ZAGREB,  23 Aug, 2021 -  An automotive contest called "Rimac Formula Student Alpe Adria 2021" will take place in the northern Croatian town of Novi Marof on 26-29 August, bringing together  37 teams from 14 European countries.

This will be an opportunity for 850 undergraduates in those 37 teams to promote bolid cars they have made at their universities, the organisers have said at a recent news conference in Varaždin.

"The project intends to showcase the most innovative solutions in the auto industry, prepared by students from all over the world. Rimac Formula Student Alpe Adria is a variant of this project," said Tibor Kezelj, the head of the Varaždin-based FSAA association that organises the Croatian variant of the Formula Student, a student engineering competition held annually

Student teams from around the world design, build, test, and race a small-scale formula style racing car. The cars are judged on a number of criteria.

In Novi Marof, the jury includes judges from Formula 1 and other top-notch judges from the automobile industry.

Kezelj said that the contest also promotes the STEM sector in Croatia.

The sponsors of the event are the Rimac Automobili company and local authorities in the town of Novi Marof and Varaždin County. 

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November 29, 2019 - Is a Formula One racetrack in Dalmatia's future? The mayor of Sibenik thinks so. 

According to the statement of Zeljko Buric, the mayor of Sibenik, the Sibenik city government has not given up on their plans for an adrenaline sports zone, including a Formula 1 race track in Konjevrate. This news was shared at the 11th Mayor and Entrepreneurs meeting at the Amadria Center, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

When presenting the city’s potential for investors, Zeljko Buric recalled that by adopting a detailed development plan, the Sibenik City Council created the preconditions for the realization of this project several years ago. 

The area of about 103 hectares was also specified for the construction of a training center and a sports center for speed and adrenaline lovers, which would be a sort of counterpart to Grobnik.

“This idea, initiated by the Automotive Society of Sibenik, has not been abandoned. On the contrary, a detailed plan layout was created. Konjevrate is indeed the ideal location for such content, which would, among other things, valorize the deep hinterland of Sibenik. I find that we cannot have a strong county center if we do not have a strong hinterland, and high-octane sports are known to attract a specific clientele. There are many Formula 1 fans in Croatia and around the world, and fans of motorcycle racing and similar adrenaline sports, and among them are those with slightly deeper pockets, who personally like to follow their favorites on the track. I will also mention the possibilities that organized sports facilities of this type provide for recreational sports and its fans who would fill hotel capacities in our area outside the tourist season,” says the mayor of Sibenik.

Cedo Petrina, the current president of AMD in Sibenik, confirmed that the Automoto Society was still very interested in the realization of the project.

“Due to the fact that it is only a 10-minute drive from the center of Sibenik, and 40 kilometers from Split and Zadar, Konjevrate is an ideal position not only for arranging a certified Formula 1 track, but also for a sports-adrenaline park with all possible accompanying contents,” said Petrina.

Looking through the detailed layout of the Konjevrate training and sports center, it is evident that everything was considered - from the construction of a 3,100-meter-long track, the installation of fixed or prefabricated stands for spectators, the automotive and go-karting tracks, a racetrack, and even an open-air or drive-in cinema stage to training grounds, a heliport, children's amusement park, and skateboarding grounds. The infrastructure includes parking spaces, and accompanying facilities for catering and other objects. 

Those who are more knowledgeable about the economic viability of such projects claim that similar sports centers generate respectable profits that are not circumvented by investors. If and when it happens to Sibenik, time will tell. The city government will, as promised by mayor Burić, be at their disposal for all the activities under the jurisdiction of the Sibenik city administration.

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