Gravel Rallying in Bulgaria

[tialimo]

Hello all,

I've recently moved to Bulgaria to live from the UK, just outside Varna, and I've just bought an old RWD Startlet to convert to a gravel/ forest spec rally car.
I'd like to know if there are any forest or gravel track rallys over here, especially for clubman type competitors, rather than turbo 4wd cars.
I'm really looking forward to getting back into competition again after a few years out. I used to rally various group 4 cars, escorts, chevettes and mantas and won the 2 litre gravel rally championship in the uk a few years back.
Any info on clubs, parts etc would be very greatly appreciated.

I look forward to hearing from you,
Best regards,
Timo

[K_Power]

Hi Timo! In Bulgaria we haven't any gravel events exept rallycross events.
Welcome! I hope to see you in the forum.

[damon]

Hello Tialimo,

Unfortunatelly we don't have any gravel rallyes at present. Maybe in a future years we might organize such rally to follow the FIA requirements. Anyway you can see some pictires here http://forum.rally-club.net/album_cat.php?cat_id=33 from a rally test in Bulgaria on a gravel stage. The tests were made by Bulgarian team for Vittorio Caneva Rally School. At least you can find such stages in Bulgaria to test you car. I think it is not a bad idea to have some hillclimb race on gravel like starting point for a new rally but we have to wait and see what will happen with Bulgarian rallying in the future one or two years...

[tialimo]

Hi guys,

that's a real shame, perhaps it might be an idea to organise our own club for clubman gravel enthusiasts to organise our own, in house, unofficial events....? There are enough forests over here in this great country just begging for rally stages to be made in them! Any one any thoughts about this?
It has to be worth thinking about until the FIA affiliated clubs organise themselves back to REAL rallying..
(This should open a can of worms!)

[damon]

Hi guys,

that's a real shame, perhaps it might be an idea to organise our own club for clubman gravel enthusiasts to organise our own, in house, unofficial events....? There are enough forests over here in this great country just begging for rally stages to be made in them! Any one any thoughts about this?
It has to be worth thinking about until the FIA affiliated clubs organise themselves back to REAL rallying..
(This should open a can of worms!)

It is not imposible but there is a money problem, as always in Bulgaria. See, our country is not like UK and the ralying is not as well. If we have real gravel rally which is even round of the championship the event will have only a few participants. Virtually we don't have more than 3 or 4 real professional drivers. The others are driving in an amateur stile and don't have good budgets. You know that for a gravel event the car needs almost complete new suspension, brakes, etc which is not cheap and finally the car is not so reliable as on tarmac. And you can figure that the professional rallying in Bulgaria is merged with the amateur.
If we think about complete amateur racing with DIY cars the problem is the same - money. You can take a look at the cars around you - most of Bulgarians can buy only one second hand car. Most of us doesn't have possibility to buy another car just for enthusiastic racing, but not because we did not want to... Anyway the idea for gravel amateur races is not bad, is not impossible, but it won't be easy ...

[Ferjancz]

Hello tialimo,

First of all Welcome in our club Hope you will enjoy the time spend here !

As damon said if there is a gravel rally there will be few participants in it mostly because of the money problem ! the private club event is something else , which I think is more likely to be accomplished. for the second time ( I think ) this year there was a snow event in Sevlievo for amateurs which is a step ahead in this direction. but again the money problem comes. Bcause for that kind of events - gravel ones , you should have at least a rollbar cage. what's left about engine, suspension, tyres ect.

so once again the idea is great but.....with realization in the future!