• VIPs and sponsors experience the rally as copilots
• Cristian Turbatu – the first prize winner in Dacia JOE Cup
• Bogdan Stanoiev – the most awarded pilot of the Cup
10 crews lined up for the first stage of Dacia JOE Cup in the 2007 season, at
the Brasov Rally,which came as a confimation of the success of the equal footing
competition with low participation costs. None of the competitors faced
technical problems although only 5 cars made it until the finish line, but this
was due to the failure to follow regulations or because the cars ran off the
road.
Along the 10 competitors, two other Dacia Logan cars opened the
Rally, having George Morar ( national vicechampionin 2003) and Edwin Kelet as
pilots, copiloted by stars Roxana Ciuhulescu (Pro TV / ProMotor) and
George Vintila (Pro FM), as well as by officials of Dacia, Michelin, and Nestle.
The rally experience was a first for the latter, but this was not the case
for the two VIPs, who took a great delight in the route as well as in driving
the car like two genuine navigators.
The first day of the competition
included two special races, the special route a classic for this Rally ( the one
between Rasnov and Poiana Brasov), and a Super Special race in the parking
lot of the renown mountain resort.
With only a hint of the other
competitors’ potential and value, since some of them made their debut in
the Rally Championship, the crews had but to wait for the first special races to
catch a glimpse of the balance of powers.
The unhappy accident that
annulled the first special race ( the competitors received the same time), the
Dacia crews could show their skills only in the Super Special race. The French
pilot, Jerome France took the lead, followed by Lucian Sauciuc in 1,5 seconds
and by Bogdan Samoila in 1,8 seconds. The first day meant the end of
the competition for two crews, Eduard Cozma / Olivier Berndstein (no officially
recognized helmets), and Remus Ursache / Liviu Prepeliþã, respectively, who were
excluded because they had not followed the Road Book route.
The second
day marked the crucial moment with the 6 special races, that would make
the difference among the competitors.
The first race would bring another
leader of the rally. Bogdan Samoila lead the ranking for the first 5
races, when the car rolled over three times, thus bringing the rally to an end
for the pilot. The broken windscreed prevented the crew from Onesti to continue
the Brasov Rally.
Jerome France gave hid leading position ( after
Special Race 5) to Cristian Turbatu, who kept this position until the end of the
competition. Everyone was astonished to find out that the French pilot had
been excluded from the competition; the explanation: unauthorised assistance
from a few spectators that could not be prevented from helping the pilot
to push his car to the schedule control board at the last service park.
As a result of that, the beginner Bogdan Stanoiev won the second
place. The pilot from Timisoara,with a good course throughout the rally,
received most prizes of the competition,including the Michelin "Hopes" award for
beginners.
Ernest Mulner / Mugurel Vulcu completed the podium, and the
4th qnd the 5th places were taken by Lucian Sauciuc / Paul Ciubotaru and
Cristian Angheluþã / Radu Ilie, respectively.
The end of the rally was
not as lucky for Alina Bunica, another beginner, just as Bogdan Stanoiev.
Following an average course meant to get the pilot used to the car and the
conditions of the competition, Alina was forced to drop out of the competition.
Her lack of experience as well as misfortune caused the tight turn to the right
to break the oil bath on the Special Race 6. The car still lost oil after the
assitance team fixed, so Alina decided to exit the race before the 7th race in
order to avoid damage in the engine.
The award ceremony was a
solace for Alina, as she was awarded, being the only woman in the competition,
the Man of the Race Trophy for Martisor, by Motor Media and FRAS.
The
next stage of the season will be Banatul Montan Rally, where two more
competitors will line up alongside the rest of the competitors in the Dacia JOE
Cup. We will come back with details.
The next stage of the season will be
Banatul Montan Rally, when two more competitors will line up alongside the other
already registered in the race. We will come back with
details.
The Romanian Rally Championship
Dacia JOE Cup
Etape 1/ The "Tess" Brasov Rallye (2-3 March 2007)
Start/ Arrival: Brasov
Total length: 304,85 km
Number of special races: 8
Length of special races: 106,95 km
Surface SE: asphalt 100%
General Ranking
| Place | Crew | Penalty | Total time |
| 1 | C. Turbatu / S. Stefanescu | 1.10:04,9 | |
| 2 | B. Stanoiev / D. Hatigan | +1:51,4 | |
| 3 | E. Mulner / M. Vulcu | +1:52,3 | |
| 4 | L. Sauciuc / P. Ciubotaru | 1:00 | +3:51,1 |
| 5 | C. Angheluta / R. Ilie | +5:08,0 | |
| E. Cozma / O. Berstein | dropped out (unauthorized helmets) | ||
| B. Samoila / F. Cojocaru | dropped out (ran off the road PS 5) | ||
| A. Bunica / I. Dicoi | dropped out (tehnical PS 6) | ||
| J. France / M. Rotaru | Excluded (received unauthorized assistance) | ||
| R. Ursache / L. Prepelita | Excluded (incompliance of the Road Book route | ||
Ranking after stage 1/ 10
| Loc | Nr. | Pilot | Et.1 R. BV |
Et.2 R. TM |
Et.3 R. HD |
Et.4 R. MM |
Et.5 R. AG |
Et.6 R. CJ |
Et.7 R. SB |
Et.8 R. BV2 |
Et.9 R. BUC |
Et.10 R. CJ2 |
Total |
| 1 | 22 | C. Turbatu | 10 | 10 | |||||||||
| 2 | 415 | B. Stanoiev | 8 | 8 | |||||||||
| 3 | 57 | E. Mulner | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| 4 | 401 | L. Sauciuc | 5 | 5 | |||||||||
| 5 | 62 | C. Angheluta | 4 | 4 |
Michelin "Hopes" ranking ( max 26 years)
| Place | Crew | Penalty | Total time |
| 1 | B. Stanoiev | 1:11:56,3 | |
| A. Bunica | dropped out | ||
Ranking after stage 1/ 10
| Loc | Nr. | Pilot | Et.1 R. BV |
Et.2 R. TM |
Et.3 R. HD |
Et.4 R. MM |
Et.5 R. AG |
Et.6 R. CJ |
Et.7 R. SB |
Et.8 R. BV2 |
Et.9 R. BUC |
Et.10 R. CJ2 |
Total |
| 1 | 415 | B. Stanoiev | 10 | 10 |
Beginners ranking
| Place | Crew | Penalty | Total time |
| 1 | B. Stanoiev | 1:11:56,3 | |
| 2 | L. Sauciuc | 1:00 | +1:59,7 | <>
| A. Bunica | dropped out | ||
Ranking after stage 1/ 10
| Loc | Nr. | Pilot | Et.1 R. BV |
Et.2 R. TM |
Et.3 R. HD |
Et.4 R. MM |
Et.5 R. AG |
Et.6 R. CJ |
Et.7 R. SB |
Et.8 R. BV2 |
Et.9 R. BUC |
Et.10 R. CJ2 |
Total |
| 1 | 415 | B. Stanoiev | 10 | 10 | |||||||||
| 2 | 401 | L. Sauciuc | 8 | 8 |
