As I pass through the rather inconspicuous metal gate, my knees knock. After all, it's not every day that you get to talk to a national champion in some industry, let alone a double champion. And this is about rallying , which is my favorite motor sport and I really appreciate the pilots from this area. However, the friendly atmosphere quickly relieves my nervousness. It was not a classic interview, but rather a pleasant conversation of a person really passionate about motorsport, which I will now try to summarize for you.
And who are we talking about? This is the Sportgarage team, which was established in 2007 and specializes in both sports and civilian modifications and repairs of BMW and Japanese cars . And also for the crew of the Subaru Legacy RS racing car, which consists of pilot Jiří Kalista and navigator Michal Šofr , incidentally the son of racer Pavel Šofr . Both were not very satisfied in their jobs, so they came to an agreement and founded a joint company, which at the time specialized in modifying BMW cars, including sports models from the M division . It is not surprising, Jiří Kalista started in races uphill and on circuits and started at that time in the open cup with a BMW 325i of the E30 generation. His most popular competition is the Český Krumlov Rally , especially the Na Jánu horizon, and he considers the victory at the Radouň Rally 2011 , when he drove to the maximum and fought for tenths, to be his most valuable result. He considers drivers who knew how to use their head perfectly when driving to be his role models, specifically naming Ladislav Křeček and Carlos Sainz . And of all the cars, his favorite was the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VIII MR RS .
He was always drawn to the rally , which he had been going around as a spectator since childhood. He was into cars from a young age, and rallying had the advantage that racing specials are very similar to civilian cars. In addition, it drives on normal roads and on all surfaces . It doesn't matter if it's hot or snowing, if you drive on asphalt or gravel, all teams have to give their best, whether it's a factory team or a group of friends with an old car. In short, rally is the queen of motor sports . Thanks to her, he also got to places where he probably wouldn't have gone otherwise.
For 2009, the promotion to the Rallye Cup took place with the new Mitsubishi Lancer EVO V car. Although the transition to completely new technology was challenging, and not only financially. But BMW was no longer enough to compete with the Japanese, and the pilot was more comfortable with turbocharged engines. As he himself says, a turbocharged engine can build more than a racing naturally aspirated engine. More modern Japanese cars also have better four-wheel drive . And of course, if the crew doesn't want to stagnate, they have to move on to more demanding competitions. In 2009, the Lancer EVO V appeared on the tracks for the first time in the factory livery from the 1998 season with the Kalista/Šofr crew and the spectators could start to enjoy the attractive riding style.
Even then, however, Sportgarage's typical precision showed itself. The preparation of the car and the functioning of the entire team must be 100 percent. The car must be perfectly functional and ready. Even if it is a small thing, one loose connector, one loose screw, you will immediately start losing hundreds to the competition, in the worst case, it can even be a threat to health and life. So it is impossible for any mechanic to neglect something. Fortunately, the races attract people fully involved in motorsport, who breathe for the team and are consumed by the desire to help the team as much as possible. If you ever become a mechanic for a team, you won't spend your evenings watching TV or having a fire. After the evenings between competitions, you will be in the workshop until night, preparing and checking every little thing on the race car. And during the races, you will work as hard as possible in the gallows deadlines in the service area in any weather, so that the rider achieves the best possible result. Because even Loeb cannot capitalize on talent and experience without a quality team. And the driver, co-driver and team manager must be as well prepared as possible. Without the total commitment of all members, the team can never achieve success.
When the team arrives at the workshops after the competition, the entire background for the competition is being unpacked. The whole car is also cleaned very thoroughly, much better than when most of us luxuriate in our car at home. A clean, beautiful car is the calling card of every team, and imagine how you attract sponsors to a neglected, albeit fast, technique. In addition, during the thorough cleaning, the first check of the condition of the car is also carried out. This is followed by a time and kilometer check. Parts on racing specials have a limited lifespan and therefore need to be changed regularly. When the whole car is completely ready, it can be packed again and set off for the next competition. At the Sportgarage team, in addition to the crew, three mechanics, a manager and one lady regularly go to competitions. Maybe the low number of people will surprise you, but if they are coordinated and everyone works perfectly on their tasks, then the whole team works as it should. The main chirp starts when the car arrives at the designated location in the service area within the specified time. Only then can he drive the car to his service center, when the mechanics have to pounce on it and inspect and repair the entire car in a predetermined time (15, 30 or 45 minutes).
