Romanian rally news

[Mihai]

Romania has a very vivid national rally championship, called CNR which was established in 1969, which had 45 uninterrupted seasons to date. This year's champion was former WRC great Francois Delecour. So I started this topic to keep you updated on CNR.

Let me start with one unusual fact. The Romanian AutoSport Federation (FRAS) launched a creation pitch for the fans. The goal is to create a logo for the Romanian National Rally Championship (CNR) which will be used from 2014 on. Those of you who have the skills and creativity can send your proposed CNR logos to presa@fras.ro until December 15, 2013.

Press release (in Romania)
http://2010.fras.ro/media/comunicate-de ... ea-creativ (http://2010.fras.ro/media/comunicate-de-presa/1532-fras-te-vrea-creativ)

All logos will be voted to determine the winner. 50% of the points will come from Facebook. Drivers will count for 50% of the points, and their votes will be made public.

Official Facebook page where voting will start shortly after the December 15 deadline:
https://www.facebook.com/FRAS.RO

[Mihai]

Former WRC great Francois Delecour declares in national rally media that he is committed to another full season in Romania. He may not be as fast as he used to be, but he's a valuable asset of the Romanian National Championship, lifting the level of competition for the past couple of years. Though he's kind of killing all the thrill of the national championship. They should award him the title before the start of the season. :)

[tolis]

Former WRC great Francois Delecour declares in national rally media that he is committed to another full season in Romania. He may not be as fast as he used to be, but he's a valuable asset of the Romanian National Championship, lifting the level of competition for the past couple of years. Though he's kind of killing all the thrill of the national championship. They should award him the title before the start of the season. :)
Is it true that Edwin Keleti will drive a Fiesta R5 this year?

[Mihai]

Yes, Edwin cofirmed yesterday on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/edwin.keleti) that his Fiesta R5 is currently being built at M-Sport, revealing a couple of pics with the naked chassis inside the Dovenby Hall workshop.

[Mihai]

Log on to Facebook and vote the new logo of the Romanian Rally Championship - CNR. These are the 15 finalists :

http://rallyeracing.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/15logos.jpg

Fan voting takes place on the official Facebook page of the Romanian Auto Sport Federation (FRAS) :
https://www.facebook.com/FRAS.RO

[Mihai]

The new official logo of the Romanian rally championship was chosen by fans and active drivers :

http://rallyeracing.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/cnr-logo-dunlop.jpg

[tolis]

Any news regarding the drivers for this season?
Delecour in a 207 S2000, Keleti in a R5...Anything else?

[Mihai]

Most Romanian rally drivers don't usually have deals in place for the new season so early in the year. First round of the championship is more than one month away (a long time for our standards :D ).

At the recent Prize Giving Ceremony of the Federation ("Gala Campionilor FRAS"), vice-champion David Botka of Hungary confirmed that he is returning for a full season in Romania, most likely on board of an S2000.

Unfortunately 2011 national champion Valentin Porcisteanu is contemplating a sabbatical year after being dropped by the BCR Leasing Team. I hope his career will get back on track because he was the best Romanian last year behind the top guys from the 'Foreign Legion'.

Just take a look at the impressive overall podium of the 2013 season, with champions Francois Delecour and Dominique Savignoni, ahead of Hungary's David Botka and Peter Mihalik, with Italian-Romanian Marco Tempestini and his Italian co-driver (missing the ceremony) Lucio Baggio in third overall :
http://1.1.1.2/bmi/2010.fras.ro/images/ ... eneral.jpg (http://1.1.1.2/bmi/2010.fras.ro/images/2014_02/general.jpg)

The Romanian National Rally Championship is a truly international championship! 2013 must have been an all-time best in the history of rallying in Romania.

[PLuto]

It is offtopic, but last post reminds me one year in czech championship in 90s, when for the winning was, against czech drivers, fighting in their best years Piergiorgio Deila, Enrico Bertone, Raimund Baumschlager and Sepp Haider.

[Plhus]

It is offtopic, but last post reminds me one year in czech championship in 90s, when for the winning was, against czech drivers, fighting in their best years Piergiorgio Deila, Enrico Bertone, Raimund Baumschlager and Sepp Haider.

