Profile: Fernando Alonso

At eight, he went outside Asturias to win the Galician championship, as well as the Asturian, in the junior class.

In 1990, he triumphed again in Asturias and Navarre, this time in the cadet class.

In 1991, things started to get a bit out of hand, since the trips to Madrid and other provinces were continuous and the cost of materials was very high. He came second in the Spanish championship at the Santos de la Humosa circuit, between Guadalajara and Madrid, fighting against Antonio Garcia and Santiago Porteiro. "We could not afford to send Fernando into higher competitions. The costs had shot up," says Jose Luis. "

Fernando was always aware of the efforts made by the whole family. Me going to all the races acting as mechanic, his mother putting up with her son being away every weekend, which is when he could have been with her, Lorena not seeing her brother as much as she would like, and the money it involved. The only way of carrying on was for Fernando to win races and someone to spot him as a future talent, since no official body or company out of all those we had asked, lent us a helping hand. Fernando knew that it depended on him alone to continue, and he did not fail."

In 1992, he raced in the 100cc class, with special permission from the Federation, since he should still have been competing in the cadets at that age. "I have always been the youngest in every category, perhaps because of that, I am used to breaking that sort of record, and perhaps it impresses me less than it should. Although it may seem that I do not go mad about all these achievements, I do value them, but perhaps I have been spoilt. I have raced in," Fernando often says.

He took the definitive step in this part of his sporting life when competing in a race in Mora de Ebro (Tarragona) in 1993.