Canadian rally driver, “Crazy Leo” Urlichich will contest his maiden World Rally Championship event this weekend at Rally de Portugal.
Urlichich is one of the 12 drivers who compete this year in the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy, an all-new competition for 2014 that boasts a capacity line up of 24 drivers and co-drivers from 10 different countries aboard Ford Fiesta R2s.
A collaboration between WRC tyre supplier DMACK and Ford’s rally partner M-Sport, the series will take in five European rounds of the world championship and has been designed to provide an affordable option for upcoming drivers to experience rallying on the world stage.
The series, however, kick starts with one of the most technically demanding gravel rounds on the calendar.
The early spring conditions in Portugal are always demanding. In recent years, torrential rain has turned the roads to slippery mud tracks with cars struggling to just stay on the road.
"It has been a busy period since February when we were selected to drive in this series,” said the Russia-born Urlichich who used to drive an all-wheel drive Subaru Impreza WRX STI in the Canadian Rally Championship.
“Portugal will be my first FIA World Rally Championship rally and I had never competed in a front-wheel-drive car at the start of this year. We did a course at the Team O'Neil Rally School in the US and then a test and a rally in Spain. It will be really difficult to get the pace notes right and I also need to remember that I must get the experience of the WRC stages in order to become faster,” he said.
Urlichich is one of the 12 drivers who compete this year in the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy, an all-new competition for 2014 that boasts a capacity line up of 24 drivers and co-drivers from 10 different countries aboard Ford Fiesta R2s.
A collaboration between WRC tyre supplier DMACK and Ford’s rally partner M-Sport, the series will take in five European rounds of the world championship and has been designed to provide an affordable option for upcoming drivers to experience rallying on the world stage.
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| 'Crazy Leo' with his new Fiesta. (Photo: Facebook Crazy Leo) |
The series, however, kick starts with one of the most technically demanding gravel rounds on the calendar.
The early spring conditions in Portugal are always demanding. In recent years, torrential rain has turned the roads to slippery mud tracks with cars struggling to just stay on the road.
 |
| Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy, Class of 2014 (Photo: DMACK) |
"It has been a busy period since February when we were selected to drive in this series,” said the Russia-born Urlichich who used to drive an all-wheel drive Subaru Impreza WRX STI in the Canadian Rally Championship.
“Portugal will be my first FIA World Rally Championship rally and I had never competed in a front-wheel-drive car at the start of this year. We did a course at the Team O'Neil Rally School in the US and then a test and a rally in Spain. It will be really difficult to get the pace notes right and I also need to remember that I must get the experience of the WRC stages in order to become faster,” he said.