My Rally Poreč Experience: Time Control & A Rally Dream

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driipam38.834 days agoHive.Blog4 min read

Hello rally fans :)!

Last weekend was Rally Poreč, and I had the amazing opportunity to work on Time Control – Service OUT. My job? Writing the crews’ departure times as they handed me their time cards! It might sound simple, but timing in rallying is no joke, being even a minute early or late can lead to penalties. No pressure… right…🥲?

We left for Poreč on Friday, although the official rally day was Saturday (Shakedown was on Friday but some people don’t calculate that as the first day, more like Day 0). There was a huge traffic accident in Zagreb that collapsed the traffic in town, so instead of leaving at 3 p.m., the club colleague picked me up around 6:30 p.m. The trip felt like it took forever, but we finally rolled into Poreč at 10 p.m sharp. We stayed in a cozy camping houses near the sea, and even though the accommodation wasn’t five stars, the view definitely was. I fell asleep around midnight and set my alarm for 5:20 a.m…. Just enough time to get rally ready ;).

Saturday was packed. My time control was the first Service OUT of the rally, starting at 7:40 a.m. I was honestly terrified because it was my first time doing this role. I didn’t want to mess up any calculations and accidentally penalize someone and then get scolded by everyone🥲. But as soon as I finished the first round, I was on the horse hehe confidence unlocked!!

Throughout the day, I had time gaps between the controls: 10:13 a.m. to 2:01 p.m. to 5:14 p.m and the final one to 8:15 pm. That gave me breaks, and luckily, our club president took us for lunch (amazing burek!?), coffee, and even a quick tour of Poreč! He’s the best😁!!

There were three refuels during the day, which made it a bit exhausting, but the rhythm of it all felt oddly satisfying id you know what I mean? I did end up having to mark two penalties for one crew that were late but nothing too major :). They were just unlucky.. A few crews retired and handed me their cards to restart under SuperRally rules, but most of them were kind, even if our conversations were short.

After the final control at 8:15 p.m., we headed to dinner. We reached the restaurant just before closing and somehow managed to stay even after they officially shut (we tipped them and spent good cash so I guess it’s ok😅?). Worth it though the burgers and pizza were incredible. If you’re ever in Poreč, I highly recommend the spot - “Pepper Pizza and Burger”. I went to bed that night tired but so fulfilled :)!!

Sunday started early again. One woman from our club took care of Parc Fermé OUT (it was also her first time) , and I handled the 8:47 a.m. Service OUT. There were fewer controls that day, so I had more time to chat with other marshals and even some crews☺️.

One crew was familiar, they were friends of @ssekulji and super friendly! After the rally, we bumped into them at Parc Fermé and got to chat more. I even bought them drinks (because why not?) and had one of the best moments of the weekend;

I got to be inside a Clio Rally4 car!?!? It was surreal. I can’t even describe it. That feeling sealed it for me; being a codriver is the dream. I looked at every single detail in that car and asked so many questions about it (when you get the opportunity you use it😆). Watching all the crews fly through the rally, I couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. I know anything is possible, but sometimes this specific dream feels just out of reach. Still, moments like this keep my dream alive :).

After the wonderful experience time flew and we somehow left Poreč at 7 p.m. and were back in Zagreb before 10 pm which felt like a small miracle😆. This rally was easily one of the best so far (okay, okay, after WRC Croatia Rally), and I can’t wait to keep learning and growing as a marshall and hopefully a rally codriver). Until the next Rally❤️🙏🏻!