Young Chilean drivers, José Castillo and Joaquín Sánchez are the two drivers on the 2023 VARS grid representing their small South American country of Chile, as they are two of only four Virtual drivers who have represented this small strip next to Argentina. Sánchez (19) the boy hailing from Antofagasta, the port city in a mining area of the Atacama Desert. It's known of it's copper production, and Joaquín's father, Vicente, owns a copper mining business that his family has been running for generations. He began riding dirt bikes at the age of five, and won the 2016 Antofagasta Region Motocross Championship in the 75cc class. He rode dirt bikes until the age of twelve, where his family moved to Chile's capital, Santiago, and Sánchez began karting at the local track. After winning both the 2020 Virtual Brazilian Karting Championship and the Virtual Americas Karting Championship in the VK class, he moved to the United States in 2021 to contest in various championships, most notably the 2021 Virtual American Premier Karting Championship in the VK class, where he finished in 6th. In 2022, Sánchez once again contested the Virtual American Premier Karting Championship in the VK class, and came 3rd in the championship. He also was in various other championships as well, as his performances were noted by a talent scout, who got in contact with upper management of the Virtual Americas Racing Series, so he could be in the selection for its annual VARS drive for diversity programme. (Every year VARS selects two drivers out of a large pool of talents from unrepresented backgrounds, and has been credited for the success of Kiyoko Yoshioka, Ellie-Mae Theodoulou and Spencer James) Sánchez won the scholarship alongside Guatemala's first ever Virtual representative, Oscar Orellano, who Sánchez rivalled during karting. Ever since 2022, he has been coached/mentored/managed by the first ever Virtual driver from Chile, Andrés Espinoza, who formerly drove in the inaugural season of VARS in 2015-2017, as he became the first Chilean to get a podium and a pole position, with his highest championship standing in the series being 7th. Espinoza drove in the 2018 VWRS and finished 25th, which was second to last, in the championship, with one points finish in Brazil. Now Espinoza is 31 and is coming up to 32 next year, he retired from racing following his disastrous 2018 campaign and began focusing on mentoring and managing young drivers. We asked him what it was like having a student of his come this far: "It's a massive honour, he's an extremely talented and nice young man, Joaquín can go very, very far in his career and has now received the sponsorship to do so. He's like a third child to me...*pauses* make that fourth" He says, talking to FV South America in an interview from early 2023. Now that there is only one round to go in the 2023 Virtual Americas Racing Series, Espinoza's has been proved correct, as his protégé currently lies 7th in the championship, with one pole and a sole win (becoming the first Chilean to win a Virtual race, his sole podium as well) and has had a very consistent season. 5th place in the championship standings in not off the cards for him, which is where compatriot José Castillo, lies in. Speaking of José Castillo, he is only a few days older than Sánchez, let's get onto him now. Born on the 8th August 2004 (Sánchez was born on the 13th) in San Antonio, a Chilean port city and the main freight port of Chile. José Castillo is the third born out of four children, Isidora, (born 1992) Pablo, (born 2002) and Sofía. (born 2010) His parents work in the water transport business, and his older brother Pablo, formerly raced in the 2021 Virtual Americas Racing Series and now works for his father when he's not coaching his younger brother or driving in local races. José began karting alongside his brother Pablo, when he was seven, with his talent outperforming his older brother various times. Castillo has never raced in the United States or North America due to budget issues, as his older brother drove in the 2021 Virtual Americas Racing Series, coming 15th in the championship standings with 32 points and outperforming his teammate, but did not have the budget to continue. 2021 was a breakout year for Castillo, as he came 2nd in the Virtual Mexican Karting Championship in the VK class and in late 2021, he and Uruguayan driver, Alfonso Marques were selected for the 2022 VARS drive for diversity programme and were given a scholarship to the series. Marques finished the season at the bottom of the standings with only one point, while Castillo excelled and finished the season in 5th, the highest any Chilean has ever finished in any virtual series. He became the first ever Chilean to get a pole position in a virtual series as well. Castillo re-signed with American Racing for the 2023 VARS season, with hopes of moving up the FVA Pyramid. He started off his season slowly, and now it's the near end of the season, he has collected three podiums and one pole position, while his rookie compatriot Joaquín Sánchez had taken his maiden podium and win. When asked about his fellow Chilean he said: "Me and Joaquín are good friends off track, there's only two Chileans on the grid, and we have the same talent level so we could move up classes together. Imagine us racing in Formula Virtual together. I don't feel any competition from Joaquín's mentor, Andrés." Who do you reckon will be the top Chilean at the final round? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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