MADRID, 3 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The rally driver Carlos Sainz has been awarded this Tuesday with the ‘José Manuel Martínez Martínez Lifelong Professional Award’ granted by the MAPFRE Foundation, for his “character of generosity and dedication” and his “incredible record”, according to a statement. .
“Fundación MAPFRE has awarded the José Manuel Martínez Martínez Lifelong Professional Award to the pilot Carlos Sainz, an award worth 30,000 euros, which said institution grants annually to people who dedicate their lives to improving the lives of others and to recognize and thank you for that character of generosity and dedication,” announced the entity, which will present the award to the pilot on October 10 at the hands of Queen Sofía at the Madrid Casino.
In the ruling, the jury recognized his “exceptional professional career, his spirit of improvement and effort, and for being an example of solidarity. And Sainz, 61 years old and considered one of the best rally drivers, is the only Spaniard World Rally Champion, proclaiming himself as such in 1990 and 1992. In addition, his “incredible record” includes four world runners-up and three Dakar Rally titles, the last achieved at the age of 57 in Saudi Arabia.
His experience in the Dakar Rally helped him become, in 2014, an advisor to the Guadarrama XII Armored Brigade on matters related to travel and life in desert areas. In recent years, it has participated in the Extreme-E Rally with the Acciona Sainz XE team, a competition that takes place in the most remote corners of the planet impacted by climate change, in which a total of 10 teams participate, made up of men and women.
Furthermore, the MAPFRE Foundation highlighted its social commitment, supporting young drivers with the creation in 2000 of the Carlos Sainz Junior Team, which for two years allowed young people chosen for their talent for this sport to compete free of charge.
The entity highlighted the support of the veteran pilot for social causes in road safety, food collection, support for refugees with the #TuSillaSuRefugio campaign of the
Spanish Commission for Refugee Assistance (CEAR), or support for the victims of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in La Palma, donating the Dakar 2018 competition suit for the charity auction organized by the Royal Spanish Automobile Federation together with Catawiki.es, among other.
The MAPFRE Foundation also awarded BrazilFoundation as ‘Best Entity for its Social Career’; to the Suicide Attempt Intervention Unit (Fire Department of the Madrid City Council), as ‘Best Project or Initiative for its Social Impact’; and Pilar González de Frutos, former president of UNESPA, with the ‘XI Julio Castelo Matrán International Insurance Award’.