Croatia Rally

The Croatia Rally, also known for most of its existence as the Delta Rally or Croatia Delta Rally, is an international rally racing event based in Poreč in the on the coast of Istria in Croatia. The event is organised by the Croatian Car and Karting Federation and is a round of the European Rally Championship, the Serbian Rally Championship, the Slovenian Rally Championship. In most years it is a round of the Croatian Rally Championship. The event had been a round of the Yugoslavian Rally Championship. It has been a tarmac rally since at least the late 1980s. In 2011 the rallies' histories became split as the Croatia Rally and the Delta Rally became two separate events with the Delta Rally returning to the Croatia Delta Rally's former home of Zagreb.

First run in 1974 as the INA-Delta TLX Rally as a round of the regional Croatian championship, it was held in the Delnice-Rijeka area, slightly inland of its current Poreč home. The event was promoted to the Yugoslavian championship in 1977 and acquired a finish in the regional city of Zagreb. The 1986 event was an invitational only event held as a candidate event for the European Rally Championship. Under the co-efficient system the rally varied in importance within the European championship drifting through co-efficients 2, 5 and 10 in the 1990s. With the rally based in the north western part of Croatia it was able to continue during the years of the Croatian War of Independence.

In 2004 the rally was demoted to the European Rally Cup East as the co-efficient system fragmented into minor championships titled "Cups" before returning to the European championship in 2007. 2011 saw the rally return to its original Rijeka region before moving to its current location in 2013 as the event celebrated its 40th anniversary, while successfully maintaining its position on the calendar of the ERC after the merger of the ERC and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, although the rally was moved from its traditional May date to a September date.

In 2011 as the Croatia Rally moved to Rijeka, the Delta rally broke away and re-established itself in the Zagreb area as a round of the Croatian championship before being added to the Central European Zone series in 2013.

Yugoslav drivers won the first 19 years of the event with Brane Kuzmič winning five times in a six-year period driving a Renault 5. Austrian driver Raimund Baumschlager was the first foreign winner in 1993 as the rally upgraded its international status. Enrico Bertone became the first foreign repeat winner in 1999 but locals continued to have a strong influence with Juraj Šebalj winning three times in the mid-2000s. Šebalj would also win the Delta Rally twice more post-split.

List of winners

Sourced in part from:[1][2][3]

YearWinnerCar
Delta Rally
1974 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Tomislav Markt BMW 1600
1975 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Aleksandar Mačešić Datsun 1200
1976 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Berislav Modric Fiat 128 SC
1977 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Aleš Pušnik Renault 5
1978 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Aleš Pušnik Renault 5
1979 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Borko Skuric Opel Kadett GT/E
1980 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Leon Poberaj Zastava 101
1981 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Leon Poberaj Zastava 101
1982 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Borko Skuric Opel Kadett GT/E
1983 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Brane Kuzmič Renault 5 GT Turbo
1984 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Brane Kuzmič Renault 5 GT Turbo
1985 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Brane Kuzmič Renault 5 GT Turbo
1986 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Romana Zrnec Renault 11 Turbo
1987 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Brane Kuzmič Renault 5 GT Turbo
1988 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Brane Kuzmič Renault 5 GT Turbo
1989 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Tihomir Filipović Lancia Delta HF Integrale
1990 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Tihomir Filipović Lancia Delta HF Integrale
1991 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Tihomir Filipović Lancia Delta HF Integrale
1992 Croatia Žarko Šepetavč Lancia Delta HF Integrale
1993 Austria Raimund Baumschlager Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1994 Croatia Niko Pulić Lancia Delta HF Integrale
1995 Croatia Niko Pulić Lancia Delta HF Integrale
Croatia Delta Rally
1996 Austria Kurt Göttlicher Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1997 United Kingdom David Pattison Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1998 Italy Enrico Bertone Toyota Celica GT-Four
1999 Italy Enrico Bertone Renault Mégane Maxi
2000 Netherlands Bert de Jong Subaru Impreza WRC
2001 Bulgaria Krum Donchev Peugeot 306 Maxi
2002 Poland Leszek Kuzaj Toyota Corolla WRC
2003 Czech Republic Václav Pech Jr. Ford Focus RS WRC
2004 Croatia Juraj Šebalj Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2005 Croatia Juraj Šebalj Citroën C2 S1600
2006 Czech Republic Václav Pech Jr. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
2007 Croatia Juraj Šebalj Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
2008 Italy Corrado Fontana Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000
Croatia Rally
2009 Bulgaria Krum Donchev Peugeot 207 S2000
2010 Italy Luca Rossetti Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000
2011 Italy Luca Rossetti Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000
2012 Finland Juho Hänninen Škoda Fabia S2000
2013 Czech Republic Jan Kopecký Škoda Fabia S2000
Zagreb Delta Rally
2011 Hungary János Szilágyi Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
2012 Croatia Juraj Šebalj Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
2013 Croatia Juraj Šebalj Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
2014 Croatia Juraj Šebalj Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX

References

External links

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