Barum Czech Rally Zlín 

Barum rally is here and takes a new turn

22. 6. 2018 - Roman Ordelt

The 48th edition of Barum Czech Rally Zlín takes place on 24th to 26th August 2018. Every year this event is watched by tens of thousands of fans making it one of the most viewed sports events in the Czech Republic. FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) start list once again sparks a lot of excitement since the best European drivers are coming to Zlín. There is expected to be a follow up on the nerve-wracking fight between the sixth time winner of Barum rally Jan Kopecký and the favourite for ERC title Alexey Lukyanuk from Russia.

The centre of the competition will be located in Zlín, the seat of the Zlín region. Before the race itself, on Thursday afternoon 23th August, there will be a scrutineering of the cars in Service Park Barum Otrokovice. On Friday 24th August, a well known Qualifying Stage and Shakedown will take place on the road from Komárov to Pohořelice. The Ceremonial Start begins at 4 p.m. on the square in front of the Zlín City Hall and the rally itself is kicked off by Super SS in the streets of Zlín in late hours followed by Legs 1 and 2 on Saturday and Sunday. The length of the rally is 746 km comprising of 15 Special Stages of total length 212,5 km on eight tarmac routes. The last stage will surely make the Barum rally all the more dramatic because it is the longest and most difficult one. Almost half of the stages have changed since last year. One of the classic Special Stages Pindula was left off the itinerary, being first introduced in 1973. „This year safety reasons lead us to skip this legendary stage due to the still-present African Swine Fever in this location. This doesn't mean that fans would miss out on high-quality level stages. The exact names of the SS will be released by the end of June, but given their location, we can predict a very entertaining and difficult rally," Miloslav Regner said, the Clerk of Barum Czech Rally Zlín.

For the first time, Star Rally Historic Service Park is moving to Otrokovice where it will be located in the area of Zlín Aircraft a.s. 'We moved Service Park to the airport area of the company Zlín Aircraft in Otrokovice. In this area, the crews of Star Rally Historic will have large enough background. This change, especially from the logistic point of view, will make everything easier and put both rallies near each other. And also some teams of the Barum rally will have their spot there. The competitors will surely appreciate easily accessible parking areas and far better conditions for marketing," Miloslav Regner said. The expanded park will obviously have necessary equipment and security.

The organiser, Auto club Barum Zlín, promised a very good starting field. About 30 cars category R5 are expected to arrive in Zlín and Kopecký and Lukyanuk are not the only top European drivers coming. Once again the spectators can enjoy tight competition in the junior category (28 years.)

Star Rally Historic has become an integral part of Barum Czech Rally Zlín and this year it would be its 11th edition. For the third time, Barum rally is part of the Czech Republic Rally Historic Championship. And Bugatti Grand Prix is part of the programme as well. For the seventh time, historic cars from the twenties and thirties will get a taste of the SS in the streets of Zlín.

Green Rally attracted a lot of attention last year, so fans will surely be glad that this atypical race for electric and hybrid cars is coming back with some extra cultural and gastronomic activities. Zlín Bikes is here also, attracting last year many fans who tried for their own the track of Super SS on a bike. Further information can be found on official website www.czechrally.com or on Facebook/Twitter.

PROGRAMME:
Friday 24th August 2018
8 to 10 a.m.: Qualifying Stage Komárov
10 to 1 a.m.: Shakedown Komárov
4 p.m.: Ceremonial Start
9:15 p.m.: Super Special Stage Zlín

Saturday 25th August 2018
8 a.m.: Start of Leg 1
9:58 p.m.: Finish of Leg 1

Sunday 26th August 2018
7:30 a.m.: Start of Leg 2
5 p.m.: Finish rally, prizes