As a child, Alonso and his father, who also doubled as his mechanic, participated in karting competitions around Spain. His family lacked the financial resources needed to develop a career in motorsport, but his victories guaranteed sponsorships and the required funds. He won four Spanish championships in the junior category, in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996. He also won the Junior World Cup in 1996. He won the Spanish and Italian Inter-A titles in 1997 and finished second of the European Championship in 1998, winning the Spanish Inter-A title again. Former Minardi F1 driver Adrián Campos gave Alonso his first test in a race car in October 1998. After three days of testing Alonso had matched the lap times of Campos' previous driver Marc Gene. Campos signed Alonso to race for him in the 1999 Spanish Euro Open MoviStar by Nissan. He won his first race at the second attempt that year, at the same Albacete circuit where he tested in 1998. By the final round of the season he needed to win and set fastest lap to beat rival Manuel Giao to the championship, which he did. Alonso also took the opportunity to test for the Minardi F1 team, where sporting director Cesare Fiorio saw him lap 1.5 seconds faster than the other drivers being tested by Minardi.[2] The following season Alonso moved up to Formula 3000, which was often the final step for drivers before ascending to Formula One. Alonso joined Team Astromega and was the youngest driver in the series that year by eleven months. Alonso didn't score a point until the seventh race of the year, but in the final two rounds he took a second place and a victory, enough for him to end the season fourth overall behind Bruno Junqueira, Nicolas Minassian and Mark Webber.