Croatia Rally – (NEW DATE) 26-28 Sep 13

JAN KOPECKY AND PAVEL DRESLER (SKODA FABIA) WIN CROATIA RALLY

Posted: January 30, 2014 2:21 PM

The final podium is completed by Andreas Aigner (Subaru, new leader of the Production Cup) and Hermann Gassner jr. (Mitsubishi) who finished in this order after a great battle – Molly Taylor (Citroen) seals the Ladies' Trophy – Zoltan Bessenyey (Honda) only a step away from the 2WD Cup title – Daniel Saskin first of the local drivers – The FIA President Jean Todt attends the event – The Colin McRae Flat Out Trophy awarded to Andreas Aigner for this event.

Jan Kopecky and Pavel Dresler, the new 2013 European Rally Champions with their Skoda Fabia S2000, have won the 40th Croatia Rally after taking the lead in the final stages of the first leg. They were followed home respectively by Andreas Aigner-Barbara Watzl (Subaru Impreza R4) and Hermann Gassner jr-Ursula Mayrhofer (Mitsubishi Lancer R4) who in the second leg staged a close fight for the runner-up spot and the victory in the Production car class.

The Austrian Subaru driver, who had jumped in the lead under Friday's rain after passing local driver Juraj Sebalj (winner of Thursday night's superspecial stage and forced to retire today when he was fifth overall and first of the locals), first resisted the assault of the German who had closed within less than a second, then conquered a small but decisive advantage. Fourth place for the Belgian crew of Peter Tsjoen-Bernd Casier (Skoda Fabia S2000), who took turns in driving. Tsjoen also set the fastest time in the closing stage. The stage wins score is of 8 for Kopecky, 2 each for Tsjoen and Aigner, 1 for Sebalj and one notional time awarded to 4 drivers (Kopecky, Tsjoen, Aigner and Gassner). Fifth place for the South African crew of Henk Lategan-Barry White (Skoda Fabia S2000).

Molly Taylor, together with Sebastian Marshall on the Citroen DS3 R3T in the United Business livery, secured an advanced win in the ERC Ladies' Trophy with her second place in class after having risked retirement twice: first when she passed out at a stage end due to fuel vapours in the cockpit and then for a small crash. Victory in the 2WD for this rally went to slowenian Aleks Humar-Florjan Rus (Renault Clio R3), seventh overall, who led Hungary's Zoltan Bessenyey-Yulianna Nyirfas (Honda Civic R3) who thanks to this result get closer to success in the European 2WD Cup where they have a comfortable lead.

Daniel Saskin-Damir Brunen (Ford Fiesta Rrc) in eighth place are the best local crew in a rally which boasts the season record of foreign drivers (from 3 continents). Today the Rally welcomed a special guest, FIA President Jean Todt, who accompanied by Zrinko Gregurek, general secretary of the CCKF and member of the FIA World Motorsport Council, congratulated himself with the event organisation staff and its promoter Pierfelice Liberali. Jean Pierre Nicholas presented Andreas Aigner with the Colin McRae Flat Out Trophy for this event.

SIXTH ERC WIN UNDERLINES TITLE JOY FOR KOPECKY IN CROATIA

Posted: January 30, 2014 2:19 PM

Jan Kopecký marked his first FIA European Rally Championship title triumph* by making it six wins from eight starts in the 2013 ERC with a dominant victory on the Croatia Rally today (Saturday).

Kopecký, whose ŠKODA Motorsport team celebrated his and co-driver Pavel Dresler’s standout title success at the completion of Friday’s opening leg, started day two with a commanding lead of 52.9 seconds. Following a near-faultless drive in his Michelin-shod Fabia Super 2000 on Saturday’s seven stages, Kopecký came out on top by a margin 1m55.6s.

“It was a difficult rally for us because we expected dry weather on the first morning but it was raining and we had the hard compound tyre so this was a big challenge,” said Kopecký, 31. “The challenge was then to stay on the road, we did this and finally things started to come better for us. But I must say this result is not just for me but also for Pavel and the whole team.”

Andreas Aigner got the better of Hermann Gassner Jr in a thrilling battle for second place and the ERC Production Car Cup spoils. Aigner’s result puts him back on top of the title standings with two rounds remaining and earns him the prestigious Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy. Aleks Humar was the top ERC 2WD Championship finisher in a Renault Clio R3 with Zoltán Bessenyey increasing his grip on the crown in second place for Eurosol-Honda Civic Type R.

Molly Taylor wrapped up the inaugural FIA ERC Ladies’ Trophy* by finishing second to category winner Asja Zupanc in her United Business Rally Team Citroën DS3 R3T. Napoca Rally Academy clinched the FIA ERC Production Car Cup for Teams* thanks to the combined efforts of Romanian father-and-son Marco and Simone Tempestini.

