An all-Romanian crew will contest Rallye Monte-Carlo next month. Marco Tempestini, an Italian who competes with a Romanian licence, will be co-driven by Dorin Pulpea in a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge event, which celebrates its centenary in 2011.
Tempestini, a double winner of the East European Cup, will be making his Monte-Carlo debut with the Transilvania Motorsport Team. He said: “I hope there will be a lot of snow, but not too many of the black ice traps the Alps are famous for. I’m well aware this is one of the most difficult rallies in the world, so it will be a real challenge for our crew. At the same time, I know driving there will be an extraordinary sensation.”
Tempestini, who made his IRC debut on Rali Vinho Madeira in August, will follow in the footsteps of Romanian Petre Cristea, who won Rallye Monte-Carlo in 1936: “The Romanian flag was already honoured at Monte-Carlo in 1936. This is our first time at this rally, so our objective is to finish or at least make it to Col de Turini. Nothing more,” he said.
Co-driver Pulpea added: “The recce will be extremely important. Our experience will be helpful, but Rallye Monte-Carlo has its particularities, so we’ll have to be very careful when taking notes on the stages. The sooner we understand the particularities of this rally, the greater our chances of getting a good result.”