Registration FIA ERC 2018 campaign has started: where can we meet the Uralian crew?
The series organizers substantially reduced the cost of the “entrance ticket” to the world of the European rally and revised the scoring categories. In the ERC-2 standings, where the crew of Sergei Remennik and Mark Rozin is planning to continue its performance, the entry fee for participation in the 2018 series decreased by 50% compared to 2017.
There is another innovation: with the beginning of 2018, the participant must decide and register in the chosen scoring category in advance. Then he will be able to get points in the series; and those who plan one-time performances, from race to race, will have to give up from the championship points, as well as from the chance to get the title by the racing season results.
Sergei Remennik makes a detailed comment to a question where the fans will be able to meet the Russian crew, “Last year was very difficult in terms of time expenditures – the series rounds took eight weeks, and it was hard for the main job and for our families. And we must not forget that time is also spent to additional training and tests, when you leave for the whole weekend. It’s great that the organizers have changed the standings formula. Now we can say for sure that we will not participate in all the races in a row, as it was in 2017. The 2018 season calendar repeats the previous one by 90%. We will choose the races we like the most, where we can get the best results.
I think, we will most likely take part in the first three races of the season – Azores, Canary Islands, Greece, and the “home” race for us in Latvia. Of course, since the four best results count towards the standings, we need to have a couple of races in reserve. The exact answer, where else we will go, will depend on the main job, budgets and how we will start the season. Last year we started quite well – we saw that we were quite competitive and fast in the category. If there is an opportunity to compete for the title, it will be seen after the first half of the season. Then it will be already clear whether it is worth to “push hard” or not”.
Russian Performance Motorsport Team wasting no time waiting for the season to start. During the New Year holidays, Sergei Remennik with Alexey Lukyanuk as a coach had a training session in Rovaniemi at the “Snow Rally Rings”. Two days were devoted to training with the rear drive, then a sports team with racing equipment came, and a couple of days passed behind the wheel of the usual sports cars.
Sergei Remennik, “It was a very productive training – there was a lake, and some complex special stages with a changing terrain. For four days we drove more than 600 kilometers, used a bunch of wheels, burned more than half a ton of fuel for each car. And we hope to drive the winter race in the Baltics, so as not to sit around doing nothing”.
The chosen traditional winter rally “Sarma 2018” will be held on 10 February in the Gulbene region – it is the second round of the Latvian and Estonian championships. Detailed information about the rally and on-line timing are available at www.lrc.lv
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