“We’re very, very happy,” said Taylor. “Our goal coming into the season was to win the ERC Ladies’ Trophy so it’s a case of mission accomplished. We’ve had some difficult events but to sew up the championship with more rallies to go is very satisfying.”

Changeable weather once again formed the backdrop to the ERC qualifier with a mixture of damp and dry conditions greeting the crews on the morning loop of three stages. And there was more rain for the afternoon runs with tyre compound selection in penultimate service proving decisive in the battle for second. Believing the stages would be dry Gassner Jr bolted hard-compound rubber on his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. However, with stages 11 and 12 both featuring damp and muddy sections, the soft-compound Yokohama tyres selected by Aigner gave the Austrian the grip he craved and he was able to pull clear of his German rival having started the loop 0.7s ahead.

“It’s been a very good rally for us,” said Aigner, who led outright in his Subaru Impreza R4 STI after Friday morning’s stages. “We had a good battle with Hermann who did a good job and made some fantastic times. Even when it was dry he was really fast but on the damp surface we were faster.”

For Gassner Sr, third place overall still represented a strong result for the underfunded youngster.
“We did the wrong tyre choice today but a podium is still a good result for us and a lot more than I expected,” he said.

Having co-driven Bernd Casier on day one, Pieter Tsjoen was behind the wheel of the Belgians’ Fabia S2000 for Saturday and impressed by clocking two fastest stage times. South African teenager Henk Lategan underlined his potential by taking fifth on his second start on asphalt. András Hadik outgunned Aleks Humar for sixth in the closing stages with local driver Daniel Šaškin finishing eighth overall on his debut in a Ford Fiesta RRC. Jani Tr?ek and Zoltán Bessenyey rounded out the top 10.

Robert Consani dedicated his 12th-place finish to Team Renault Sport Technologies’ team-mate Germain Bonnefis, who suffered a fractured vertebra when he crashed on Friday morning. The young French driver will return home soon to begin his recuperation. For Consani, meanwhile, the result marked a return to form following three rallies without a finish. János Puskádi overcome myriad issues to finish 14th for Eurosol Racing Team Hungary. But there was frustration for the GPD Mit Metal Racing Team with both Robert Ko?ístka and Antonín Tlus?ák retiring with mechanical issues.

Results

Posted: January 30, 2014 2:15 PM

1 Jan Kopecký (CZE)/Pavel Dresler (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 2hrs23m11.s
2 Andreas Aigner (AUT)/Barbara Watzl (AUT) Subaru Impreza R4 STI +1m55.6s
3 Hermann Gassner Jr (GER)/Ursula Mayrhofer (AUT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 +2m09.8s
4 Pieter Tsjoen (BEL)/Bernd Casier (BEL) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +2m54.3s
5 Henk Lategan (ZAF)/Barry White (ZAF) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +4m04.6s
6 András Hadik (HUN)/Krisztián Kertész (HUN) Subaru Impreza R4 STI +6m49.0s
7 Aleks Humar (SVN)/Florjan Rus (SVN) Renault Clio R3 +6m59.5s
8 Daniel Šaškin (HRV)/Damir Bruner (HRV) Ford Fiesta RRC +7m58.8s
9 Jan Tr?ek (SVN)/Vili Ošlaj (SVN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX +9m52.3s
10 Zoltán Bessenyey (HUN)/Yulianna Nyirfás (HUN) Honda Civic Type R +10m06.5s

ERC Production Car Cup:
Andreas Aigner (AUT)/Barbara Watzl (AUT) Subaru Impreza R4 STI

ERC 2WD Championship:
Aleks Humar (SVN)/Florjan Rus (SVN) Renault Clio R3

ERC Ladies’ Trophy:
Asja Zupanc (SVN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX

Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy:
Andreas Aigner (AUT)

Full Results: rally-base results | European Rally Championship (ERC) - fiaerc.com

ERC HEROES GET SET FOR CROATIA ASHALT SPECTACULAR

Posted: September 22, 2013 4:00 PM

With the dust still settling following Poland's action-packed FIA European Rally Championship counter last week, the focus switches to Croatia as ERC Super September concludes on the country’s spectacular Adriatic coast.

A regular fixture on the ERC roster since the championship’s restructuring in 2004, the 40th anniversary Croatia Rally marks a return to asphalt for the ERC regulars following the gravel-based LOTOS 70 Rally Poland. Such has been the popularity of the ERC in 2013 and the serious competition ahead, local organisers have attracted a packed entry for the championship’s first visit to the seaside town of Pore?, a new venue for the Croatia Rally.