In rallying, the situation is changing and the days of partisan competitions are over. Situations when the team needed a spare part and it was provided by a spectator somewhere on the track between crossings cannot be repeated. It is also changing with the attitude of people who wrongly consider racers today to be rich people who do something that an ordinary person cannot. But they no longer see the benefits of motorsport , for example the boom in tourism and the influx of people to the regions. And everyone needs somewhere to stay, somewhere to eat and everyone wants to buy a souvenir. 300,000 people will gather at the Zlín bus station, some of whom are willing to hold the best possible seat all day for a few minutes of looking at their favorite. Also, no fights, although everyone is rooting for someone else. The rally doesn't have to be accompanied by police cars full of heavy-duty men like other sports. And the Czech media unfortunately help the unfavorable situation. When a high-quality competition with a large starting field takes place, you almost never have a chance to find out. This is only if there is an accident, but the possible fault of the injured parties will no longer be reported in the news. At the same time, our competitions are extremely well secured in terms of organization and security. Better than in neighboring Germany and much better than, for example, in Italy. But if people don't have enough common sense where there is a safe place, society is headed for destruction. If we need notifications for everything, people will become completely incompetent sheep.
We have already had a taste of the career of the Kalista/Šofr crew. After two years behind the wheel of the fifth evolution, they switched to the EVO VI , which was again in factory colors, this time according to the year 2000. With this, they combined their career for 3 seasons, but also tried the Opel Kadett C Coupé , Subaru Impreza STI or Lancer of the ninth evolution. Already during this period, however, the decision was made that they wanted to move onto the tracks of large two-day competitions . The choice fell on the Championship of Historic Vehicles and they started to choose the right car. The BMW M3 did not have all-wheel drive, so the choice was left with the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4 and the Subaru Legacy RS . Subaru appeared to be a better choice in every way, but there was a problem with getting it. To be homologated as a historic vehicle, the car must be up to 1990. But this old Legacy was never sold with a left-hand drive. So, after finding a suitable car for the base, a demanding conversion had to take place. In other words, there aren't many sports versions of the RS in the world anymore, and spare parts are hard to come by. For example, when buying a bumper, the last two pieces were available. The construction of the car started from scratch, many parts were unobtainable or very expensive, the team practically ran out of money, and even at home the family had to show a great deal of understanding. In order to keep the price of parts at an affordable level, the car cannot be operated completely according to the Class A specification. A number of parts remained identical to the serial version. Finally, the Legacy was dressed in blue metallic with yellow decals, reminiscent of the 1993 Rally New Zealand winning car. Compared to the EVO VI , the Legacy is much larger and more stable. But the EVO is a racing special with more power, while the Legacy has yet to learn how to race. And then the 2013 season began, when the crew stood for the first time at the start of the MČR HA rally. The fact that they were standing with their car parked on the starting ramp was already a victory for them, but the successes were yet to come. When a person wants to win at all costs, fights with himself, fights with bad weather and stress, loses weight and then stands at the finish line on the highest step, it is the sweetest reward. Especially when it's with a car you built yourself and use yourself. And it is also the best motivation, so it is not surprising that this crew did not find a winner in the championship in the two following seasons. But it's not just the crew, but also the entire team of mechanics who prepares the car, the manager who takes care of the finances, the sponsors and last but not least the family, who must be extremely understanding. Jíří Kalista is grateful to all of them and knows that it would not have been possible without their help and support.
But now it's time to move on, because after such results, you simply don't care about the placement in the class. In addition, the Legacy is not considered either as a contemporary special, although it is able to fight for the highest ranks in the absolute ranking, or as a historical car, where it completely dominates the competition. And even so, the goal of raising awareness of historic cars and getting them on TV was met. It's just a pity that other turbocharged four-wheelers have not yet appeared at the start in the Czech Republic . The plan for next year is to go with the Legacy bound by the even stricter regulations of the normal championship and take on the contemporary cars . This means, for example, that a car that once had no restrictor in the World Championship will now have to have a 34mm one. If you're laughing at them, stop. They had a lot of great plans, but whether it is possible to implement them is best told by a lot of cups , which are only for the first places . So let's wish them that the plan succeeds and that they achieve their next goal and that they continue to reach their destination without accidents.
And if you also want to try racing, the two-time champions of the republic only recommend it. Testing the car on a safe track and learning how to react correctly in crisis situations is priceless in normal traffic. And real racers don't even need to prove anything on the roads. And if you're not interested in racing, at least find a goal and devote yourself to it, because there's nothing worse than a person without interests who doesn't know what to do with themselves…
