After a relatively light start of the Croatia Trophy 2016, second roadbook of this year’s race “dots the i”. This legendary race is happening once again, the scene we all hoped for is coming back to life! Yesterday’s roadbook was 80 km long and everything is still fresh. We’ll see what happens today, but more than one team already left Topusko to fix their cars at home and prepare their babies for the rest of the season.
Zsolt Kucsera and Irma Urban experienced a serious accident yesterday. With no injuries fortunately. They keep on going today!
There aren’t a lot of teams from the ex Yugoslavia that compete at Croatia Trophy. But Mario Bijeljencevic deserves thumbs up! Due to a great fight with Croatian mud, his car was not able to continue and it was time to give up after destroying ARB lockers, halfshafts and various other stuff…
Here’s a bit of reporting by Inge Bloeming: “Yesterday’s stage was pretty serious, though supporters and press didn’t see very much of it. When we arrived at press point 1 it turned out that a lot of competitors already had passed. Since Igor (director of the Croatia Trophy) told us point 3 would be the most spectacular for both Trophy and Adventure Class we decided to go straight to there.
We arrive on an open space in the woods situated directly to the road side. The Croatia Trophy officials tell us where to park and especially where not to go, because the area to the right is still hiding mines! Good to know. It takes a lot of waiting but finally we can hear by the sound of growling engines that the cars are on their way.
The first couple has a pretty easy job to pass the muddy trail but then it is getting harder and harder and the mud is flying higher and higher.
A nice story to tell is that of last year’s winner Jim Marsden. He sold his excellent car and he is not driving this year. But both his ‘old’ car and Jim himself are competing: The car with the Danish team and Jim co driving with Coral Peter Whitman, who is also known as “Big Pete”.
Dutch Adventure team Nico Wijnalda and Eric Plomp are the first of their class passing by, followed very close by Trophy team Christian Poprask. The big Mitsubishi seems to bang the black Jeep a little but nothing serious happens.
We see French team Franck Daurelle and Françoise Graciet-Hollender going strong with their Land Rover and the Israeli team rushes by in the former car of Gordan Krota Kamo Oko Vidi. Pretty much the same story like Jim’s: Gordan is not in the race but his “old” car is! It’s a small world!
Dutch men John de Leur and Peter Berkhout don’t have any problems passing this stage in Trophy Class and that is the story of most of the competitors. Unfortunately not for Hungarian team Zsolt Kucsera & Irma Urbán: flying is not for Jeeps and the car landed on its roof. Both driver and co driver are all right!”
TEXT and PHOTO by Inge Bloeming
RANKING Day 3 – Trophy
- Furundzhi – Frolov
- Reul – Reul
- Eibensteiner – Deutschmann
RANKING Day 3 – Adventure
- Frenzel – Huhn
- Wijnalda – Plomp
- Purga – Junkin