Championships up for grabs
It’s not just the overall title that will be a talking point in Croatia. The chase for success in the ERC Production Car Cup, ERC 2WD Championship and ERC Ladies' Trophy continues when the action gets underway on 26 September. Jaroslav Orsák holds an 18-point lead over Subaru Impreza R4 STI ace Andreas Aigner in the ERC Production Car Cup stakes with young star Germain Bonnefis (Renault Mégane R.S N4) four points behind Aigner. But with Orsák unable to take part due to illness, Aigner and Bonnefis are in prime position to capitalise on the Czech driver’s absence. The ERC 2WD Championship is more straightforward with Zoltán Bessenyey more than 50 points ahead of his closest challenger Kornél Lukács. But with two rounds left after Croatia, there’s plenty of points up for grabs. In the ERC Ladies’ Trophy, Ekaterina Stratieva must take maximum points to prevent Molly Taylor from clinching the inaugural crown.

Famous five for Croatia Rally
The ERC Ladies' Trophy has attracted five entries for the Croatia Rally, which equals the benchmark set by the Geko Ypres Rally earlier this season. In addition to regulars Ekaterina Stratieva and Molly Taylor, Asja Zupanch, Klavdija Senica and Jovana Jovanovi? will also be bidding for honours. Zupanch, who switched to rallying in 2009 following a career in karting and hillclimb, is one of the favourites in her four-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Lancer.

Top teams do battle in the ERC
While GPD Mit Metal Racing Team and Eurosol-Honda Civic Type R have enjoyed runaway success in their respective European teams’ championships, the battle still rages in the ERC Production Car Cup for Teams between Napoca Rally Academy and Team Renault Sport Technologies. Both will be fielding full-strength line-ups as they bid for glory in Croatia.

Home heroes out in force
Among the packed entry, several leading Croatian drivers will be taking part on round 10 of the 12-event ERC season. Juraj Šebalj, a three-time winner of the Croatia Rally, is the leading local seed in his ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, while Daniel Šaškin, who has experience of competing on the Dakar Rally, has a new-generation Ford Fiesta R5 at his disposal. Šebalj currently tops the Croatia and Serbian championship standings. Niko Puli? has won the Croatia Rally on two previous occasions and will be out to impress.

Fathers and sons bid for family bragging rights
Two father-and-son combinations will be competing on the Croatia Rally. Romania’s Marco Tempestini heads the Napoca Rally Academy effort with 19-year-old son Simone taking part in an identical Subaru Impreza R4 STI. And joining Germany’s Hermann Gassner on the entry will be his son Hermann Jr, who is 24 and finished second overall in Croatia last season.

The ultimate car swap is back on
After engine failure prevented their audacious bid to share driving and co-driving duties on the Geko Ypres Rally in June, Belgians Pieter Tsjoen and Bernd Casier will finally get to experience life behind the wheel and reading the pacenotes on the Croatia Rally. Casier will be driving their Fabia S2000 on Friday’s opening leg with Tsjoen taking over on Saturday.

Close fight expected in ERC 2WD
Apart from the battle for outright honours, the ERC 2WD Championship will be keenly contested in Croatia. Aside from the main title protagonists Zoltán Bessenyey (Honda Civic Type R) and Kornél Lukács (Citroën C2R2 Max), Sebastian Barbu will be one to watch after winning his class on the Sibiu Rally. Austria’s Hermann Neubauer has shown plenty of pace on his ERC appearances in his Suzuki Swift S1600, while Rok Turk makes his first start in the ERC since Rally Liep?ja-Ventspils. The Slovenian will be competing in a Peugeot 208 R2, the car of choice of championship regular Renato Pita from Portugal. Renault Clio R3 driver Aleks Humar, from Slovenia, is also highly rated.

They come from afar for ERC action
Two drivers have travelled great distances to compete in Croatia. Henk Lategan is jetting in from South Africa to take part on his first asphalt rally, while Arian Coppin will be making his ERC debut in a Citroën DS3 R3T as team-mate to fellow Australian Molly Taylor. Unlike Coppin, Taylor will make a somewhat shorter journey from her current base in Italy.

New venue, new route
With a switch to new host venue Pore?, several changes have been made to the route of the Croatia Rally. The Butoniga and Buzet stages, run twice on leg two, are completely new, while Salteria, the longest of the rally at 29.88 kilometres, features elements of previously used stages but has never been run in this layout before. The Pore? SSS, run on Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon, is also new for 2013, while tweaks have been made to a number of other stages. The Croatia Rally is well known for its fast and mountainous roads, which are characterised by a slippery asphalt surface. Although warm and dry conditions are expected, rain can also be a factor in the Istria peninsular where the event is based. Huge numbers of fans follow the action and as well as hosting the ERC, the Croatia Rally will also be staging a beauty pageant, pre- and post-rally parties, plus a number of sets by leading Croatian DJs.

