RallyFish are delighted to continue their support for Christiana Oprea & Alexia Parteni's 2024 ERC campaign
Romania’s only female driver who has competed in both the European and World Rally Championships is starting her season with big plans. Cristiana Oprea, accompanied by co-driver Alexia Parteni, aims to participate in as many events as possible out of the eight scheduled in the FIA ERC European Rally Championship 2024, an ambitious goal made possible with the continuous support of UniCredit Leasing and Vitesco Technologies.
The action kicks off this weekend with Rally Hungary, taking place on April 12-14 on gravel special stages in the Veszprem region.
The duo counts on the experience gained in their two hybrid international seasons, 2022 and 2023, during which they solidified their partnership and competed in European competitions, notably in the worlds only electric rally championship, the Opel Electric Rally Cup, as well as in several FIA ERC rounds.
"It took several years to build my career to this point, with a lot of hard work, patience, resilience, and passion. Its a dream come true to start the European Championship with the first round, and getting closer to a consistent European campaign. Im delighted to continue working with Alexia, who shares my ambition and desire for self-improvement. At this moment, I can say that we aim to compete in between four and six rallies, mostly on tarmac, because thats where we currently have the most experience, stated Cristiana Oprea.
Rally Hungary marks a first for Cristiana and Alexia, as it is their first gravel rally together. Cristiana's experience on gravel is limited to the seasons spent driving the Dacia Sandero in the Dacia Cup stages in 2017 and 2018, followed by a single appearance at the 2021 Rally Moldova, driving a Peugeot 208 R2.
Therefore, the main objective for this weekend is to readapt to the slippery surface in the context of a new-generation car, an Opel Corsa Rally4 prepared by the Austrian team Waldherr Motorsport. The Romanian duo will compete against 19 other competitors for points in the ERC4 classification, dedicated to front-wheel-drive cars in the European Championship.
Cristiana is excited to get back behind the rally car wheel: "I have a clear goal: progress in an extremely competitive championship. I am confident that returning to gravel will help me gain more confidence in the car. I aim to enjoy everything I have achieved so far because the joy of competition is as important for a good result as consistent seat time. Participation depends on the budget, so Im doing everything I can to attract new sponsors and partners to this unique project, and to have the chance to dedicate myself exclusively to training and specific preparation between rallies"
Almost 200 kilometers will be covered in stage mode at the Hungarian round, a competition for which Cristiana has trained on a simulator, in addition to the usual routine of physical and mental preparation specific to race drivers.
Driver Cristiana Oprea and co-driver Alexia Parteni form one of the two female crews at the start of the European Rally Championship, a small percentage from a list of over 50 entries. Cristiana is a strong advocate for female representation in gender-disparate fields, being the founder of the Romanian Women in Motorsport platform.
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