Racing driver Wallace Martins,18, is reflected in a mirror as he
buttons his suit at home in Brasilandia, Sao Paulo, Brazil October
22, 2021. Picture taken October 22, 2021. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
He has eight wins and 21 podiums from 44 career
races, according to Driver DataBase, a motor racing website, and
currently sits in third place in the Copa Yokohama, the trophy given
to the best rider over the season’s last three races.
The final race is on Dec. 19 at Interlagos, the same circuit where
Formula 1 drivers will race this weekend.
Recent stories focusing on Martins’ talent and struggles have helped
attract sponsors and have also shone a light on his background as a
poor Black man in an expensive sport.
“Everyone you see (racing) has a sponsor and when you ask them about
it, it turns out they are the son of the shop’s owner or something
like that,” Martins said, without a trace of bitterness. “So it’s a
very elite sport.”
Martins knows how difficult it is to break into Formula 1.
Although Brazil is a hotbed for the sport, it has not had a top
level driver since Felipe Massa retired in 2017 and no drivers'
champion since Ayrton Senna in 1991.
In order to succeed Martins would have to leave Brazil and then
climb through the ranks in Europe.
Though still a teenager, he is savvy enough to know that even at
this level his presence is symbolic.
“I think about being an inspiration one day for young people, for
diversity,” he said. “I feel like I am (breaking down barriers). I
hope that other young people like me can one day reach a top level.”
(Reporting by Andrew Downie; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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