Home FEATURED NEWS The WRC Croatia Rally spectacle marking the region’s first live mega event

The WRC Croatia Rally spectacle marking the region’s first live mega event

Over 350.000 spectators relished The WRC Croatia Rally

Apr 25, 2022

For the second consecutive year, Zagreb and its surrounding thrilling roads hosted the best and fastest rally drivers in the world. The unforgettable spectacle heralded the first Croatian mega-event, which took place in the country without restrictions and in person after the corona crisis. According to the organisers, more than 350.000 rally enthusiasts followed Croatia Rally.

For those who aren’t petrol-head enthusiasts or fans of automotive racing: WRC (World Rally Championship) is the most popular automotive competition worldwide, alongside F1 (Formula 1). Over 250 television stations regularly broadcast it, while 830 million people watch it worldwide.

During the event, booking a hotel room in Zagreb was nearly impossible as the event gathered numerous lovers of petrol fumes. The majority came from Central Europe, accompanied by fans from Estonia and Finland.

“Croatia Rally helps foster the development of Croatian motorsport and contributes to promoting Croatia throughout the world.”

The nerve-racking race was a true challenge for the Croatian organisers, who excelled at their task. Just a glance at the service zone in Croatia’s capital proved that. Zagreb Fair became home to a racing town of its own. The equipment, vehicles and everything needed for the race were transported with 250 trucks, and over 300 people contributed to setting up the service zone. The organisers stated that they placed 7 kilometres of fence around the area and 6 kilometres of cables. Moreover, the energy consumption amounted to a whopping 1,2 MWh.

Further telling of the event’s magnitude is its numbers: 136 Slovenian judges and officials participated in the race alongside numerous others from Croatia and Austria. At the moment, the event’s multiplicative effects have not been calculated. It goes without saying that the event has benefited tourism in Zagreb and its surroundings, not to mention the marketing aspect.

“Croatia proved to be a reliable sports organiser. Incorporating Croatia into the calendar of world rally races, bringing the world championship and organising the race at such a level is a great success for our country. The race itself is a Croatian product, as it is organised almost entirely by Croatian staff, which fills us with pride. Croatia Rally helps foster the development of Croatian motorsport and contributes to promoting Croatia throughout the world,” said Davorin Štetner, President of the Croatian Automobile & Karting Federation.

A weekend reserved for adrenaline and high-octane

Kalle Rovanperä pulled off an amazing comeback on the final Wolf Power Stage of the Croatia Rally to snatch victory from Ott Tänak by just 4.3s, at the climax of an amazing final leg during which Finn’s hopes had appeared to slip away.

Thierry Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe delivered a 2-3 result for Hyundai but almost lost it with a dramatic nose-dive into a ditch on the Wolf Power Stage. The pair had overcome M-Sport Ford’s Craig Breen and Paul Nagle earlier on the final leg. Starting the day 4.9s down in fourth, Neuville seemingly grabbed the podium position on the second test of the morning with a committed stage-winning performance and widened the gap on the wet penultimate stage to 1m42.4s. It was just as well he did. The Hyundai i20 N Rally1 bounced out of the ditch and Neuville was able to nurse the car to the finish despite two punctures, to keep Breen off the podium by 46.3s.