Croatian Rally Championship - the top car race in the country and the region

The Croatian Rally Championship unites our most famous rally races into a unique competitive form. According to the HAKS calendar for 2022, there are a total of seven races, which are run throughout the year. The individual races are attended by top drivers from the country and the surrounding area, who are fighting for the title with winning placements. The calendar also includes the prestigious INA Delta rally race, which now has a legendary status, and has launched some of our most famous names in the world of motoring. The championship also includes the rally in Velenje, which has grown into the most elite race in neighboring Slovenia. Given that this year we are also expecting the World Rally Championship, one of the most exciting years for Croatian rally and motorsport in general is coming.

Quattro River Rally - the latest addition to the flagship of the Croatian championship

This year, the Quattro River Rally is being held for the first time, which envisages the opening of the new season of the Croatian Rally Championship. Since the race will take place in March, from the 25th to the 27th of the month, it will also be a great warm-up for WRC Croatia 2022, which will take place in April. The organizer of this new race in the HAKS calendar is the Auto Club INA Delta from Zagreb, which in itself guarantees an automotive event on a very professional level. The name of this race is not suggestive for no reason - the venue is Karlovac County, but also the city of Karlovac, so it is to be expected that the race will be well attended. The end of the race will be very dynamic, with speed tests on Kupa, Dobra and Mrežnica. The initiator of this interesting event is Željko Magličić, the driver of AK INA Delta, who will also appear at the rally in the role of a competitor.

The new calendar shows the good continuity of the Croatian Rally Championship

While we can rightly have high expectations from the first Quattro River Rally, the most spectacular parts of this year’s domestic championship are yet to come. The World Championship quite logically has the status of a key event of the season, but the upcoming races in the calendar will certainly offer an equally quality sports experience. The first among them is the 29th Opatija Rally, which will take place in early May. This race can boast of a forty-year tradition, and by holding various cups and participating in the Slovenian championship, it becomes a renowned car event that attracts a large number of drivers and fans from the country and abroad. Soon after, the Velenje rally will follow, and in mid-June we will have the opportunity to enjoy the 48th INA Delta, which is traditionally held in Zagreb.

Zagreb Open - INA Delta Rally has a cult status for European motorsport

Given the biography of this well-known race, it is to be expected that it will be crucial for positioning at the Croatian Rally Championship. It built its status as a prestigious automotive event on the European map back in the former Yugoslavia, and experienced its biggest breakthrough in the mid-1990s, when it received the status of a European Rally Championship race. Despite the separation from the Croatia Rally 2010, INA Delta is today part of the FIA European Rally Trophy, the Croatian International Zone Championship, the Croatian Championship and the Zagreb Open Championship. Since 2011, the venue is again Zagreb - the race ceremoniously begins at the Zagreb Fair, and includes locations from Jaska to Sljeme.

The Kumrovec Rally has become the new capital of car racing in Croatia

Although this is not a new race, as is the case with the Quattro River Rally, the Kumrovec Rally is a relatively young phenomenon on the domestic rally scene. After ten years of holding, this has become a respectable automotive event, which attracts a large number of viewers and is broadcast entirely on KreatorTV. Apart from the fact that this rally is an independent event on the official calendar of HAKS, for the second year in a row, Kumrovec has been included as one of the locations for special stages at the World Championships. The race takes place at the beginning of September, and our car aces Niko Pulić and Juraj Šebalj took part in last year's jubilee edition.

The end of the season for 2022 is rounded off by INA Poreč rally and Grobnik rally day

In the fall, the Croatian rally will head west. The first event that awaits us according to the schedule at that time is the INA Poreč rally in its 23rd edition. It is a challenging competition characterized by favorable weather conditions and dry but relatively narrow roads of western Istria with lots of gravel and stones. Last year's competition ended with the victory of the Slovenian crew Turk-Ošlaj in a Hyunday i20, for which this was the fifth victory in a row. An additional curiosity in this year's calendar is another new concept called Grobnik rally day, which was announced for mid-November. In any case, a very dynamic and interesting year awaits us for the Croatian Rally Championship, which will once again confirm Croatia as a place of top motorsport on a European and world scale.