Croatia Rally
Round 2, Croatia
European Rally Championship
The “Croatia Rally” is the oldest, most difficult and most popular car racing event in the Republic of Croatia. The event also has the reputation as being one of the best organized events in this part of Europe. The event was organized for the first time in 1974 by the “INA” auto-moto club of Zagreb and was then called the “INA-Delta TLX Rally”. The Rally 'struggled' to obtain European Championship status for more than 15 years. Finally in 1991 FIA granted the coefficient 2 to the Rally and in 1992 the 19th European Delta rally championship took place. The Organizer of the event are proud to say that this was the first international sporting event to have been organized in the newly formed Republic of Croatia. Top level organization with the help of numerous sports enthusiasts, and the chief sponsor “INA oil industries “and with the support of certain individuals in the Croatian government made it possible for the Rally to gain coefficient 5 in 1994 and coefficient 10 the following year. Thus in the short span of four years the Rally grew from an anonymous local event to one of the most prestigious in this part of Europe.
The “37th Croatia Rally” represents the successor of the oldest, most difficult and most popular car racing event in the Republic of Croatia. The event also has the reputation as being one of the best organized events in this part of Europe. Event status “European Rally Championship”, was achieved only in 1991, when FIA accepted a multi-year nomination of this rally, so that in June 1992, with the ordinal number 19, the first “European Delta” was held, coefficient 2. This was the first international sporting event that was entrusted to Croatian organizers in any sporting discipline, after the independence of Croatia, as well as free, independent and autonomous state.
The first rally event, of which the 37th Croatia Rally 2010 is successor, held in September 1974, was scored for the (in that period regional) Croatian Championship. The start of the Rally was in Delnice and the 283 km long route led the drivers through the Gorski Kotar and Lika regions to the finish in Rijeka, with one slalom stage and two special stages: Platak (8.2 km of tarmac) and Učka (8km of gravel). The first ever winner of the Rally was Tomislav Markt a member of the INA team. Three years passed before the rally became a part of the Yugoslav National Championship. The start was in Preluka near Opatija, and the 690 km long route with five special stages took the competitors through Ogulin, Delnice, Duga Resa, Sisak to the finish in Zagreb. A total of 44 crews started the event and Aleš Pušnik from Slovenia was the winner of the event.
A further nine long years had to pass before the Croatia rally made its next step; this time on the international scene. Namely, the 13th “Delta” held in 1986 was listed in the calendar of FIA as an international invitation competition. It had total of 75 crews from Italy, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia. This year will be also remembered for the first nomination for the European Championship. The route of the Rally was 607.55 km long and was split into two legs and consisted of 18 road sections and 17 special stages in six different locations. This Rally will also remembered as the only one to have been won by a female crew; the Slovenian crew of Romana Zrnec as driver and Špela Kožar as co-driver in their Renault 11 turbo.
After that, the whole event was moved and definitely remains until 2010 on the attractive and demanding paths in surrounding areas of Zagreb, mountain Medvednica, areas of the City of Samobor, Žumberak, Plešivica and the Croatian Zagorje region.
For the Organizers of the event, the most difficult time was during the war in Croatia. Despite the many difficulties, the organization was flawless and the rally experienced a dizzying rise, unbooked in the history of European Rally Championship. Namely, this first European year 1992 (won by Ž. Šepetavc – N. Krlić from Croatia) and the next 1993 year, had the coefficient 2, immediately after, year 1994, had the coefficient 5 (won by N. Pulić – D. Devunić from Croatia), and already in 1995 year, the rally had the prestigious coefficient 10 (won again by N. Pulić – D. Devunić from Croatia).
Thanks to acquaintances and the ever growing reputation of the Rally and its Organizer, a growing number of international drivers of the highest quality have appeared at the rally (Enrico Bertonne - three times European Champ amongst others) and the event has maintained its high rank of organizing throughout the years and FIA observer’s reports only confirm this fact.
With a good organization that was provided by a long-standing organizer of the Rally, AK Delta from Zagreb, and especially good relations of the CCKF with the responsible FIA officials that have recognized in the “INA Croatia delta rally” a project worthy of support, at the end of the year 2006 the long awaited news arrived. The International automobile federation FIA nominated the event in the highest European status – European Rally Championship.
It is only natural that the Organizer auto club “Delta” Zagreb would not stop at this. Since 1996 to 2006 the “Croatia Delta Rally” has been a serious candidate for the highest coefficient rang 20, now known as the European Championship. Finally, in 2007 we achieved our goal and become a European Championship race of the highest rank. Can the 'Delta crew' organize a World Rally Championship race?! After looking at the facts the answer is affirmative. We have the backing of the highest state officials, sponsors and the media; and the event itself is organized by a team of professionals and volunteers whose origins can be traced to the Auto-moto association “Nafta” Gojlo founded in 1949. The timekeeping and race results processing are in the safe and competent hands of “Delta Timing” who have proven themselves time and time again working on rallies in Austria and Slovenia using the most modern and up to date time keeping and computer technology. Now, when we are part of European Rally Championship, you ask us what the next step is? Well the World Rally Championship of course!
In short we could say that “Croatia rally” has the support of the most important State and sporting factors of the Republic of Croatia, quality sponsors and numerous media, and the promotion of this, 2010 year, has been taken over by the company Petrus ltd. with which CCKF as Organizer of 37th Croatia rally 2010 signed a contract.
Following to unfortunate circumstances, there was a risk that this traditional and respected competition which is marked in the FIA calendar as European Championship, this year was not going to be held. Since this would inflict damage to the overall auto-moto sport in Croatia, Petrus ltd. decided to accept the promotion of this prestigious manifestation, and to provide budget necessary for the Rally.
Support from different parties did not miss, and in this way, in this 2010 year, the Rally became a truly “Croatian product”.