And now.... :confused:

[Mihai]

@ PLuto: very goood point! Back in 2008 when the Romanian Rally Championship opened its doors to foreign drivers, some people from around the national motorsport spectrum were against the idea of awarding a foreign driver/crew the national championship title and I pointed out that Italian Enrico Bertone won the title in the Czech Republic, Michele Mouton was champion of West-Germany and so on. Needless to say that after 2008 the level of Romanian drivers/crews grew significantly, while some that couldn't up their pace simply retired or compete occasionally. A couple of years ago, Romania's Valentin Porcisteanu managed to beat the 'Foreign Legion' in CNR on pure pace and won the overall title.

Last Autumn I did some acounting and I got a few interesting statistics about the last decade of the Romanian Rally Championship.
CNR Statistics: the most recent 10 years (2004-2013) (http://rallyeracing.wordpress.com/2013/11/30/statistici-cnr-ultimii-10-ani-2004-2013/)

One of the most interesting is this one about event wins based on the drivers' nationality :
http://rallyeracing.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/nationalitate.jpg

In total, 14 drivers won at least one round in the last 10 years, exactly half of them being foreign. Here's the complete list :
http://rallyeracing.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/victorii-piloti.jpg

[Mihai]

Provisional entry list for Tess Rally Romtelecom (better known as Raliul Brasovului), round 1 of the CNR, was released :

http://www.autorally.ro/documents/cnr/2 ... crieri.pdf (http://www.autorally.ro/documents/cnr/2014/854/inscrieri.pdf)

[Tom206wrc]

Very interesting, Botka in a 207 S2000 too :)

[PLuto]

Very interesting, Botka in a 207 S2000 too :)

Botka will do romanian championship with 207 S2000

[Mihai]

David Botka is not yet commited for a full season in Romania, but will definitely start the first round of the national championship - NEXT WEEK.

Latest news :
Manfred Stohl is competing in Romania ! :)

[Co-driven]

Latest news :
Manfred Stohl is competing in Romania ! :)

Manfred Stohl will compete on the first round? When it will be held?

[Mihai]

First round will be held next weekend (March 21-22).

http://www.raliulbrasovului.ro/

[Tom206wrc]

What car for Stohl :confused:

[kbalaazs]

Very interesting, Botka in a 207 S2000 too :)

Botka will do romanian championship with 207 S2000


Latest news about Botka/Mihalik: They will do the Hungarian championship and few Romanian races and ERC rounds.

[Mihai]

Manfred Stohl was signed by last year's champion squad ESD Rally Team to compete in Romania this year. For the moment it is not clear what car will he drive, how many rounds are included in his programme or even who will be his co-driver. All it is certain is that Stohl obtained a Romanian rallying license for the 2014 season and that he will carry race number 101.

[tolis]

Manfred Stohl was signed by last year's champion squad ESD Rally Team to compete in Romania this year. For the moment it is not clear what car will he drive, how many rounds are included in his programme or even who will be his co-driver. All it is certain is that Stohl obtained a Romanian rallying license for the 2014 season and that he will carry race number 101.
Most probably a 207 S2000.
http://raulbadiu.ro/ro/index.php/esd-rally-team

[Mihai]

Most probably a 207 S2000.
http://raulbadiu.ro/ro/index.php/esd-rally-team

That was the structure of the ESD Rally Team in 2013. For this season the team has changed a lot in terms of cars and driver/codriver pairing (except for Delecour and Savignoni - they will keep their car). I'm not sure how your link reveals that Manfred Stohl will drive a 207 S2000 but fact is that Stohl Racing does have a Pug for sale:
http://www.stohl-racing.com/special/Sto ... r_sale.pdf (http://www.stohl-racing.com/special/Stohl_Racing_Peugeot207_for_sale.pdf)

[Mihai]

Do they read this forum ? :D

http://www.motorline.cc/rallye/news/201 ... 86271.html (http://www.motorline.cc/rallye/news/2014/Sonstiges/Rallye-News-Rum%C3%A4nien-Abenteuer-f%C3%BCr-Stohl-186271.html)

[WRC1]

Do they read this forum ? :D

http://www.motorline.cc/rallye/news/201 ... 86271.html (http://www.motorline.cc/rallye/news/2014/Sonstiges/Rallye-News-Rum%C3%A4nien-Abenteuer-f%C3%BCr-Stohl-186271.html)

:D they got a hint from somebody who reads the forum :crazy:

[Mihai]

:D they got a hint from somebody who reads the forum :crazy:

I actually thought of you WRC1 the moment I read the story on motorline.cc ! :D I praise your meaningful postings on the ERC and European Rallying forums.

