Taking place from April 19-20, Historic Vltava Rallye provides an exciting challenge – including several route changes – in a championship where the stars are also the cars.

Based in the town of Janovice nad Úhlavou, 10 kilometres from Klatovy in western Czech Republic, Historic Vltava Rallye has attracted a 33-car FIA EHRC entry to underline the championship’s growing popularity.

It’s headed by Tibor Érdi Jr, the winner in Czech Republic last season and the 2023 FIA EHRC Category 4 runner-up, and also includes Angelo Lombardo, who was the leading FIA EHRC finisher on last month’s Rally Costa Brava.

While the crews will be braced for the challenge of the Czech stages, which are characterised by their changing grip levels and inconsistent sealed surfaces, they will also face the possibility of competing in wintry conditions with snow forecast on Saturday.

Despite the potential for slippery conditions, there will be no shortage of enthusiasm from the competitors representing 14 countries in glorious rally cars from yesteryear. Click HERE to view the entry list.

FIA EHRC 2024: how it works?
The FIA EHRC is for historic rally cars built prior to 1969 and homologated up to 1990. It’s divided into four categories (1-4) based on year of manufacturer with sub-divisions in Categories 2-4 to allow for different levels of car performance. Further details on the categories are available HERE.

Competitors count their best six scores from nine rounds held on asphalt and gravel between March and November. Events typically run for one and a half days following reconnaissance with approximately 150 timed kilometres on offer.

The overall title is contested by all drivers and co-drivers regardless of their category with all rounds counting. The FIA Historic 1600cc Trophy is for cars up to 1600cc from Categories 1-4 with the six best scores counting. The rise in the number of front-wheel-drive cars competing has been recognised with the FIA European Historic FWD Trophy with crews also counting their best six scores.

In addition, the FIA EHRC Teams’ Trophy, which has attracted more than 25 entries for the 2024 season, features a new bonus points system with 10 additional points on offer on the Historic Rally of Asturias and the Historic Acropolis Rally.

Three new titles are up for grabs in the FIA EHRC this season. An overall FIA European Historic Rally Championship crown is being awarded for the first time, while the FIA European Historic 1600cc Trophy and FIA European Historic FWD Trophy titles have also been introduced for 2024.

Although the creation of the all-new titles is partly in response to competitor feedback, their introduction is in line with the FIA’s desire to raise the profile – and spectacle – of the FIA EHRC, while also providing an accessible point of entry to international-level historic rallying.

Who’s in it to win it?

James Potter (Ford Escort Twin Cam) and Antonio Parisi (Porsche 911 S) will battle for Category 1 honours for the second consecutive event with Oldřich Kovařík Sr at the wheel of a Škoda Octavia Super.

The Category 2 contingent features last year’s champion Valter Jensen, Rally Costa Brava winner Angelo Lombardo, and Stanislav Budil (BMW 2002 Ti), one of several Czech drivers competing.

Audi Quattro driver ‘Zippo’ is the highest-seeded Category 3 runner with Jesus Ferreiro (Ford Escort RS 1800), Michael Putz (Porsche 911 SC), Philippe Mermet (Renault 5 Turbo) and Siegfied Mayr (Volvo 244), a coach driver by profession, also in action. Circuit racer Manuel Lasagni in second Scuderia Palladio Historic-entered Quattro is another Category 3 competitor, as is FIA EHRC newcomer Benedikt Weber, a children’s television presenter in his native Germany.

In addition to Tibor Érdi Jr in an extensively rebuilt Ford Sapphire RS Cosworth, Ville Silvasti (Lancia Rally 037), Vojtěch Štajf (Toyota Celica GT Four ST165), BMW M3 pair Donagh Kelly and Ernie Graham, plus Antonio Sainz (Subaru Legacy 2.0 Turbo 4WD) are among the Category 4 contenders.

Oldřich Kovařík Jr is ranked as a favourite for 1600cc and FWD class honours in his 1300c Group A Škoda Favorit. Dorin Alexandrescu (Volkswagen Golf), Piotr Gadomski (Toyota Corolla AE82) and János Dunavölgyi (Lada Samara Group A) bring even more variety to the FIA EHRC.

Historic Vltava Rallye in short

Featuring two legs of three double-use stages for a competitive distance of 145.06 kilometres, Historic Vltava Rally begins with the 13.13-kilometre Petrovičky -Třebíšov test from 16:20 local time on Friday. It’s the precursor to an evening of spectacular action with the day’s deciding stage – Skelná Huť - Svatá Kateřina – not due to get under way until 22:05. With Saturday’s opening stage set for 08:45, there’s little respite ahead of a timed route of 82.40 kilometres to negotiate.

Public road construction work means the famous Činovsky okruh stage won’t be run in 2024. Other route changes include the Petrovická test being reprofiled to resemble a circuit-style stage. The Chudenínská moves from Saturday to Friday, while Keply incorporates a handful of new sections. Klatovy’s town square hosts the start and finish of the 12-stage event.