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Protected from the tumult of “democratic centralism” and far from the storm that shook other regions, there is in northern Romania a country bathed in nature and traditions: Maramureș.
Here, time seems to have stopped and everyday life unfolds at the same pace for centuries. The presence of Maramures villages is announced from afar by the towers of wooden churches, whose sharp shape reproduces the silhouette of the Christmas tree, the sacred tree loved by everyone. Built entirely of wood, without nails or screws, on a small area but up to 60 meters high, the churches of Maramureș are architectural works hunted by tourists from all over the world. Not coincidentally, eight of them have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Maramureș is a land of wood. And I don’t think there are many places in the world where we can find this material in the construction of houses, in furniture, in crockery and last but not least in the imposing gates. Symbol of Maramureș, these works of art are often considered as real triumphal arches carved with chisels. In a natural juxtaposition, the gate also found a place on the Maramureș Rally plaque. And this in a year in which the symbol of the sun, the object of an ancestral cult that has crossed centuries and religions, will give shine to a new chapter of history.
Many of you will wonder what the connection may be between Maramureș and motoring. Seen from the outside, the relationship is at least strange, if not inexplicable. However, the love story between Maramureș and the world of rallies turns 2021 at the beautiful age of half a century.
The trilogy of a story rally
The adventure began under the sign of the Chestnuts, who gave the names of the first 13 editions of the rally held “where we put the country in whose hands”. It was in 1971 when a number of 16 crews competed for victory on a 250-kilometer route, with two special stages on Gutâi and Dealul Mujdeni in Țara Oașului, a speed test on the circuit in Satu Mare and a skill test before the end of Baia Mare. The two “climbers” took to the ramp the Cluj crew formed by Aurel Jurcă and Vasile Roșca, who set the best time each time, the performance weighing decisively in obtaining the victory in the general classification. For the sake of numbers, real bricks in the construction of this discipline, let’s say that the times obtained on the two specials of three and two kilometers respectively were 2m.26s and 1m.30s. On the circuit in Satu Mare, the locals cut their share of the lion, the first place going to the crew formed by Francisc Pintea and Gheorghe Orosz, with a time of 2m.02s.
After a similar scenario, Leontin Babici and Vasile Costinar from Baia Mare won the first place in the skill test in Baia Mare, with a time of 1m.18s. Remaining in search of the cars driven by the winners of the inaugural edition, the ranking below includes only the names of the competitors.
Chestnut Rally 1971 – General classification
1. Aurel Jurcă / Vasile Roșca 447 points
2. Ștefan Pop / Iosif Bene 481 points
3. Iosif Mitru / Ștefan Mitru 481 points
4. Leontin Babici / Vasile Costinar 493 points
The next two editions, in 1972 and 1973, recorded the victory of a pilot that the people of Baia Mare always remember with great pleasure. These are Laurențiu Borbely and the Renault 8 Gordini, in which he had Andras Degi by his side. A year later, in 1974, the first place was to be claimed by a 2002 BMW, in which Horst Graef and Iuliu Borcsa were on board. The four editions were enough to attract the attention of the major federations, which, starting in 1975, would promote the rally to the stage rank in the national championship.
The first high-level performance would offer a tailor-made show, the 36 participating crews having to cover a route of 700 kilometers with four special stages (Gutâiul three times and Huta once) and a speed circuit in Baia Mare. The battle for victory took place between Laurențiu Borbely and Laurențiu Moldovan from Cluj, behind the wheel of a 2002 BMW and a Renault 8 Gordini, respectively. The last one, although he won three of the five timed sectors, the other two returning to his rival, had to admit defeat after the gathering of times, Laurențiu Borbely winning his victory thanks to an advantage of only four seconds!