One more thing I heard today from an ESD source: it's almost sure that Manfred Stohl will be codriven by Ilka Minor who actually has Romanian ancestry. Her maiden name Petrasko derives from Romanian name Petrescu, a fact confirmed by herself.

I was very glad to hear the news because Ilka Minor has never been to Romania as far as I know - much unlike Stohl who has been here at least a dozen times (I even interviewed him in Sibiu back in 2006). But neither Stohl nor Ilka Minor will be present this weekend in Brasov for round 1 of the Romanian championship.

Here's an updated entry list for Tess Rally :
http://www.autorally.ro/results/results.php?event=854&active=entryList

[Co-driven]

Stohl is going to Argentina this weekend. Daniel Oliveira is competing there and he'll come.

[Tom206wrc]

Stohl is going to Argentina this weekend. Daniel Oliveira is competing there and he'll come.

Oliveira is driving a car from Stohl Racing ??? I didn't know the team owned a 208 Maxi :confused:

[Mihai]

@Tom206wrc: Stohl is where the money flows. Brazilian rich boy Oliveira is coached by Stohl and drives his cars (or Stohl services his race car) for at least a couple of years. ;)

[RICARDO75]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/t1.0-9/1970419_735930206439580_1196642481_n.jpg

[Tom206wrc]

Why did David Botka retire in SS1 Tess Raliul ??? :(

[br21]

link to results?

[Tom206wrc]

link to results?

http://www.autorally.ro/

François Delecour prevents Malcolm Wilson's company to get a new victory :p:

[Mihai]

Why did David Botka retire in SS1 Tess Raliul ??? :(

Botka did't actually turn a wheel in this rally. Friday when he turned the engine on he noticed the lack of oil pressure and attempted to fix the problem while the shakedown was on near Brasov. It was then a shock to see his codriver entering rally HQ before SS1 and asking the organizers who should he hand over the mandatory GPS installed in every car.

[Mihai]

One pic from the penultimate stage, with third placed Skoda Fabia S2000 :
http://rallyeracing.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/tess-rally-2014.jpg


link to results?

Final results here :

http://www.autorally.ro/results/results.php?event=854

I'm heading to the prize giving ceremony.

[Co-driven]

Oliveira is driving a car from Stohl Racing ??? I didn't know the team owned a 208 Maxi :confused:

No, it's a car from Baratec. Stohl came just to help Daniel.

[tolis]

Bogdan Marisca will switch to Skoda Fabia S2000 soon and Manfred Stohl will drive a Subaru Impreza in Romanian championship.

[Mihai]

@tolis: my sources are dry in this matter - I can neither confirm or infirm this info. It would be perhaps surprising to see Bogdan Marisca switching to an S2000, especially given the fact that he has lost a bit his confidence in recent years and that in 2014 he was paired by his team with a fairly inexperienced co-driver. Though I would be glad if it's true because I rate Bogdan highly.

In the meantime, Marco Tempestini was excluded from second place overall in Tess Rally Romtelecom for illegal service on his Fiesta R5 (banned tire warmers allegedly being used at the remote service in his team's assistance van operated by a technical crew from the Czech Republic). He went last week to the hearings with the Rallying Commission within the Romanian Automobile Sport Federation in Bucharest and today his lawyer dropped by again in order to formally appeal the decision.

[tolis]

@tolis: my sources are dry in this matter - I can neither confirm or infirm this info. It would be perhaps surprising to see Bogdan Marisca switching to an S2000, especially given the fact that he has lost a bit his confidence in recent years and that in 2014 he was paired by his team with a fairly inexperienced co-driver. Though I would be glad if it's true because I rate Bogdan highly.
Some Romanian drivers-co-drivers told me so in the Acropolis Rally.

[Mihai]

Some Romanian drivers-co-drivers told me so in the Acropolis Rally.

OMG so it's true! :D Legions of Romanian drivers-co-drivers were spectating this year's Rally Acropolis, so I believe you got the tip from a trusted source. Bogdan himself usually goes to Greece for the Acropolis. In 2006, the OMV Rally Team nominated him to drive a Group N car in Rally Greece, but the erratic national ASN (FIA representative in Romania) refused to grant him the international license, so he never made it into the WRC.

[Mihai]

An update that saddened me: regular national rally driver Madalin Radu-Arhire (http://ewrc-results.com/profile.php?p=19204&t=Madalin-Radu-Arhire) was jailed for 29 days following a large scale corruption investigation around the lucrative transfer of TV rights for the Romania's Liga 1 football championship.

