With just 10 days to go before the 37th Barum Rally Zlín gets underway, former FIA European Rally Champion Renato Travaglia has confirmed that he will switch from his Mitsubishi Evo XI to the new Grande Punto Abarth S2000 for the Czech event which counts towards the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and FIA European Rally Championship (ERC).

IRC status means that an unusually number of high quality foreign drivers are being attracted to the rally. The number of the category Super 2000 cars is 15, the highest number for an event yet, and no less than 9 of these will be the Grande Punto Abarth S2000. There will be 13 drivers with the FIA B priority and in total 122 drivers from 13 European countries will take part.

The crews will be led out by the two factory Abarth drivers, Italian Andrea Navarra and Finn Anton Alén, son of a legendary Scandinavian driver. Navarra comes into the rally as the IRC points leader, but after his no-score showing in the last round of the series on the island of Madeira his lead has been whittled down to just one point over Peugeot driver Enrique Garcia Ojeda. Back up in his quest for points will be provided by Alén who arrives on the back of winning the IRC-counting Russia Rally last month, his first victory with the team, and in between, a storming run with the Grande Punto Abarth on the World Rally Championship Neste Oil Rally of Finland.

The ultra-quick Travaglia will start at #2 in his first outing at the wheel of the Grande Punto Abarth S2000, which is being managed by Mauro Nocentini's MRT concern. The 42-year-old former ERC champion in 2002 and 2005 is sure be a real dark horse of the event, and is certain to fancy his chances for victory. He will have regular co-driver Lorenzo Granai alongside in the car which is being run under the Island Motorsport banner, and he plans to undertake two days of private testing to get used to his new Super2000 mount before the rally gets underway. Travaglia's deal with MRT is for two events, to be reviewed by all parties after this programme is completed.

Another contender for victory will be former WRC star Freddy Loix who will have his second outing in the Grande Punto Abarth following his early leg one exit in Madeira on his debut. The Belgian, who has driven for Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Hyundai at WRC level previously, is planning to contest a selected programme of IRC events this year.

Abarth's main rival for IRC points will be the Peugeot Sport Espana team which has been successful this season, especially with French Nicolas Vouilloz, winner of the Fiat Rally. Spanish Enrique Garcia Ojeda (both driving Peugeot 207 S2000) has been impressive too and after four consecutive podium finishes has closed to within 1 point of Navarra in the drivers' standings.
 

In the IRC manufacturers chase meanwhile Abarth (63 points) lead Peugeot by just 1 point, having wrested the advantage off its French rival in Madeira. The Barum Rally Zlín also counts towards the ERC and a gaggle of Grande Punto Abarth S2000 drivers will line up to challenge for points in this series: Turk Volkan Isik (Fiat Motorsports Turkey), Pole Tomasz Czopik (Ace Racing), Italian Corrado Fontana (Grifone) and Pole Michal Solowow (Cersanit Rally Team). Further diversity will be provided by Czech driver Roman Odložilík who will be entering the Grande Punto Abarth he uses nationally. They will be up against Bulgarian Dimitar Iliev (Mitsubishi Evo IX), who is the leader of the European series.

Other big names include the Kronos Racing team which will bring a Peugeot 207 S2000 with Belgian driver Bernd Casier. Honda and the JAS Motorsport team will bring a Honda Civic Type R and the crew of Spanish Daniel Sola and Italian Luca Betti. Roman Kresta is going to defend his last year victory. He will drive a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX again and will be a part of the Tescoma Rally Team. Václav Pech will drive the same car and most Czech elite drivers will drive the production cars. The Czech drivers include Karel Trojan, Václav Arazim, Miroslav Cais, Vladimír Barvík, Vojtěch Štajf (both Subaru Impreza STi), Miroslav Jandík (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX), Roman Odložilík (Grande Punto Abarth S2000), Josef Peták (Renault Clio S1600), Jaromír Tarabus (Suzuki Swift S1600), Antonín Tlusťák (Citroën Saxo Kita Car) and others. It will be interesting to watch the fight between the Czech drivers and the foreign drivers with the category Super 2000 cars.

The shakedown will take place at the Komárov section which is a part of a special stage. The 30-kilometer-long section will take place on Thursday, August 23 in the evening. On Friday, August 24 in the morning the scrutineering will take place in front of the Big Cinema in Zlín, in the afternoon a ceremonial start will take place at the same spot. The Super SS will start at 9 p.m. and the first cars will have the highest numbers. The Super SS will take place for the third time and it is 9.36 km long and it will be a circuit. On Saturday and Sunday two legs will take place. The track leads along asphalt surface of various quality. The first leg includes Slušovice, Pindula, Halenkovice, Kudlovice special stages on Saturday and Zádveřice, Janišov and Troják special stages on Sunday. The first crew is expected in the finish on Sunday, August 26 before 4 p.m.