January 29, 2022 - Preparations are underway for the WRC Croatia Rally 2022, in a special year in which the World Rally Championship celebrates its 50th anniversary. The big event will take place from April 21 to 24 and will feature spectators on 20 stages across five Croatian counties.
Following the excellent organization of the WRC Croatia Rally in its first edition in 2021, the FIA did not think twice about including Croatia again in the next two World Rally Championship calendars. Thus, this year, the country is once again preparing to host one of the most important sports and automobile events in the world, in April.
Photo: WRC Croatia Rally
The WRC Croatia Rally 2022, which will bring together the world's best rally drivers, will be held from April 21st to 24th, at attractive speed tests through five Croatian counties: Zagreb, Karlovac, Krapina-Zagorje, Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Varaždin, while the ceremonial start and finish and the driver's park, which this year provides a rich program, will be located in Zagreb, reports tportal.hr.
This year, a record number of spectators is expected. Namely, according to organizers, the competition will be watched by more than 350,000 spectators in special fan zones and along the track, whose arrivals are expected from Europe and many other countries. With many surprises and rich content for which preparations are in full swing, 2022 is a special year as the World Rally Championship celebrates its 50th anniversary, and this special anniversary will be marked by a new, hybrid era of Rally1 vehicles that use sustainable fuel and electricity.
Photo: WRC Croatia Rally
The WRC season started last weekend in Monte Carlo, and Sebastien Loeb and Isabelle Galmiche in the Ford Puma won an unpredictable race until the very end. At the age of 47, Loeb became the oldest winner of a WRC race in history, and he reached his 80th victory in the World Rally Championship in Monte Carlo.
''Croatia has proven to be a sports organizer that is well worth counting on. To include Croatia in the world calendar, to bring the World Championship, and to organize a race at such a high level is a huge success for our country. The race itself is a Croatian product because almost the entire race is organized by a Croatian sports staff, which we are very proud of. This race, in addition to giving the wind in the back to the development of motorsport, significantly contributes to the promotion of Croatia, and I am convinced that, like last year, we will host some of the most important people in the world sports'', said Davorin Štetner, president of the Croatian Automobile & Karting Federation.
Photo: WRC Croatia Rally
''Early Bird'' tickets will be on sale soon, which in addition to including privileged views of the big event, will also offer special benefits such as food catering and entertainment all day.
We remind you that, in addition to the spectacular races that this new edition of the WRC Croatia Rally will offer, those who are in Zagreb during the days prior to the start of the stage will be able to enjoy special moments, such as the presentation of the vehicles competing in the Ban Jelačić Square, which attracted a large number of people, including fans and onlookers.
Photo: WRC Croatia Rally
The organizers of the WRC Croatia Rally 2022 are already fine-tuning all the preparations to create a motorsport atmosphere throughout the country, especially in the Croatian capital. The excellent organization in 2021 left very positive numbers both in ratings, spectators, as well as in profits. However, all this is an extra motivation for this edition to overcome all the successes achieved last year, and in this way continue to convince the FIA and ensure its presence in the World Rally Championship calendar beyond 2023.
It should be noted that this year, for the first time, the WRC Croatia Rally 2022 will feature spectators in all instances, something that could not be done in 2021 due to the epidemiological situation. Those who purchase tickets must bear in mind that the epidemiological measures for the safe development of the championship, which will be confirmed in the coming weeks, must be complied with without exception. Last year, the spectators were able to be at the speed tests, but this year they will be able to closely follow all the stages of the race, something that excites both them and the organizers.
The first edition of the WRC Croatia Rally, held last year, left many memorable moments both on and off the track. Let us remind you that Sebastian Ogier was the first winner of the WRC edition in Croatia. Just before the last gear, the Welshman Elfyn Evans (Toyota) had a 3.9-second advantage over Ogier but made a mistake in the last turn of the rally and lost the victory by only six-tenths of a second. Ogier thus reached the 51st triumph in his career.
Similarly, it should be remembered that the 2021 edition of the WRC Croatia Rally had an extra motivation after the earthquake that affected the county of Sisak Moslavina, and especially the town of Petrinja, at the end of December 2020. The earthquake was also felt in Zagreb, which itself was still recovering from the violent earthquake in March of that year. The organization behind the WRC Croatia Rally 2021 launched the humanitarian campaign ''Together to the Finish Line'', along with the Croatian Red Cross. A large number of drivers joined the initiative and this motivated many others in the world of motorsport to contribute with donations.
Photo: WRC Croatia Rally
Belgian Thierry Neuville, who came in third in Croatia Rally 2021, donated €4,000 for the reconstruction of the building of the General Hospital "Dr. Ivo Pedišić" in Sisak. Together with his colleagues Sebastien Ogier and Teemu Suninen, Neuville has been supporting the humanitarian campaign since the very start, and the Belgian had announced that he would donate €2,000 for participating and €4,000 if he won a second or third place that year.
For more about the WRC Croatia Rally 2022, such as news, accreditation information, accommodation, virtual store and more, visit the official website of the WRC Croatia Rally.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
