Milan Simonovic from the village of Djurakovac near Osojane took third place in the autoslalom competition this Sunday near Pristina – all while driving his blue Yugo.
The Kosovo Championship in the autoslalom discipline was held on Sunday in Slatina near Pristina, on an old airport runway.
The exciting competition, in which participants avoid cones and other obstacles on a 900-meter-long track, was held in several categories based on vehicle class.
Milan Simonovic participated in class number five, which includes daily drivers from 1,400 to 1,600 cubic meters.
Milan, a senior at the Faculty of Economy in North Mitrovica, won third place while driving his blue Yugo. He finished the race, i.e. both laps, in two minutes and seven seconds.
In a statement for KoSSev, Milan reveals that he learned about the competition by accident from a friend, after which he decided to apply.
Although a car enthusiast since he was a child, who often visits various competitions of this type throughout Serbia, this last weekend marked the first time Simonovic took part in such an event.
He came to the former airport runway in his blue 1987 Yugo with a 1.4 Fiat engine. Milan bought the car, which was in very bad condition, together with his brother and father. It took a lot of effort and repairs to make the car available for everyday use – but apparently car racing as well.
„We got it for 150 euros at a junkyard. My brother and I fixed it little by little,“ Simonovic said.
Yugo holds special importance for this young man from Djurakovac. It was actually the very first car he drove.
„My love for cars was born when I was in the sixth grade. My grandfather bought a Yugo for me at that time,“ he told KoSSev.
Milan says that he would like to try participating in other competitions in the future.
But I would need a better vehicle for that, he adds.
Milan has actually been repairing another Yugo with his brother for years.
„That’s our project. In the past seven years, we have invested around 4,000 euros. But nothing is finished yet, the parts are in a pile, we have yet to start putting it all together,“ said Simonovic, stating that he wishes to continue competing in this exciting sport.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
