Simeonov Wins Hyundai Racing Trophy Round at Rally Troia
Simeon Simeonov / Yordan Yordanov took the gold medal at Rally Troia in Çanakkale this weekend. The crew's total time over the two days of competition was 01:33:21.2. In the third round of the Hyundai Racing Trophy, they therefore claimed a deserved third consecutive victory. The event was extremely dynamic, with their rivals following very closely. Denis Stanchovski/Mladen Karchev took silver with a time of 1:36:48.3. The all-female crew of Viktoriya Garkova/Velislava Pavlova took bronze with 1:42:21.5. The new Turkish crew Toprak Candan/Erhan Arikan finished fourth, completing the rally in 2:00:25.5. Hyundai Racing Trophy competitors also filled the top four places in the RC5 class, while Simeonov finished third in the "Junior" class of the Balkan Rally Championship, with Stanchovski fourth and Candan fifth. In the Bulgarian National Rally Championship standings, Simeonov finished second, Denis third, Viktoriya fourth and Toprak fifth.
Team coach Petar Goshev was extremely pleased with the crews and the Hyundai i20 Coupe R cars, which had to cope with very demanding conditions: 40-degree heat that turned the asphalt to liquid, sharp corners and fast straights, and a very long rally with many sections. According to Goshev, the rally went very well, and both the competitors and the cars showed great durability. Goshev said: "We achieved the goals we set ourselves during training at the Motorsport Academy, and the crews got very good results. We worked very well as a team. We work hard with the drivers and things come together." He stressed that the Troia stages were special and different from what the crews are used to. Goshev is extremely happy with Simeon Simeonov's progress, which pushes the other competitors to improve. He said Denis Stanchovski is developing ever faster, and that the results and progress of Viktoriya Garkova are excellent. In his words, the rivalry between them helps too.
Simeonov won every stage over the two days of the rally and, after the finish, said: "Because of the stages and their characteristics it was really very hard, but it was very interesting for us. Even the asphalt is not like ours. We managed this difficult task and gathered valuable kilometres and experience." For the driver, it is important to learn something new with every stage, and Simeonov admitted that the crew tried to keep increasing the pace as much as possible and managed to find the right balance between speed and safety. Denis Stanchovski moved up one place, having finished third in the previous two rounds; the 16-year-old driver did not give up second place to anyone on any of Sunday's stages. This is a big achievement for Stanchovski and proof of rapid development as a driver. Stanchovski said: "The rally was hard and the stages were technical. I'm happy to be second, and we'll start to raise the pace."
Viktoriya Garkova also moved up one place after successfully getting through the highly technical rally route. Garkova said the excitement was huge for the crew and that she was very happy to have finished despite problems on one of Saturday's stages. Viktoriya said: "We got through the obstacles this rally put in front of us. It was good training for me as a driver and for us as a crew with Velislava." The two women say this is the hardest rally since they became a crew and are determined to go further up the order.
BC Vision Motorsport-backed Turkish competitor Toprak Candan came through his first rally successfully and is in a very good position and frame of mind. The 18-year-old newcomer had experience in karting and the V1 Challenge before getting behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 Coupe R. Toprak said: "I'm very happy with the rally. We wanted to increase the pace, and we did that on the last stage while also being very careful." The more experienced co-driver Erhan Arikan is also very happy with what they achieved and has excellent impressions of the car. Erhan said: "A very good and consistent car, we're happy."
The first stage of Sunday, Assos, at 20.50 kilometres, brought no surprises and the crews held their Saturday positions. Simeon Simeonov/Yordan Yordanov set a time of 12:47.3, while Denis Stanchovski/Mladen Karchev covered the stage in 13:26.9. The women of Viktoriya Garkova/Velislava Pavlova completed it in 14:04.1 and Toprak Candan/Erhan Arikan in 14:59.9.
On the second stage, Apollon, at 14.70 kilometres, Toprak increased his pace and managed to get past the car ahead on the stage. Meanwhile Simeon also picked up the pace and completed the stage in 7:15.2, with Denis following in 7:32.0. Viktoriya covered the stage in 7:49.3 and the Turkish driver in 8:08.0.
On the third stage, Redbull.com, at 20.50 kilometres, newcomer Toprak Candan increased his pace further and finished ahead of the women's crew in third. Simeonov set 12:41.9, Stanchovski 13:18.6, Candan 13:59.7 and Garkova 14:11.7.
On Saturday the crews successfully completed five stages, and on the final super special stage of the day, Troia Horse, held in the city centre, the competitors showed their skill by slaloming between hay bales and performing intricate manoeuvres.
The third season of the Hyundai Racing Trophy one-make cup will continue with the Tvarditsa-Elena Rally on 15-16 July, the Sliven Rally on 1-3 September and finish with the Stari Stolitsi Rally on 7-8 October.