Madalin is an enjoyable young lad and the news took us by surprise. Last month during Tess Rally in Brasov he experienced this freak-looking crash, but amazingly rejoined the rally and climbed to 3rd in the Suzuki Cup. I hope we'll see him again behind the wheel in the Romanian Rally Championship.

http://rallyeracing.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/madalin-radu-arhire.jpg

[Mihai]

The 2011 national rally champion Valentin Porcisteanu and the Romanian Federation issued a joint statement condemning the xenophobic interpretations given by some national media prior to he start of the 2014 campaign.

http://2010.fras.ro/media/comunicate-de-presa/1596-fras-salut-gestul-de-fair-play-al-lui-vali-porciteanu

Due to the low-standards journalism skills of these media, it has been reported that Porcisteanu was ousted by his team in favor of Hungary's Gergely Szabo (champion of Romania in 2009 & 2010). Actually, the departure happened in good terms. A very welcomed statement from a sportsman that I really admire.

[Mihai]

Raliul Aradului, round II of the Romanian Rally Championship, is scheduled for this weekend. The rather slim entry list features a handful of foreign crews not registered for the national championship, due to the fact that the rally is part of the FIA European Rally Trophy :

http://www.raliularadului.ro/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/inscrieri.pdf

FIA European Rally Trophy calendar :

http://www.fia.com/championship/european-rally-cups/2014/calendar

[Tom206wrc]

Is it normal the absence of François Delecour in Raliul Aradului :confused:

[br21]

Delecour is there, this time in Impreza

[Mihai]

Is it normal the absence of François Delecour in Raliul Aradului :confused:

Delecour is first on the second page of the entry list. He is only competing in the national championship, not registered to score points in the low-key ERT.

[RICARDO75]

What happened after SS8? Ended here the Romanian Championship rally?

[Andre Oliveira]

Yes Ricardo: http://ewrc-results.com/results.php?e=14439&s=62687&t=Raliul-Aradului-Atrium-Mall-2014

[RICARDO75]

Thanks

[Mihai]

Bogdan Marisca will switch to Skoda Fabia S2000 soon and Manfred Stohl will drive a Subaru Impreza in Romanian championship.

:D Bogdan Marisca finally confirmed what he told tolis in Greece last month! After finishing second overall in Arad with an Impreza, he is switching to a Skoda Fabia S2000 :
http://autostiri.ro/bogdan-marisca-va-lua-startul-cu-un-model-skoda-fabia-s2000/

[tolis]

:D Bogdan Marisca finally confirmed what he told tolis in Greece last month! After finishing second overall in Arad with an Impreza, he is switching to a Skoda Fabia S2000 :
http://autostiri.ro/bogdan-marisca-va-lua-startul-cu-un-model-skoda-fabia-s2000/
2 beers please! :D

[WUff1]

Manfred Stohl finishing 5th on his comeback at Transsilvania Rally last weekend with his Subaru Impreza N4, Delecour winning - driving the 207 S2000 of Stohl:

http://www.motorline.cc/rallye/news/2014/Sonstiges/Rallye-News-Im-Land-des-Dracula-188799.html

[Tom206wrc]

Winter Rally this weekend ;)

Shame that Norbert Maior is driving a 106 Maxi instead of the ERC21 208 Rally4 :mark:

[TWRC]

But he is still a delight to watch in the 106! :D
Hopefully he will do the Hungarian 208 Cup this year, at least I think that was his plan some moths ago.

[Tom206wrc]

Indeed...4th overall(final result Winter Rally today)for Maior !!!! :eek:

[Jarek Z]

It's great to see Peugeot 106 still going strong, 30 years after its rally debut :)
https://www.fiaerc.com/erc3-junior-scorer-maior-on-top-winter-form/

[Tom206wrc]

Mads Östberg next week Tess Rally Brasov :cool:

[Jarek Z]

Östberg leads after day 1, but does he have anybody to fight with out there in Romania?
https://www.ewrc-results.com/results/69245-tess-rally-brasov-2021/

[Jarek Z]

There is still snow in Romania:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoYt7bKni_0

[Sulland]

Östberg leads after day 1, but does he have anybody to fight with out there in Romania?
https://www.ewrc-results.com/results/69245-tess-rally-brasov-2021/

x-Italian Tempestini is still fast, and makes Mads work for the lead!!

[dimviii]

Μads retired due to engine
https://twitter.com/MadsOstberg/status/1375786987496611840