The Austrian rally driver Luca Pröglhöf has set himself the goal of showing young people in technical vocational training another facet of their work as well as a possible future perspective and at the same time conveying the fascination of motorsport to them - and in doing so, he has broken down open doors at the HTL Mödling. The “Höhere Technische Bundeslehr- und Versuchsanstalt” in the Vienna agglomeration is one of the largest educational institutions in Europe with around 3,500 students.

Pröglhöf, once a student at the HTL himself, targeted the mechanical engineers specializing in automotive engineering and announced a special project for grades 3 and 4: In each case, two students were allowed to work as assistant mechanics on the Corsa Rally Electric of the current championship leader and his co-driver Christina "Dina" Ettel during a round of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup "powered by GSe" and deepen their acquired knowledge in practice.

"The project was born during my own school days at the HTL," says the 24-year-old. "Together with some friends, we founded the Rookie Rally Team and took our first steps. I met one of my old professors again at an HTL open day, and in conversation we came to the conclusion that a joint project would be a great thing, also to create an incentive and reward for the students. So now I'm doing something very similar to what we did with the Rookie Rally Team and trying to give young people practical insights. The project runs under the motto: Young people working for the future."

There is huge interest among the pupils. "Not just from the pupils, but also from the parents and teachers. And the project is also attracting a lot of media attention," says Pröglhöf happily. "The project is moving. And I know first-hand that it not only needs fast drivers in motorsport, but also perfect technical support and a good network. It works very well and it's a great pleasure to accompany the students on their journey. And it makes no difference whether they are boys or girls. Most of them do a great job!"

Like Catarina (17) and Vanessa (18), who were awarded the contract for the Vosges Grand-Est Rally, the third round of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup 2024, and were able to convince their driver straight away. "You can tell straight away what someone is made of," says Luca. "And with these two, I knew straight away: they're not afraid to get their hands dirty, they really want to do this. And the fact that more and more girls are interested in technical professions is generally a very positive development."

The two young women were infected with the motorsport bug at an early age and were immediately hooked on Pröglhöf's project. "After signing up, we spent a day at Luca's company Abocar to get to know the vehicle and the team. We went through a standard service, just as you would expect in a rally. And after a training day on the subject of electric vehicles at the Austrian automobile club ÖAMTC, we were off to France," says Vanessa, who is positively gushing: "Being here now is a childhood dream come true!"

Catarina is also delighted with her rally debut: "The atmosphere in the service park is great, we have a lot of fun and get on well. Everything is perfectly organized and we are really learning a lot. The Corsa Rally Electric isn't that service-intensive, but we help out wherever we're needed."

From theory to practice - that is the concept of the project, which is also appreciated by the students. "At home we learn the basics, here we learn how to apply them - and under pressure, because Luca and Dina have a lot at stake. We want to help the team, that's the goal," says Vanessa, who, like Catarina, is one of the 10 percent of girls studying automotive engineering at HTL Mödling.

The young women still feel a certain special status in this male-dominated environment. "It was worse in the first class because the boys were in the throes of puberty," smiles Vanessa. "Now we have a good class community. Stupid remarks bounce off me anyway. It's only the fact that we don't have a ladies' toilet in the workshop and always have to go to another building that makes you feel like you're part of a certain minority."

Catarina has also long since established herself in the supposedly male-dominated field: "The talkers are usually the ones who don't make it in the end anyway, because they're not good enough themselves." And Vanessa has identified another positive effect of mixed-gender learning: "The dynamic is different. The boys simply behave better ..."