Rally Bulgaria

The application of the country was accepted by the FIA despite the fact that Rally Bulgaria's candidate event in July 2009 ended in an accident which killed Italian co-driver Flavio Guglielmini[2] and seriously injured Swiss driver Brian Lavio.

The route, including some of the special stages, passes through the famous Borovets ski resort which was HQ from 2002 to 2012, meaning that it has also hosted the 2010 World Rally Championship season[3] event.

Initially only Bulgarian, year by year, the events acquired international status because of the participation of pilots firstly from the Balkan Peninsula countries (Romania, former Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey), then from the former Soviet Union countries (like Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, etc.

The first motorsport activity, which shows the interest of the Bulgarian women in the sport – the inaugural ladies' rally "8th of March" – was held in 1961.

The first Kart Race has been organised two years later – in 1963, while in the following 1964 the Renault Factory in Plovdiv (the second biggest town in Bulgaria) opened its doors having great positive influence in the Bulgarian Motorsport later on.

), while in 2002 it has also generally changed its location as well – from the glamorous and sunny Bulgarian coastline to the heart of the gorgeous Rila Mountain – some 500 km to the West – in the Borovets ski resort.

After all the positives, in 1979, FISA took back one of the fours stars, because of "weaknesses in the organisation", as the observers have written on the past rally report.

Four years later FISA awarded the Bulgarian rally again with the highest coefficient of difficulty, which by this time was already 20.

The most of it was rather located in the Balkan Mountains around towns of Sliven and Shoumen with their emblematic stages like "Stara Reka" (translated: "Old River"), "Bulgarka", "Tvarditsa-Elena", "Varbitsa", and many others...

The big change had to happen after the observers of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA – the new name of the international motorsport federation) recommended to avoid the long road sections which connected the seaside with the mountain stages – between 150 and 250 km in one direction.

Despite that, over the years, the rally "created" its new famous places like the so-called "Turkish Parking" and the road along the picturesque Belmeken Dam.

A bit earlier, in 2013, Rally Bulgaria changed its HQ one more time, but on that occasion it was just 10 km to the North-West of Borovets – in town of Samokov.

For the first time in 2003 it was introduced a short special stage on the streets of the HQ resort Borovets, which carried the same name.

The other new stages were "Sestrimo" and "Yundola", and also their reverse variants, which were with different length, called "Belmeken" and "Belovo" respectively.

The only different stuff in 2004 was the little change of the length of the special stages (just with some meters ar as much as a kilometer), but all this was insignificant.

The organizers were forced to put this stage on the place of another one – "Yundola" and its reversed variant "Belovo", which was closed by the authorities for repairs.

So, the "Velingrad" (and reversed "Varvara") stage were removed and the route of the rally went back to its already classical shape last used in 2005.

At least, there was a difference if we compare the 2007 itinerary with that one from 2005 – the renovated "Yundola" stage was shortened by 170m, while its reversed variant "Belovo" was lengthened by 160m.

Despite it was very well situated to the main Service Park (just about 4.5 km away), the test was too fast and with too long straits, which had nothing in common with the characteristics of the stages.

Another change in the rally, which was more formal and on paper than anything else, was introduction of three competitive Days again (the term Leg was removed).

After this new experience, the road joined with the well known last part of "Sestrimo" stage, which runs all along the Belmeken Dam till the finish.

Like the new "Sestrimo", "Tserovo" also had big changes – it was shortened a bit by its start, but was seriously reduced by its finish (with almost 9 km).

The main difference with the old "Tserovo" stage was its brand-new middle part, which passed through the village of Lyubnitsa, and which was exactly 8.95 kilometers long.

The others went back to the Service Park through the alternative road of "Sestrimo" stage, and when all of the crews gathered there, the rally was announced cancelled with a pro-term winner Giandomenico Basso (previously co-driven by late Flavio Guglielmini).

The organizers have solved this problem by adding some of the special stages around towns of Peshtera and Batak, last run 8 years ago, in 2002, which was the first time, when Borovets ski resort was the host of the rally.

The test stage will be situated between town of Momin Prohod and Gorna Vassilitsa village and will be 2.65 km long.

The second competitive Day of Rally Bulgaria 2010 is the longest of the three in both terms of special stages and liaison sections.

"Sestrimo" stage will finish just at the foot of Belmeken Dam's wall and will be run for the first time in such a variant.

If we exclude the final liaison section from the closing Service Park to the HQ, Day 3 would have between 50% and 60% of Special Stages.

The last break in the Service is scheduled to be after the second loop through the stages, while later the crews will head for the Ceremonial Finish of the rally in front of the HQ Hotel Rila in the heart of Borovets.