98 CREWS, FROM 3 CONTINENTS, 69 FOREIGN, 29 CROATIAN.

Posted: September 20, 2013 11:27 AM

A total of 98 crews are on the entry list for the forthcoming Croatia Rally, round 10 of the 2013 FIA European Rally Championship, which gets underway on Thursday 26 September, in Pore?.

Drivers and co-drivers representing 19 different nationalities from 3 continents are registered, with 69 entries from outside the host country and 29 from Croatia.

Cars from 18 manufacturers will take part in the top line Croatia rally competition, with championship leader Jan Kopecky of the Skoda Motorsport Team topping the drivers' list, followed by Belgian Pieter Tsjoen. It is worth mentioning the presence of South African Henk Lategan with a SKODA Fabia S2000 and two Australian crews, Adrian Coppin and Molly Taylor, both with Citroen DS3 R3 and also the most famous Croatian drivers, Juraj Šebalj with a Skoda Fabia S2000, Daniel Saskin with the new Ford Fiesta R5 and Niko Pulic.

The 2013 Croatia Rally (September 26/28) is organised by the Croatian Car & Karting Federation and promoted by the Italian Company United Business, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Croatia Rally.

PACKED ENTRY AS ERC SUPER SEPTEMBER CONTINUES IN CROATIA

Posted: September 19, 2013 4:20 PM

ERC Super September concludes in Croatia next week with a packed 98-car entry lining up for round 10 of the FIA European Rally Championship.

Based in the Adriatic coastal town of Pore? from 26-28 September, the event marks a return to asphalt following the gravel-based LOTOS 70 Rally Poland last week.

Of the 98 crews entered, 80 will be eligible for the main ERC contest with a further 18 contesting a national event. In total 19 different countries will be represented with 69 crews travelling to Croatia to take part against 29 home heroes. Furthermore, 18 car manufacturers will be taking part.

Among the leading contenders, Niko Puli?, Daniel Šaškin and Juraj Šebalj will be flying the flag for Croatia, while the GPD Mit Metal Racing Team returns for more ERC action having skipped LOTOS 70 Rally Poland. Andreas Aigner is the highest-seeded ERC Production Car Cup competitor in his Subaru Impreza R4 STI, while Germain Bonnefis and Robert Consani will chase success for Team Renault Sport Technologies. Marco and Simone Tempestini will head Napoca Rally Academy’s assault on the event.

Molly Taylor is one of five ERC Ladies’ Trophy contenders, while Zoltán Bessenyey is expected to challenge for honours in the ERC 2WD Championship but will face strong opposition from ERC regulars Kornél Lukács and Hermann Neubauer.

The Croatia Rally features a total of 14 stages over a competitive distance of 239.12 kilometres. The action begins with the 1.70-kilometre Pore? stage from 18:17hrs local time on Thursday 26 September. A full preview will be issued on Friday 20 September.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: September 19, 2013 4:19 PM

Croatia Rally – 26-28 Sep 13

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6TH IS CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES FOR CROATIA RALLY 2013

Posted: September 4, 2013 8:45 AM

The countdown is already started less four weeks before the Croatia Rally 2013, tenth round of the European Rally Championship, scheduled in Pore? for 26th to 28th of September.

Rally organized by CCKF (Croatian Car & Karting Federation ) will comprise fourteen special stages split in two legs for a total of 239,12 km.

Entry requests must be made using the specific form and sent to the Rally's Secretariat together with the entry fee payment receipt by e-mail to entry@rallycroatia2013.com , by Friday of 6th September 2013 h 24.00.

The original entry form and entry fee payment receipt must be received by the Organizer within seven days (i.e. by Friday 13th September 2013).

Entry requests will not be accepted without payment receipt. The entry requests without payment receipt will be considered invalid and the Organizer will not notify the Entrant.

All competitors who pay the accommodation for themselves and their team in Zelena Laguna in Pore? through the agency SPEKTAR PUTOVANJA d.o.o. in Zagreb (alma@spektar-holidays.hr ; tel: 00385 98 9829-922) are entitled to 20% discount when paying entry fee.

In order for discount to be realized it is necessary to attach the copy of payment for accommodation booking when paying entry fee.

Website / Details

Posted: September 4, 2013 8:43 AM

RALLY CROATIA (ERC)