History filled with race battles, great successes, occasionally also sport pitch, but also weeks and months of preparation for competitions, beautiful friendships - the Rally Košice
Just recently, we celebrated the 40th Rally Košice and this year we have already the 43rd. Three more years passed, we had alternate tracks, different crews and various winners. However, the views into history do not change, they are only gradually added.
The first year of the Košice Rally, then under the name Rally VSŽ Košice, took place on May 8, 1971. Even though the track was only one special stage, it was what to watch. The crews left their barriers curled behind them, overturned bumps and crumpled sheets on their vehicles. Historically the first winners were Július Ivan and Ján Mertiňák at Škoda 110 LA. The competition gained its appeal and continued to write its history over the next few years.
With the rising years, the rally has been changed. The track was extended and the number of special stages increased. The Rally VSŽ in 1974 moved from the regional championship to the Slovak Championship, which attracted new competition crews. As early as 1976, the organizers enjoyed the first foreign participation when two Polish crews were welcomed and five Hungarian crews in the following year. Since 1982 the rally has been included in the Czechoslovak Championship, which has been another great success. The elite of Czechoslovak automotive sport, including Leo Pavlík, Václav Blahna, Pavel Valoušek and Pavel Sibera, and the beautiful cars Škoda 130 RS, Audi Quattro, Renault Alpine or Lada 2105 MTX appeared at the start of the next years. In 1987, the number of starting crews exceeded the first time the magical limit of 100 crews.
Since 1990 there has been a four-year break, but it has only been a matter of time when the 20th round will take place. It happened in June 1994 by celebration of the 35th anniversary of the founding of Vychodoslovenske Zeleziarne. The Rally has been a success and the organizers have set a bold plan to get their competition to the European Championship calendar. The plan was accomplished and in 1997-2003 the Rallye Košice was included in the FIA European Championship with a coefficient of 2. The 23rd rallye is in a history, which took place in 1997 with a measured track of 237.6 km on 22 speed tests . László Rang and Ernő Büki took the victory at Subaru Impreza. 1998 was also very successful, when the races were included in addition tof the European Championship also in the Slovak Championship, the Czech Republic's International Championship and the Hungarian Championship. It was only that year in the history of the Košice rally when the competition was included in the Czech championship. Among the 85 crews at the start were the first four vehicles WRC, as well as European drivers such as Enrico Bertone, Lászlo Vizin, János Tóth and Milan Dolák.
Since 1999, organizers have had to deal with the withdrawal of a long-time partner - VSŽ Košice. The starting crews has stabilized around 40 and victories have traveled to Czechoslovakia to Chovanec and to Poland to the late Kulig. Years 2002 – 2004 belong to Tibor Cserhalmi - Karol Bodnár (Martin Krajňák), who won three times in a row. A year of remarkable number of crews will remain the year of 2005 when the Rallye Košice was re-ranked in the Hungarian Championships. At the start, it brought together 137 competitive crews, among which the Slovakians did not lose. See Jozef Béreš jun. on the Subaru Impreza Sti finished at a very good third place! That year, Poliak Grzegorz Grzyb presented at the Slovak rally. He won the Košice Rally in the following season and also won the first title of Master of Slovakia.
In the 2005 season, the organizers began working closely with Tempus s.r.o., which became the promoter of the entire Slovak championship in 2007 and 2008 and provided a rich program at each event. In 2009, Subaru Stilcar supported the competition. The location of the headquarters, start and finish ramp and service park has changed. For the first time, the crews of the newly created Slovak Rally Cup were able to take part in the competition. The victory of the Košice Rally was taken by the crew Jozef Béreš jun. - Robert Müller.
In 2010, the Rallye Headquarters moved to hotel Yasmin, where it was the next five years. In that year, the Rally Košice was first included in the Polish Championship. It has brought us a large number of crews from this country, but also French Bryan Bouffier, who has become an absolute winner. 2011 and 2012 were also included in the Polish Championship but 2012 also in the Hungarian Championship. Together with the Slovak Rally Cup, 111 crews started to compete. For the third time in the history, and for the last time yet, the limit of 100 crews exceeded.
2013 brought the addition to the FIA Central European Zone together with the Slovak and Hungarian championships. Five WRC vehicles and several S2000 vehicles were introduced at the start. The victory was won by Grzegorz Grzyb and Robert Hundl. A year later, on the occasion of the 40th rallye, the victory shifted to Hungarian champions Norbert Herczig and Igor Bacigal. In that year, for the first time in Slovakia, the vehicles of the R5 specification were presented, namely the Ford Fiesta R5.
One year later, Herczig brought the first Škoda Fabia R5 to Kosice, which had a big ovation, but it did not win the race for the off-road stop. This was accomplished by the Melicharek brothers, who rehearsed their lead in the last season of 2016. However, we can safely say that this year they will not be able to attribute the third triumph as they did not enter the competition.
And what will be the 43rd year?
Zdenka Frývaldská
Press Secretary 43rd Rally Košice