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by Alexandru Dobai (Author)
If we were to try a summary of the 2023 season of the European Rally Championship, the first thing to mention would be that - for the first time in the history of the competition - a non-European driver managed to clinch the championship title. It took 71 years for the history of the oldest continental rally championship to record such a milestone. But at the same time, it is important to emphasize the fact that over eight rounds, we had no less than seven winners! And no fewer than 14 drivers managed to step onto the podium!
2023 was a season of paradoxes. Champion Hayden Paddon began his European journey with a victory in Portugal. This success would be the only one for the New Zealander. However, it was enough to place him in the leader's seat, which he did not leave until the end of the season. And if you wonder how this was possible, I will remind you that the victory was followed by four second places in Spain, Poland, Latvia, and Sweden, as well as a third place in Italy. Interestingly, the destiny of the title was sealed in the Czech Republic, in the only rally the new European champion failed to finish! And if some still doubt Hayden Paddon's achievements, I am confident that these doubts will be dispelled if we take a mathematical look at his performance. Seven starts, one victory, and five other podiums. In five of the seven rallies contested, Hayden Paddon claimed victory in the special stages, and, last but not least, he led the overall standings at some point in four of the seven rallies.
If all these stories have failed to pique your interest in the events of the 2023 season, I must tell you that the tale with just one victory was not unique. In the Junior ERC championship, Norbert Maior clinched the title in a somewhat similar fashion to Hayden Paddon. However, the Romanian had to wait until the last round for this achievement. And paradoxes came once again to spice up a more than interesting story. Throughout the six rounds, five drivers managed to put their names on the winners' list, while the number of those who stepped onto the podium rose to nine. Norbert Maior began his season with a second-place finish in Poland, followed by three third places in Latvia, Sweden, and Italy. Then came the weakest result, the fourth place in the Czech Republic. Did I say the weakest? Yes, but it was this result that brought him to the top of the championship for the first time! What followed is history, with the first and only victory obtained in Hungary confirming the championship win. And another significant detail: the last round was also the only one where the new champion led in a round of the Junior ERC championship!
Without forgetting the history, the first chapter reviews the champions and the stories surrounding them, while the conclusion introduces the ten champions of the junior competition. With 276 pages, 250 images, and numerous stories waiting to be discovered.
