ZAGREB, 26 April, 2021 - Belgian Thierry Neuville, who came in third in Croatia Rally, the third round of the World Rally Championship (WRC), will donate €4,000 for the reconstruction of the building of the General Hospital "Dr Ivo Pedišić" in Sisak.

Neuville has shown that in addition to being an excellent rally driver, he is also a great humanitarian as he joined the international humanitarian campaign "Together to the Finish Line", which was launched at the end of March by the Croatia Rally organising committee with the support of the WRC and the Croatian Red Cross as the project holder.

Neuville's team thanked the organisers for a great rally which took place this weekend at the local roads of Karlovac, Krapina-Zagorje and Zagreb counties and the City of Zagreb. They said that everyone was extremely happy and satisfied with their stay in Croatia.

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 second or third place.

After a great weekend on local Croatian roads, the Belgian finished third, together with his co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe. Interestingly, the Belgian crew was third in all of the three rounds of this year's WRC, and it is ranked second in it overall WRC standings.

All those interested can support the excellent sports-humanitarian initiative until 30 April by donating to account HR2023600001502892305.

To read more news from Croatia, follow our dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 19 April, 2021 - Everything is ready for the arrival of participants in the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship, which will take place in Croatia on 22-25 April, and the host expects more than 200 reporters and TV crews for this occasion.

A total of 69 teams are expected at the Croatia Rally route which will include local roads around Plešivica, Žumberak, and Karlovac and Krapina-Zagorje counties, while the initial special stage will be in Zagreb, the organisers said.

The event will be broadcast live to more than 150 countries worldwide.

The audience in Croatia can watch it on the national HRT broadcaster and the Arena Sport channel as well as on the WRC+ broadcaster.

A WRC service park has been set up on the Zagreb Fair (ZV) compound where about 1,200 people are involved in preparing the vehicles and drivers for the race.

The strict anti-epidemic protocols, developed in cooperation with the FIA 'Return to Motor Sport Guidelines', and the epidemiological rules imposed by Croatia's health authorities are being applied in the park and other venues of the race.

A total of 12 teams will compete in the strongest WRC category, and some of the stars are Sébastien Ogier, a French rally driver, Estonian Ott Tänak, Belgian Thierry Neuville and Finnish driver Kale Rovanperä.

The third round of the WRC rally features six Croatian drivers: Viliam Prodan, Martin Ravenščak, Krešimir Ravenščak, Ivica Siladić, Mateo Butorac and Željko Magličić.

For more about sports in Croatia, follow our dedicated page.

March 26, 2021 - The World Rally Championship, Croatia Rally, and the Croatian Red Cross join forces to renovate Sisak's hospital, which was badly damaged after the earthquake.

As Tportal.hr reports, the Organizing Committee of the Croatia Rally, with the support of the World Rally Championship (WRC) and the Croatian Red Cross as the project leader, is launching an international humanitarian action ‘‘Together for a common goal’’ to help the General Hospital ‘Dr. Ivo Pedišić’ in Sisak.

The mentioned action will last from March 25 to April 30, and all funds collected by donations to the bank account HR2023600001502892305 in that period will be spent on the renovation of the Sisak hospital building.

Croatia Rally, which is included in the calendar of the World Rally Championship (WRC) for 2021, and which will host one of the world's most attractive sports events in Zagreb from April 22 to 25, is launching an initiative, with the help of citizens, to raise the financial resources needed for the successful reconstruction of the main health institution of the Sisak-Moslavina County destroyed in the earthquake of last December.

The organizers of this international humanitarian action decided to use the arrival of the world event in Croatia, which attracts the great interest of spectators every year, to help the local community, and support for this praiseworthy action comes from rally drivers Thierry Neuville, Sebastien Ogier, and Teemu Suninen. The popularity of the WRC is evidenced by the fact that, in recent years, WRC races have been watched on TV screens by about 836 million viewers, and 13 races have attracted more than 4 million viewers.

Photo: PIXSELL

‘‘From the very beginning of organizing and bringing the WRC to Croatia, we have been trying to use all ways to give our actions an additional contribution to our community. That is why our vision of the race from the very beginning goes beyond the framework of sports competition. In addition to the promotion of our country and the rich tourist offer, we are convinced that we can encourage citizens to show their big heart again and to help those who are in dire need. We will also promote the action outside Croatia and we believe in the support of many spectators around the world, and many drivers arriving in Croatia have already promised their contribution’’, said the president of the Organizing Committee of Croatia Rally, Daniel Šaškin.

The holder of the humanitarian action 'Together for a common goal' is the Croatian Red Cross, which continuously invests exceptional efforts and helps the affected areas.

