Q&A with Ekaterina Stratieva

The IRC’s fast female on her new car design and plans for the rest of the season.

You’ve recently changed the artwork on your rally car - what is the story behind the design and tell us briefly about your own design career?

“I graduated in art and at the end of my studies I started to race so I could not practice this, because rallies are full-time job for me. So I found another way to express myself: I draw on the road with the tyres and I change the design of the car every year. The history of this design started from my first race with my new co-driver, Carmen [Poenaru], when we received the nicknames The Blonde and The Curly, which we try to promote as a brand because we have no sponsors. The cartoon expresses our character, we are the pirates of the road, we ‘steal’ prizes from the guys, we are strong and determined, but we are still women.”

What made you become a rally driver?

“I had this dream since I was a child from when I was going to see the stages with my parents. I also tried hillclimb and circuit racing, but I truly believe that rally is the most complex discipline in motorsport.”

What is your IRC schedule for the remainder of the year and what is your objective?

“We go to Sibiu and Sliven and I would really like to participate in Zlín and Yalta. Also Sanremo is an option, because I love narrow Tarmac. I want to learn step by step, to be better with our English pacenotes and to be faster and we really hope to find some partners that could help us to achieve good results and a full programme in IRC next year.”