Carlos Sainz has been named Ambassador of Maria de Villota's Legacy in an event held at the Sports Superior Council (CSD in Spanish) in Madrid (Spain). The Scuderia Toro Rosso driver has been chosen as he represents the values that identified María de Villota. Carlos will join Pedro de la Rosa in this task for the foundation.
Carlos had a close relationship with María de Villota, and he was moved as he accepted this nomination: "I'm thankful to the De Villota family for this honor. María didn't only help me when I was 13 and I was pursuing the dream of being at the wheel of a single-seater, but I also had the opportunity to do 10 or 20 laps on track following her. Since 2014 I've carried his star on my helmet".
María de Villota and Carlos Sainz had a close relationship. In fact, María was the first person to coach Carlos at Madrid's Drivers' School. Carlos did his very first laps on a single seater with María. Carlos Sainz has sweet and special memories of her, and during his speech he highlighted her happiness and the will to live she always inspired.
The event took place during the presentation of the activities organized by the Fundación Deporte Joven (Young Sport Foundation) for 2016. Among the assistants were the De Villota family, with father and exdriver Emilio de Villota. There were also the General Sports Director of the CSD and Vicepresident of the Young Sport Foundation, Óscar Graefehnahin; the General Director of the Young Sport Foundation, Alfonso Jiménez; the president of the Spanish Automobile Federation, Carlos Gracia; the two-times world rally champion Carlos Sainz and the sponsors that accompanied the driver along her professional career and that have chosen to support his initiative.
About María de Villota's Legacy
The Legado María de Villota (María de Villota's Legacy) was launched by the Young Sport Foundation in 2014 with the aim to continue Maria de Villota's benefic work. It helps ill people and people in need, especially children from the Fundación Ana Carolina Díez Mahou. Thanks to the First Star project -within María de Villota's Legacy-, children suffering from genetic neuromuscular illnesses have been able to receive motoric and respiratory physiotherapy, which has helped their quality of life.
María de Villota's Legacy also tries to promote among the younger generations the values that the beloved driver showed during her career: overcoming the difficulty, discipline in the preparation, perseverance in the pursuit of goals, an optimistic attitude in life, team spirit and sacrifice, determination in the decision-making process, empathy towards others and family, among others.
After developing a long professional career and suffering a serious crash in 2012, María showed an extraordinary capacity to reinvent herself and made from helping others her reason to live.
Days before her death in October 2013, she had been named Vicepresident of the Young Sport Foundation from the Sports Superior Council. Affected by her disappearance and in collaboration with her family, the entity decides to carry on with the work she began. Its main lines are described in her book 'La vida es un regalo' (Life is a gift).
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