24/02/2017

15 regularity test stages on closed roads with leg finish in Sta. Coloma de Farners

Barcelona, 24 February 2017.- On schedule, at 15.00 hours and from the podium set-up at Avenida de la Catedral in Barcelona, the first of the 50 participating cars took the start of the 1st Rally Catalunya Històric Trofeu Dues Catalunyes, first regularity event for classic vehicles organised by the RACC, with the aim of recovering the essence of the former Rallye de les Dues Catalunyes, which was staged between 1960 and 1965. The first participant to cross the starting podium was the Talbot Sunbeam Lotu (1981) driven by Antonio Zanini, five-time winner of the former Rallye Catalunya, this time with Guifré Pujol as navigator.

Behind them, and at 1-minute intervals, the remaining participants took the start following the route along Dr-Joaquim-Pou street and then along the busy Vía Laietana to leave the city and continue to the first of eight regularity test stages to be covered today, Gallifa (16.18h), between Sant Llorenç Savall and Sant Feliu de Codines, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (17.18h), La Roca (18.28h), Circuit dOsona (19.03h), Sant Julià (19.24h) and, after a 15-minute regrouping in Viladrau, finish the leg with the stages Coll de Gomara (20.07h); Pla de les Arenes (20.23h) and Cladells (20.47h), all of them mythic stages of the former Rallye Catalunya and Rallye de les Dues Catalunyes. The rally day will finish in the parc fermé at Hotel Mas Solà in Santa Coloma de Farners, where participants are expected to arrive from 21.42h.

Before the start of the race, the teams underwent administrative checks and scrutineering, and proceeded to the parc fermé, which was closed at 13.00h. A large number of fans came out to the nerve centre of the city to watch the quality of the vehicles that are participating in this event and to meet some of the popular drivers. The start was given in turns by several authorities, led by the Deputy General Manager of the RACC, Xavier Peréz, and Oriol Marcé, General Subdirector of Sports Activities at the Catalan Government; Gabi Arranz, Director of Sports Events Promotion at IBE; and José Luis López and Jean Desclaux, as representatives of Vallespir Retro Courses.

One of the main features of the 1st Rally Catalunya Històric Trofeu Dues Catalunyes, is that it is a Premium rally that includes for the first time a peculiarity that will probably set a new trend in strictly regularity rallies: The stages will be covered on closed roads, while other will take place in racetracks, with averages of up to 55 km/h and with two different averages to choose from. It is a race with a linear route of 740.10 km, split into two days and 15 stages, all of them different, with a total of 148 controlled km, joining two capital cities, just like it did at the Rallye de les Dues Catalunyes: Barcelona and Perpignan.

2nd stage heading for France
Tomorrow, 25 February, participants will visit the neighbouring country and reach Perpignan (13.00h), where they will have a one-and-a-half hour regrouping halfway the leg, with test stages before and after, two of them in French territory. The rally will end at 20.45h at the parc fermé in Fòrum de Barcelona. Participants will then proceed to the prize-giving ceremony and a dinner. Tomorrows stages will be Les Serres (8.33h), Les Encies (09.01h), Capsacosta (10.09h), La Forge del Mitg (11.36h), Saint Michel de Llotes (15.11h), Les Llosses-Alpens (18.10h) and La Trona (19.05h).

The list of participants of this first edition of the regularity event includes many of the Spanish specialists, but there are also teams from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and the Netherlands; and the rally hopes to increase the number of international participants in the following editions. Just to name a few of the great regularity teams: Víctor Sagi-Víctor Sagi (Porsche 911 S, 1968, no. 2), Carles Miró-Ivan Matavacas (Porsche 911 SC, 1981, no. 3), Xavier Piña-Sergi Giralt (Ford Escort Mk II, 1978, no. 4), Carlos Beltrán-Alberto Sanchis (Porsche 904 GTS, 1964, no. 5), Josep Maria Molas-Laura Pedrosa (Ford Escort Mk II, 1978, no. 6), Pau Coma-Cros-Juan Ignacio Fernández (Porsche 911 2.7, 1977, no. 7), Josep Lluís Marcó-Miquel Molist (Porsche 911 T 2.2, 1970, no. 8), Tere Armadans-Anna Vives (Volkswagen Golf GTI, 1979, no. 9), Xavier Domingo-Jordi Vilagrà (Porsche 911, 1983, no. 11), Francesc Segú-Joaquim Segú (Volkswagen Golf GTI, 1984, no. 19), Joan Dalmau-Carles Jiménez (Seat Fura Crono, 1984, no. 27), José Manuel López-Gerard Ferrer (Volkswagen Scirocco, 1980, no. 39), and many more.
 
There are also renowned personalities who did not want to miss this first edition, such RACC President Josep Mateu (Seat 1200 Sport); the current President of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Vicenç Aguilera (Seat 124 Sport 1600); the President of the Catalan Motor Sport Federation Joan Ollé (Opel Kadett GT/E); and the former formula driver Federico Van der Hoeven (Porsche 911 SC), among several others.

Complete information about the event: www.rallycatalunyahistoric.com. Follow the rally online at: www.blunikracing.com