The Croatia Rally, round 10 of the 2013 FIA European Rally Championship, to be held from 26 – 28 September, is based in the Adriatic coastal town of Porec and is an all tarmac event, renowned for its slippery and changeable surface and huge spectator following. The organiser is anticipating thousands of spectators over the weekend.
The event starts on Thursday evening with a Super Special Stage in Porec before an overnight regroup. Competition proper starts on Friday with 119 km of stages followed by 120 km on Saturday.
“I am really excited about competing in Croatia as Molly’s team-mate.” Adrian said. “I am not daunted by the tarmac surface, as I spent a season circuit racing prior to switching to rallying but there will still be plenty of challenges along the way with learning to drive the new car, coming to grips with the slippery tarmac, communicating with the team and the event officials who do not speak strong English and finding our way around. My goal is to get to the finish, gain as much experience as possible and have some fun!” Coppin said.
The crew will join Taylor and co-driver Seb Marshall for a test before recce of the course. “I haven’t had a chance to drive my new car for the 2014 Australian Championship in anger yet, so driving the DS3 in Croatia will be my first opportunity to see how they perform, albeit on a tarmac surface. I will get my first taste of the DS3 on Monday. I am looking to pick up a few tips on setup and driving style from her,” Adrian added.
A total of 98 crews are on the entry list with drivers and co-drivers representing 19 different nationalities from 3 continents. Coppin will start from position 39 and will be part of a gaggle of four Citroen DS3 R3, including Taylor who will start from position 38.
The field will be led away by current ERC Championship leader Jan Kopecky in a SKODA Motorsport entered Skoda Fabia S2000 followed by Belgian Pieter Tsjoen, also in a Skoda Fabia S2000.
The entry list is an interesting mix of the cars currently competing in rallying in Europe including the new Fiesta R5, Renault Megane RS, Peugeot 208 R2s, Skoda S2000 and R3 Citroens to name just a few. The size of the field, diversity of makes and models and the strong spectator following indicate that European rallying is very healthy.
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