ERC: Croatia Rally / Rally review
In the rain Aigner took the right tyres and stunningly took the lead.
43/64
New base
Seaside resort Porec is the new host town for the
event. During the summer it’s a favourite among
holidayers looking to catch some of the boiling
Croatian heat and the town restarted it’s party atmosphere for the rally weekend. The fans (who
were out in their thousands) were treated to much
more than rally action. A beauty pageant, rally
parties and some of the best Croatian DJ’s were
on the program to keep the fans happy and entertained.
In her smaller and less powerful car Ekatarina Stratieva took the fight to Molly
Taylor for a thrilling Ladies Battle.
The other fights
Although all that extra entertainment may seem a
bit excessive, one could argue that it was actually
quite necessary as the battle on the stages was
somewhat diminished. Due to the ERC’s point
scoring system not all drivers take part in each
event. On the one hand this is a plus. It lowers
budget costs enabling more teams to take part.
On the other hand it can provide unwanted situations such as in Croatia. While Kopecky closed in
on the title, none of his rival entered the Croatian
rally, not quite the way a championship should be
decided.
Thankfully some of the other championships did
get some real competition in Croatia. The biggest
clashes were to be found in the Production Car
Cup and the ERC’s Ladies’ Trophy. Jaroslav Orsak had to forfeit due to illness leaving the production class fight to Andreas Aigner and Germaine
Bonnefis. The two trailed Orsak by 18 and 22
points respectively prior to the event giving them
an excellent chance to close in on the Czech. At
the ladies’ department Ekatarina Stratieva and
Molly Taylor faced off once again and got some
fierce local competition with no less than three
other female drivers bidding for success.