In the Beltramelli family, the motorsport virus has been passed down from father to son for two generations. The grandfather, Georges, started in rallies, notably the Montgueux hill climb (Aube). José, the father, got into it late, at 40 years old. For the two young brothers, Brady and Viny, it was around 12 years old that they cut their teeth on karting tracks. It was there that the passion for racing seized the second, moving up a gear in 2016, at the age of 16, with his participation in the French FFSA Historic Circuits championship at the wheel of a Renault single-seater. Three years later, change of direction, he drove a Peugeot 208 Racing Cup for Peugeot Sport meetings. He finished the season junior vice-champion, then won the junior title in 2020. French FFSA Tourisme champion in 2021 in the TCA Light category, he won his latest title, on September 15: that of French FFSA Tourisme champion in the TC category, on a Peugeot 308 Racing Cup.
“I've tried lots of thrilling sports, but it's the only one that gives me so much adrenaline,” says Viny Beltramelli, little encouraged by his success to slow down the pace. However, he does not forget the reasons for his victories: “When you are in the car, there are a lot of parameters that come into account so that everything works down to the millimeter. If the technical team doesn't keep up, it's difficult to perform well, it's real teamwork. There is a very important part of strategy in racing,” he insists.
To stay in the adrenaline rush, he would have liked to be a fighter pilot, but wearing prescription glasses closed the door to this career. He thus fell back on a master's degree in marketing and management at the Saint-Joseph La Salle school group in Troyes (Aube), in parallel with his exploits on the circuits. “I did my work-study program at an automobile parts supplier to learn my skills elsewhere than in the family business and, last year, I did my final year at the Beltramelli bodywork,” says Viny. This year, he passed his BPJEPS on a work-study basis at Le Mans (Sarthe) to give advanced driving lessons on the 208 Racing Cup with which he did his first races. An experience not so easy to master, even for a champion: “I had the technical background linked to the competition, but having the words and adapting to the student is a job. I needed teaching techniques,” he admits.
From one category to another
With his victory on October 6, the 25-year-old driver also obtained a grant of 50,000 euros to participate in the French FFSA GT4 championship in 2025. This sum will help finance a sport which aims to be very financially demanding, because a GT championship can cost between 100,000 and 150,000 euros of investment depending on the driver, his level and his track record. “We have to find sponsors and patrons because, in my category, the drivers are not paid. Rather, there are contracts with manufacturers,” explains the young driver. “The scholarships allow you to be more comfortable for the following season. The tires take up a large part of the budget, then there are the commitments for the races, the staff, the depreciation of the car, but also the travel of the drivers and the cars to be paid. »
This year he participated in a triple program. In addition to the French FFSA championship in the TC category, he drove a Porsche for the French FFSA GT4 championship – he finished the season 3rd in the standings – and for the European GT4 championship. But the 308 Racing Cup that he drives in the TC category remains his favorite car for racing: “It seems surprising, but it has a good chassis, and that's where you can be the most aggressive. On the GT4, you have to be fine and patient, a term that I had difficulty assimilating in the first races. »
If Viny Beltramelli is sure to participate again in the French FFSA GT4 championship in 2025 thanks to his scholarship, for the moment, nothing has been signed for him at European level. The winter break should allow us to see things more clearly. Depending on the opportunities available to him, he would still like to get closer to another category of cars, that of the LMP2 prototypes, known mainly for the 24 hours of Le Mans, or move up to GT3, above GT4. “While it's not at all the same driving, I'm still studying both career paths, because both categories race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is my goal,” he explains. While waiting for 2025, Viny Beltramelli will discover, on November 29 and 30, the Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia, for the last GT4 race of the season.
