Barum Czech Rally Zlín 

Barum Rally is getting closer, this year for the 44th time!

25. 6. 2014 - Roman Ordelt, press relations officer BCRZ

BARUM CZECH RALLY ZLÍN, the most important motorsport event in the Czech Republic, is going to write its 44^th chapter. Rally cars will start its engines on the last weekend of summer holidays – popular rally will go on between 29 and 31 August 2014. Zlín-based competition will be run as a part of the FIA European Rally Championship (FIA ERC) as well as a round of the International Czech Rally Championship (MMČR).

Over a long period the Barum Rally is very popular event and this year is again awaiting huge audience of thousands of spectators. It's currently standing on start of the fourth decade of relationship with the European Rally Championship. It was in 1983 when it was run as a part of this serial for the first time and this cooperation was even boosted in 2013 when the revamped shape of the championship was launched. But there were also other milestones in previous years – between 2007 and 2012 the Czech rally belonged to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, a series run under strong media coverage of Eurosport, well-known TV broadcaster. This championship helped to raise the level of the competition and led to another great development of the Zlín rally. During the years spent together with the IRC, Barum rally usualy hosted strong competition of more than 20 cars of Super 2000 category. In 2013 year the progressive IRC was merged together with the traditional FIA European Rally Championship. Thanks to this step there has appeared a new strong championship, having the Eurosport again as the main promoter.

The general partner of the rally, Continental Barum s.r.o., which is the biggest Czech tyre producer, is fulfilling its name and tradition through the rally support. It enables to promote the Barum Continental brand intensively on both domestic and the foreign markets. Beside other main partners, the city of Zlín and the Zlín Region, the rally organizers also cooperate with the Tomáš Baťa University. Thanks to this mutual support the press centre can be again located in the hospitable space of the new University centre. The importance of the Barum Czech Rally Zlín can be found also in the number of journalist teams, which every year come to Zlín – for example in 2013 there were accredited 227 journalists from 18 countries!

Like in previous years the Rally headquarters will be placed in Zlín, Building 21 which usually hosts the Zlín region municipality. The rally start as well as its finish will be located in front of the Zlín town hall on the Náměstí Míru square. The rally itself will be preceeded by scrutineering, which will go on Thursday 28 August and will be newly organised in the service area in Otrokovice. On Friday 29 August morning the Qualifying stage will be run by the FIA ERC priority drivers, who – according to the QS results – will then choose their starting positions for the Leg 1. The qualifying will be followed by ordinary shakedown for the non-priority drivers, all this action will take place on the well known section near Pohořelice. In the afternoon the rally will move to the centre of Zlín, where the spectators can visit the ceremonial start near the town hall and little later the popular Super special stage in the streets of Zlín, which will open the competition part of the rally. The action will then continue with two days full of classical specials stages around Zlín. The rally finish is scheduled to Sunday 31 August at 4 p.m. The whole rally route takes 642 km and contains 15 special stages with overall length of 237 km run on tarmac surface with various conditions.

So, the Barum Czech Rally Zlín again promises thrilling motorsport experience!

BASIC RALLY PROGRAMME
Wednesday 27 August 2014
8 a.m. – 7 p.m.: reconnaissance
Thursday 28 August 2014
8 a.m. – 7 p.m.: reconnaissance
1 p.m. – 8 p.m.: administrative checks (Rally HQ – Zlín, Building 21)
2 p.m. – 9 p.m.: scrutineering (service area - Otrokovice, Continental Barum s.r.o.)
11:20 p.m. – 0:45 a.m.: SSS Zlín reconnaissance

Friday 29 August 2014
9:00 a.m. - 9:25 a.m.: free practise / Qualifying stage (Pohořelice)
9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.: shakedown (Pohořelice)
5 p.m.: ceremonial start (Zlín, náměstí Míru square)
9.15 p.m.: Super Special Stage Zlín

Saturday 30 August 2014
8.00 a.m.: start of Leg 1 (Zlín, near Rally HQ)
8.37 p.m.: finish of Leg 1 (Otrokovice, near service area)

Sunday 31 August 2014
7.00 a.m.: start of Leg 2 (Otrokovice, near service area)
3.51 p.m.: rally finish (Zlín, náměstí Míru square)
4.00 p.m.: prize-giving (Zlín, náměstí Míru square)