In the conditions in which the involvement of the Dacia factory became more and more felt, the following editions took to the ramp the Dacia 1300 model which, for six consecutive seasons, will be led to victory by Ștefan Iancovici (1976, 1979), Arpad Szalai (1977), Mircea Ilioaea (1978), Ludovic Balint (1980) and Horea Gheorghiu (1981). At the end of the first part of this trilogy, Gheorghe Urdea and Dacia Banca were to sign the first success of the Dacia Sport model in the 1982 edition, the performance being repeated six years later by the pair formed by Ștefan Vasile and Ovidiu Scobai. It was a success after a six-year hiatus in the history of the rally and fans of the sport had every reason to hope to resume the tradition. But history was preparing a new adventure for us…
Romania’s rally in Maramureș
After a 1988 season in which the party “organs” threw the Danube Rally into derision, by the cancellation decided before the start (to the disappointment of the competitors present in Sibiu), the emblematic competition would find its salvation in Maramureș, in a place where it had already passed twice, in 1976 and 1979. Thus, starting with 1989, the Danube Rally moved to northern Romania, the first two editions being won by Toomas Seger and Sergey Golov, at the wheel of some Lada Samara cars. Of course, for many readers, the association of Maramureș with the Danube Rally might seem at least out of place. And as the same feeling was shared by the team led by Ioan Pop, starting with 1991, the competition would receive a proper name: the Romanian Rally. The competition is also known abroad, the podium of the 1991 and 1992 editions being confiscated by foreigners, the winning crew being each time the one consisting of Dominique Rumeau and Lionel Campo, on board a Peugeot 205 GTI. Far from lying on the laurels of victory after giving the name of the rally a national dimension, the organizing team set out from the beginning to bring the competition back to the European calendar. It was a bet won in 1993, when the coefficient 2 rally was to record the first success of an all-wheel drive model. Although it seems hard to believe, the rally recorded a much more important detail than the victory signed by Lancia Delta Integrale led by Michel Tirabassi.
In October, when the organizing team was eagerly awaiting the report of the International Automobile Federation, the assessment made by André Schraepen (FIA observer) exceeded all expectations. The Romanian Rally received the coefficient 5 for the 1994 edition of the European Rally Championship! The promotion to a higher rank – made without a previous candidacy – came as a reward for the professionalism of the team that brought Romania back on the stage of the continental competition.
The first rally of coefficient 5 was to record a double Lancia signed by Germando Berti and Nicola Caldani, while the podium was completed by the British Jonathan Joannides with a Ford Escort RS Cosworth. The 1995 edition would end with a double, when László Ranga won over Georgi Petrov (both with Ford Escort RS Cosworth cars) after winning all 36 special stages! The Hungarian driver was to achieve a new success the following year, at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza 555, while the last two editions held in Maramureș were won by Constantin Aur and Jasen Popov. But the podium of the 1996, 1997 and 1998 editions also highlights George Grigorescu, who always finished in second place, the Renault Clio being the only one that dared to disrupt the hegemony of all-wheel drive. In a short time, history would show us that its results were far from accidental.
As for Maramureș, the love story with the Romanian Rally would be ended by a decision with no connection to reality, taken by a character whose name does not deserve to be mentioned. After a four-year exile, the competition was to be extinguished in 2006 in Timisoara, forgotten by the world. In a “European” edition with… six cars at the start and four at the finish.
Man sanctifies the place
One thing remained incomprehensible to those who felt that they had seized the nest with the golden chicks. That the success of a competition does not lie in its name but in the team behind the curtain. Left without the name that they themselves gave to the rally in northern Romania, the organizers did not lay down their arms. Gathered around Călin Petrușca, who did not want to accept the departure of Maramureș from the championship calendar, the team did what it knew how to do best: a new rally!
