Story: Evan Rothman
With 115 cars lining up at the start for this the third round of the Estonian Rally Championship, and the only FIA-accredited event on the Estonian rally calendar, the International Mad-Croc Rally Estonia will be a nail-biting event this weekend.
The route for this weekend comprises 189 competitive kilometres (and a total distance of 460km) over 12 special stages. Spread over three days of competition, the rally drivers and co-drivers will tackle three loops of four stages and all of which will be contested on gravel roads.
With a 50-year pedigree in organising this event, the rally organisers have managed to include new stages for this year’s edition. Likened to WRC Rally Finland’s fast and flowing roads, these south Estonian speed tests also have fast and flowing sections, long straights, long stages, jumps and cambered corners to encourage drivers to attack the stages even more.
It was a great surprise (and a coup) for the organisers to announce that former World Rally Championship star Markko Martin will be action. Markko Martin said: “There were several things that motivated me participating in Mad-Croc Rally Estonia. The organizers contacted me and proposed to start in the rally. I have always liked the south Estonian roads and it is a really great event. Also, my old sponsors came along with that project, so why not. Of course, it is very positive for Estonian Rally that this kind of event is held in Estonia. Another reason why I start in Mad-Croc Rally Estonia is that once again I can race with a very good car: Ford Focus RS WRC 03.”
Another entry on the list of starters to attract attention is that of Martin Prokop (Ford Fiesta S2000). He had said: “Rally Estonia is the perfect preparation for Rally Finland. The stages are fantastic, fast and tricky. I was competing two years ago and I really enjoyed it. The country is very nice and the people are very friendly, I am really looking forward to start there. From the moment I was informed that Rally Estonia will be held two weeks prior Finland it was clear to me to compete there. As far as the entry list is published now it will be a very good competition. For us the aim is to find a good set up to be prepared for Finland as it will be not easy to fight against the locals. I am sure we will have a lot of fun in Estonia.”
Latvian rallying is very competitive, and Estonia provides a great base for Ivars Vasaraudzis to hone his skills behind the wheel of his Mitsubishi Lancer WRC. “I’m very much looking forward to the Mad-Croc Rally Estonia. I have competed in Estonia twice before and although I didn’t finish either rally, I really enjoyed the experience and am looking forward to returning in a World Rally Car. I know the event is very well organised and its standing means that it always attracts some of the best drivers in the world. And although it will be a big challenge, I am very excited about competing against Markko Martin and Toni Gardemeister, to see how my pace compares with them.”
Toni Gardemeister, of the former Suzuki World Rally Team, will pilot the mighty Ford Fiesta S2000 this weekend there, had the following to say about his entry for this event: “Mad-Croc Rally Estonia is a perfect test for me for WRC Rally Finland as there are 180kms of special stages to be driven and the stages in South-Estonia are very similar to stages in Finland. But even if we are looking for a perfect set-up for Finland, we aim for the Group N victory in Mad-Croc Rally Estonia.”
Other crews to be on lookout for this weekend are Ott Tanak (piloting a Subaru Impreza WRX STi), IRC and WRC 2WD star Kaspar Koitla (Honda Civic Type R), Karl Kruuda (Honda Civic Type R and Peter Horsey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X).
Peter Horsey said: “On top of the Pirelli Star Driver programme this year, I plan to enter various events around Europe as well as my local championships in Kenya. I have selected Rally Estonia as it was recommended by various people including fellow Pirelli Star Drivers Ott Tänak and Kuldar Sikk. The roads are similar to the ones I will face in Rally Finland, and additionally this will be the first rally I compete in with my new navigator Calvin Cooledge. I wanted this first rally to be one with sufficient mileage and similar conditions to our next WRC rally, Rally Finland. My objectives for this rally are to gain experience of the roads and spend valuable seat time with Calvin. My primary aim is to finish without superally. The car I will be using is my own Evo X. The same car that I used in the first round of the British Rally Championship in March.“
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