Photo: PIXSELL

‘‘The World Rally Championship race is being organized on the territory of the Republic of Croatia for the first time. It is great recognition for our country, but also for motorsports. We are especially proud that the race has a humanitarian character and that the Croatian Red Cross was chosen as a partner in the implementation of the donation. We welcome the idea of ​​the organizers that the collected donations help to normalize life in the earthquake-affected area, primarily the Sisak hospital. The renovation of the hospital will raise the quality of life in the entire Sisak-Moslavina County. We are happy that even after the race and the announcement of the best drivers in Banovina, there will be a lasting trace of the humanity of the World Rally Championship motorists’’, said Robert Markt, Executive President of the Croatian Red Cross.

The director of the Sisak General Hospital expressed his gratitude and pointed out that he would invest the donated funds in the renovation of the General Hospital building so that it could serve its citizens as soon as possible.

‘‘In the devastating earthquake on December 29, 2020, OB ‘Dr. Ivo Pedišić’ in Sisak suffered great damage. Hospital buildings, medical equipment, inventory, and supplies of medicines were damaged. As time passes, we try to organize and provide the highest possible level of health care to all residents of Sisak-Moslavina County. It will certainly take a lot of effort, time, and resources for the hospital to start working at full capacity again. Therefore, we are grateful to the Organizing Committee of the Croatia Rally with the support of the World Rally Championship (WRC) and the Croatian Red Cross for the donation that will help rebuild and rehabilitate the hospital but also to continue to develop the hospital’’, said the director of the hospital, M.Sc. Tomislav Dujmenović, MD

All information about the humanitarian action can be found on the website of the Croatian Red Cross, and details about the sports spectacle that arrives in Croatia in April can be found on the official rally-croatia.com website and on their official social media channels on Facebook and Instagram.

You can participate in the humanitarian action by donating to the following bank account:

ZAGREBAČKA BANKA D.D. / HR2023600001502892305 / USER: CROATIAN RED CROSS / Reference number: 773; Swift: 773 / Description of payment: Croatia rally for Sisak hospital

To see the original article click here.

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March 23, 2021 - We're less than a month away until the start of the Croatia Rally 2021, the third race of the World Rally Championship.

HRT reports that this year, there will be more than 300 km of special stages at the Croatia Rally. Due to the epidemiological situation, the Super Special speed test will not be held at the Zagreb Fair. Still, the itinerary remains attractive and challenging enough for the best drivers in the world. The best crews and speedsters in the world will thus race in Croatia, particularly in the area of Zagreb and Zagreb, Karlovac, and Krapina-Zagorje counties.

The competition will begin with a ceremonial start in front of the National and University Library in Zagreb on April 22. It will last until April 25, when crews are expected to finish at Zagreb's St. Mark's Square.

"We hoped until the last moment and believed that we would be able to organize races at the Fair. But the epidemiological situation did not go our way. These are tests that would gather a larger number of people in a small space, and part would be driven inside the pavilion, so it would be difficult or impossible to maintain the prescribed epidemiological distance. The health of all participants is our number one priority, and we decided to shorten the itinerary. The rest of the competition will be held according to the schedule," said the Croatia Rally president of the Organizing Committee, Daniel Šaškin.

Despite the shortened route, Croatia Rally remains the first competition with more than 300 km of speed tests after the Rally Catalunya - Costa Daruda 2019. FIA ​​and WRC delegates were satisfied with what was seen in Croatia during last week's inspection. They believe holding the rally in a big city like Zagreb is a big plus, where, in addition to service, there will also be locations for the ceremonial start and finish. They also rated the speed tests as attractive and challenging.

"What makes us happy are the applications, and it is already clear that all WRC stars will be driving in Croatia, who will be fighting for important championship points on our tracks. Conceptually, after shortening the Croatia Rally route, it did not change significantly. The only location that will not be driven is at the Fair, near the service parking lot, and all other locations outside Zagreb will remain as planned. Friday and Saturday are reserved for expressways in the Samobor hills, Žumberak, and the Karlovac area. On Sunday, they will drive across Sljeme and in the vicinity of Kumrovec," said rally director Slaven Dedić.

Croatia Rally will score points for WRC, WRC-2, WRC-3, and Junior WRC. There will be a big fight in all classes, and currently leading in the strongest category is 20-year-old Finn Kalle Rovanperä, a Toyota driver. Second place is held by Belgian Thierry Neuville from Hyundai, while third is the seven-time world champion, Frenchman Sebastien Ogier from Toyota.

It is expected that the teams in Croatia will present the latest evolutions of cars for the first time because, in the first two competitions of the season, they did not need the maximum potential of competition vehicles due to wet and snowy conditions. The organizers still hope that the spectacle will not pass without spectators.

"In Estonia last year, the authorities allowed the holding of WRC competitions with the public in specially designated zones. I believe that something similar could be organized in Croatia. We have 150 kilometers of tracks, which potentially offer views from the road's left and right sides. There is no shortage of room to keep the epidemiological distance, and we have prepared special COVID protocols. They will have to be adhered to by all participants, officials, and spectators if allowed to come. For those who will not be able to be by the track, there are broadcasts on Croatian Radio and Television that I believe will have a large audience," concluded Šaškin.

You can read more about Croatia Rally 2021 HERE.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.