A little over four months since she helped the Saintéloc Junior Team win the European Rally Championship for Teams, Ekaterina Stratieva is returning to the French squad for an ERC3 campaign.
Winner of the ERC Ladies’ Trophy in 2019, Bulgarian Stratieva will start her season on the Azores Rallye at the wheel of a Peugeot 208 R2 but hopes to switch to the new-for-2020 208 Rally4, once the car becomes more readily available later in the year.
Stratieva hadn’t competed for almost a year when she landed a late entry to contest Barum Czech Rally Zlín last August. After finishing second in class to Nabila Tejpar, Stratieva secured the funds to contest the subsequent Cyprus Rally, where a category win set up an unexpected title challenge on Rally Hungary.
When Tejpar crashed out of the event in treacherous conditions, Stratieva kept going to not only clinch the ERC Ladies’ Trophy but take third in ERC3, a result that helped Saintéloc Junior Team win the ERC Teams’ title alongside Alexey Lukyanuk and Sean Johnston.
“To drive again with Saintéloc means more experience in a professional team knowing I can be relaxed in my mind because everything will be done properly,” said Stratieva. “It is a pleasure to be part of a big international team like Saintéloc."
"And after this long brеаk from racing that I had, Vincent [Ducher] and the team helped me to wake up fast. We had a very good car and good set-up in Hungary and for sure this helped me a lot to win the ERC Ladies’ Trophy and take the points for Saintéloc.”
Stratieva and co-driver Georgi Avramov will start their ERC3 bid in a Peugeot 208 R2 but hope to switch to the new-generation 208 Rally4 later in the year.
“My goal, together with Vincent, Saintéloc and Peugeot Sport, is to try the new Peugeot 208 Rally4 at the end of the year on some race in the ERC or maybe a rally in Bulgaria,” Stratieva said. “But for now, my focus is on the Azores and the first race of the season.”
Stratieva made her Azores Rallye debut in 2013 and returned in 2014. This year’s 55th edition of the Ponta Delgada event will mark a long-awaited return. “The Azores was my first big international gravel rally. The island is like magic, a really nice place and completely different than other rallies,” she said.
Saintéloc Racing Rally Manager, Vincent Ducher, is hoping to count on Stratieva’s ‘reliability’ as the Saint-Etienne squad bids to win back-to-back FIA European Rally Championship titles. “For sure Ekaterina helped us win the Teams’ title last year so it’s important to have reliable drivers. We have worked together to get more sponsorship for her and she will also be able to learn from her team-mates.”
Stratieva, who began competing in 2006, was given the keys to the city of Zlín when she made her 10th start on the Czech Republic’s ERC qualifier in 2018.
