Barum Czech Rally Zlín 

Ejoin Green rally back in the spotlight

14. 8. 2023 - Martin Bill

The Ejoin Green Rally already has a firm place in the accompanying events of the Barum Czech Rally Zlín, writing its sixth act this year (19-20 August 2023). It is still true to its original mission, which is to explore alternative powertrains of cars to become more environmentally friendly in the future. The current trend and associated innovative solutions in the automotive industry address the applicability of all-electric drive for everyday operation, and so we can expect a dominance of these cars in the start list, with hybrid-powered vehicles complementing them.

It's not the rally format which most fans have in mind, it's a regularity drive. Although the crews will complete a course of selected stages at Barum rally, it's not about speed but rather precision. Driving on the closed sections, the participants have to get as close as possible to their ideal time, determined by the speed average and the length of the section. The competition tools are conventional vehicles, equipped with a fully electric or hybrid powertrain. They will complete the entire stage in the same way as all other competitors, using only the prescribed itinerary and driving records. In case of service needs, they can only use what they carry in their vehicle.

Completing this year's race will not only be a great experience, but also a great adventure. The first kilometres will begin on Saturday, 19 August, when the participants will start at 1 p.m. at the ceremonial start on the Náměstí Míru square in Zlín and then heading to Slušovice. This is where they will run the same number of measured kilometres as the Barum rally crews. After that, they will continue to the nearby Bílá Hlína airport, modified to test the crew's interplay and driving skills. This year's interesting novelty is a visit of the Green Rally participants in the Zlín ZOO, which is a popular tourist destination of the Zlín Region. The organizers from the Auto Club Barum Zlín in the Autoclub Czech Republic will provide the participants with an unforgettable experience.

Sunday's part of the competition (August 20) will be a complete contrast to Saturday's. All participants will meet early in the morning in the area of the legendary and feared Pindula stage. The Green Rally crews will only be present during the scenic drive in common traffic, continuing on to traditional places around Březůvky and Biskupice. Another new feature on the itinerary is in Březolupy, where the oval track is located. Usually, drivers with special motorcycles race along it accompanied by a loud noise and the clinking of flying stones. This time, the Green Rally crews will also show off their skills at a brisk pace. The regrouping with lunch will take place in the wine cellars of Mařatice, which everyone will also be able to see and learn interesting facts about wine growing in the Moravian Slovakia. From there, the crews will head to the last section, spiced up by the closed route of the Halenkovice special stage. The passage through this section was successful thanks to the consent of Archbishop's Forests and Estates Olomouc s.r.o. The final regrouping is planned in front of the building of SYNOT AUTO Zlín a.s., a long-time partner and supporter of the Green Rally. The last official moment of the competition is the award ceremony for the best crews, taking place on the finish ramp in front of the Zlín City Hall, where the best ones will receive trophies from the hands of the director Pavel Böhm and a memorial medal will be prepared for all participants.

More than 20 crews are registered for this year's "Green Rally". At the start there will be interesting electric cars such as Mercedes-Benz EQA 300 4M, Porsche Taycan, BMW 330e xDrive, BMW 545e xDrive, BMW i4 M50, Volkswagen ID.3 performance, Volkswagen ID.4 GTX, Jaguar I-Pace EV400 and many others.

The quality of the event and the general interest in the Green Rally is proven by the return of the general partner Ejoin s.r.o., which is engaged in the construction of a charging station network for electric cars and electric bikes, not only public ones, but also private ones, e.g. for the needs of companies. Other partners of this year's edition are Sheron (DF Partner s.r.o.), McDonald's and Synot Auto a.s. - BMW.

Winners gallery
2017 Lukáš Hatas – Tereza Němcová (Tesla X)
2018 Zdeněk Trčala – David Rumpík (Jaguar I-Pace)
2019 Ondřej Babáček – Soňa Urbanová (BMW i3s)
2021 Michal Žďárský – Jakub Nábělek (Peugeot e-208)
2022 Petr Daniel – Martin Belfín (Peugeot e-208)

Important dates of 6th Ejoin Green rally 2023
Saturday, August 19
11:00 - 12:00 Administrative acceptance, Zlín, náměstí Míru square
13:00 Ceremonial start of the rally, Zlín, Náměstí Míru square
20:00 Finish of Day 1, ZOO Zlín

Sunday, August 20
07:00 Start of the 2nd day, SS Pindula - airport
15:00 Finish of the rally, Zlín, Náměstí Míru square
15:15 Award ceremony, Zlín, Náměstí Míru Square

More information available at www.czechrally.com and don't forget to follow Barum rally on the official Facebook, Instagram, Twitter accounts and other press information.