Siromex Rally or the third part of the rally adventure in Maramureș. And as luck rewards the daring, the show would be at his home since 1999, when George Grigorescu celebrated his time behind the wheel of the Renault Maxi Megane with a decisive victory at a difference of one second and a tenth! On the podium, to his right and left, two all-wheel drive models driven by Constantin Aur and Heinz Göllner. The two will take revenge in 2000 and 2001, respectively, when, in turn, they will put their names on the list of winners. Moreover, Constantin Aur will prevail in 2002, when he brought his SEAT Cordoba WRC in front of the two Mitsubishi Lancers driven by Bogdan Marișca and Dan Gîrtofan.
In 2003, with the “focus” on Hyundai, Mihai Leu and Ciprian Solomon would start their march to the title with a victory in the Siromex Mobile Rally 1. A year later, the icing on the cake reaches Dan Gîrtofan and Dorin Pulpea, who will win the title of national champions at the end of the season. In an impeccable match, the end of the trilogy was played around the same number. In 2005, 2006 and 2007, the last three editions of the Siromex Rally can be summarized by the title of a well-known song: BIG IN JAPAN! I say this because, every time, the podium was confiscated by the models from the Land of the Rising Sun. As for the winners, Bogdan Marișca won in 2005, Marco Tempestini became the first foreigner to win a stage of the national championship in 2006, so that when the curtain fell Bogdan Marișca to complete his record with another victory. Dancing in the rain in what was – in 2007 – The Last Waltz.
RALLIES IN MARAMUREȘ ● PALMARES
THE CHESTNUT RALLY
1971 Aurel Jurcă / Vasile Roșca
1972 Laurențiu Borbely / Andras Degi Renault 8 Gordini
1973 Laurențiu Borbely / Andras Degi Renault 8 Gordini
1974 Horst Graef / Iuliu Borcsa BMW 2002
1975 Laurențiu Borbely / Adalbert Boldizsár BMW 2002
1976 Ștefan Iancovici / Petre Vezeanu Dacia 1300
1977 Árpád Szalai / Andrei Vincze Dacia 1300
1978 Mircea Ilioaea / Petre Geantă Dacia 1300
1979 Ștefan Iancovici / Petre Vezeanu Dacia 1300
1980 Ludovic Balint / Mircea Panaite Dacia 1300
1981 Horea Gheorghiu / Daniel Dociu Dacia 1300
1982 Gheorghe Urdea / Dacian Banca Dacia Sport
1988 Ștefan Vasile / Ovidiu Scobai Dacia Sport
THE RANGE OF THE DANUBE * / THE RALLY OF ROMANIA
1976 * Ilia Ciubrikov / Pencio Cerovski Renault 17 Gordini
1979 * Vaclav Blahna / Jan Soukup Skoda 130 RS
1989 * Toomas Seger / Tiit Paju Lada Samara
1990 * Sergey Golov / Valeriy Kolchugin Lada Samara
1991 Dominique Rumeau / Lionel Campo Peugeot 205 GTI
1992 Dominique Rumeau / Lionel Campo Peugeot 205 GTI
1993 Michel Tirabassi / Georges Decour Lancia Delta Integrale
1994 Germando Berti / Bernardo Serra Lancia Delta Integrale
1995 László Ranga / Ernő Büki Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1996 László Ranga / Ernő Büki Subaru Impreza 555
1997 Constantin Aur / Dumitru Boboescu Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD
1998 Jasen Popov / Dilian Popov Ford Escort WRC
SIROMEX RALLY
1999 George Grigorescu / Radu Dumitriu Renault Maxi Megane
2000 Constantin Aur / Dumitru Boboescu Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD
2001 Heinz Göllner / Sorin Itu Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI
2002 Constantin Aur / Silviu Moraru Seat Cordoba WRC
2003 Mihai Leu / Ciprian Solomon Hyundai Accent WRC
2004 Dan Gîrtofan / Dorin Pulpea Seat Cordoba WRC
2005 Bogdan Marișca / Sebastian Itu Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII
2006 Marco Tempestini / Mugurel Pîrșcoveanu Subaru Impreza STI
2007 Bogdan Marișca / Sebastian Itu Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
Text: Alexandru Dobai
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