The second race of the PHOENIX CONTACT Czech Trophy ecorally series took place as the II. Futures Contproduct Classic Rally Morava and started on May 12 and 13, 2023 from Olomouc. Our team and MyBox chargers could not be missing.
Our crew, consisting of Jakub Titera and Vratislav Krejcir, started with enthusiasm and a firm belief in a good result. As beginners who had their first race in Cesky Krumlov, they had mixed feelings.
"We know we don't stand a chance competing with the elite in the Czech series, but we try to achieve the best possible placement. I think finishing in the middle of the starting field would be a success," said Jakub, who drove our competition vehicle VW ID.4 Pro as the pilot. The entire race covered 417 competitive kilometers, of which the second part was 269 km long. The second competition day was very demanding, running non-stop for 6 hours. Even the previous three-hour night stage was not easy, especially when you drive through the countryside and forests. The foxes were literally bidding us good night.
"It may seem like a regularity drive is a fun race, but the opposite is true. It is a demanding competitive discipline; some sections are very fast. You receive the itinerary 15 minutes before the race and you basically don't know where you're going beforehand. It's about quick orientation, calculating, anticipating, and monitoring many things. It is demanding for both the driver and the navigator. But the most important thing is mutual synergy," added co-pilot Vrata.
However, even the preparation for the race should not be taken lightly. When transcribing section data, we made a mistake that cost us 20,000 penalty points in the very first stage. This cost us the chance for a better result and placement. But we did not lose motivation and tried to finish as well as possible. Despite that, we finished 13th out of 18 competing crews. Simply put, next time again and better — we look forward to ecoRallye Bohemia in July.
Author
Filip Zapletal