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SS Maják is the longest special stage of Barum Rally
The Barum Czech Rally Zlín organizers published the special regulations and the schedule at a press conference on Tuesday, 26th June. The rally will be part of the FIA European Rally Championship, Intercontinental Rally Challenge and Mediasport International Rally Championship of the Czech Republic 2012. The 42nd edition will be 587 km long and will include 15 special stages at eight sections in total length of 251 km. The prelude to the rally, the Super SS in the streets of Zlín, will be held on Friday evening. It will be different from the previous years but still held in the former Svit area. It was after twenty years that a legendary section Maják returned into the itinerary of the rally last year. This year it will be driven in a reverse direction and being twenty-three kilometres long, it has become the longest special stage this year.
The schedule is similar to the previous years. The rally itself will be held since Friday until Sunday. However, in the evening of Thursday, 30th August the scrutineering will be held in the Zlín sports hall. It will be open to the public and will be accompanied by signing of the elite crews. In the morning of 31st August the crews will go through the shakedown in the section of Pohořelice – Komárov near the service zone which will be located in the Barum Continental area in Otrokovice. The ceremonial start will be held at 17:00 in front of the Zlín town hall. In the evening the crews will compete at the Super Special Stage where the favourites will be introduced at the end of the starting field. The first car will start at 21:15 and the crews will go through three laps in the streets of Zlín and the former Baťa’s area, including the attractive passage through the bus station. The parc fermé will be located in front of the department store in Zlín.
On Saturday, 1st September the crews will go through eight tough special stages at four sections Slušovice, Pindula, Lukov and Tesák. The final shape of the schedule has been influenced by the live broadcastings on Eurosport from SS Slušovice. The first leg, including the Friday prologue, is 402 km long with 139 km of special stages. In comparison with the last year, the route is different in 85 % as many sections will be completely different or in reverse direction. For example, SS Slušovice will be held as a semi-circuit special stage with many attractive spectator places. SS Pindula is returning into its original form in the length of nearly twenty kilometres. The last two stages are called Lukov and Tesák. The Saturday leg will start at 08:32 and after the evening service the first car will arrive at the parc fermé in the Barum Continental in Otrokovice at 20:40.
The rally will culminate on Sunday, 2nd September with the second leg. The schedule contains six special stages at three sections called Halenkovice, Kudlovice and Maják. The starting field will go through a 184-km-long route with 112 km of stages. The route will be no piece of cake as the special stages are located in the Chřiby Mountains. A tough fight is expected until the very end, just like in the previous year when the champion was decided by 1.2 s. There will be live broadcastings on Eurosport on Sunday as well, this time from SS Maják. The first car will start at 08:17. The finish of the rally and the award ceremony will be held at 14:30 on a ramp in front of the Big Cinema in Zlín at 14:30.
Among the competing crews in Zlín will be the elite of the European Championship, Intercontinental Rally Challenge and also nearly all Czech top drivers. The Barum Rally will bring an outstanding experience for the last summer vacation weekend. Do not forget to mark the dates of the Barum Czech Rally Zlín 30 August – 2 September into your diaries!