“Not just a rally, but a way of life.” This is the motto of one of the most exciting and attractive events on our Black Sea coast – “Premium Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas”. It is held for the seventh consecutive time, and its trademark is the strong adrenaline, high speeds, luxury and adventurous spirit.

Since 2013, the top rally has been a real experience, combining the parade of powerful and attractive cars along interesting destinations with the exploration of the nightlife in the best clubs along the route. The grand finale is traditionally celebrated with a Grand Finale Party at the iconic Planet Yacht Club.

Premium Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas: more than a car race

Premium Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas is a Bulgaria-exclusive event with a format similar to other major car events such as the Gumball 3000 in the UK and the Goldrush Rally in the USA. It takes place every year in June.

The participants are well-known personalities from the show business and business circles, entrepreneurship, construction, architecture, information technology, etc. What unites them is their passion for adrenaline, high-speed rides, remarkable experiences and petrol in the blood.

Traditionally, the event, together with the Ministry of Interior and the Traffic Police Department, supports the cause of “Tolerance on the Road”, appealing for sensible driving. In addition, a charity fundraiser is organised every year.

Professionally selected routes

The route of the Premium Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas is prepared by licensed and professional car competitors and judges. In the beginning it went only through the country – from Sofia to Sveti Vlas, but since 2 years the rally now goes beyond the borders of Bulgaria.

In 2018, the route covers three countries – Bulgaria, Macedonia and Greece, passing through the famous Serres track. In 2019, the route is 1000 km long, starting from Sofia, through Bucharest and Varna and finishing in Sveti Vlas.

Premium Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas is a much awaited event, not only by those willing to participate in it, but also by all fans of fast cars. That’s why the organizers rely on super doses of adrenaline and strong emotions. In recent years, they have also added new tests for the participants to reveal the capabilities of their cars. These include drag racing, time-attack, precision driving and hidden locations to achieve the best time or best average speed.

The new “jewels” in sports motoring

Dozens of supercars fill the tracks of the Premium Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas every year and manage to delight the numerous fans who flock to the final in Sveti Vlas. Traditionally, tourists and amateurs fill the Marina Dinevi marina, where they can see the new “jewels” in sports motoring up close.

The first Audi R8 Performace in Bulgaria is presented in the 2019 race. The pilot car, traditional for every rally, is provided by Auto Bavaria, the largest official dealer of the BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad brands – a BMW M5 with unique optical tuning.

Along with them, beauty, strength and power are displayed by cars such as Ferrari 488 GTB, AMG GT R, Nissan GT-R Black Edition, Porsche 991.2 Turbo S, Lexus LC500, Aston Martin DB11, Maserati Quattroporte, BMW M2, BMW M850i, AUDI RS7, Lamborghini Gallardo and many more.

In the ranks of the best, a place in 2018 also has the Bulgarian supercar Sin R1 – a track machine, whose main distinctive feature is that it can be driven in the city.

Some of the supercars of the Premium Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas in 2018 are:

• Ferrari 488
• AUDI R8 Plus Spyder
• AMG GT R and Aston Martin DB11
• Polaris Slingshot
• Lamborghini Aventador Spyder
• Alfa Romeo 4C
• AUDI RS6 MTM, AUDI S7, AUDI R8 Plus
• AMG GT C
• Mercedes-Benz C63 S
• Porsche Turbo S
• Nissan GT-R Black Edition
• Bentley Continental GT S
• Mustang 5.0
• Maserati Quattroporte
• Porsche Panamera Turbo S Hybrid
• Ford Fiesta WRC Proto

The mascots on wheels

Since 2015 Premium Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas also has car mascots for the race itself. The first mascot is the exclusive for Bulgaria at that time Mercedes – Benz – AMG GT. In 2016 its place was taken by Ferrari 488 GTB.

In 2017, due to the 5th anniversary of the project’s launch, there are two mascots – the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S and the Mercedes-Benz G-Class 4×4. The mascots of Premium Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas 2018 are AUDI R8 Plus Spyder, Aston Martin DB11 and Mercedes-Benz AMG GT C.

In the last race this year the mascots are the fastest and most powerful modification of the Porsche 911 Turbo, namely the Porsche 911 Turbo S and the first Audi R8 Performance in Bulgaria.

Both cars are extremely powerful. The Turbo S accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 10.8 seconds, reaching a top speed of 314 km/h. The Audi R8 Performance, on the other hand, is slightly faster, with a top speed of 331 km/h (331 mph) and acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) of 3.1 seconds.

Projects

In addition to the already traditional rally, Premium Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas organizes and holds other similar events throughout the year.

Such is the Racetrack Experience, which is coming up from 18 to 20 October. The event will take place for the third consecutive year at the Serres track and is the result of the successful collaboration between Premium Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas and Speedsector.com.

It features 50 high-end and limited-edition sports and super cars from different countries, making it an impressive finale to close the supercar season.

All participants will have the opportunity for unlimited laps of the Ceres circuit, technical support and tyre changes for the cars. Professional instructors will also be on hand to help them improve their skills on track, the organisers said.

For the first time this year Rally Sofia – Sveti Vlas launched another project – Discover Bulgaria. It aims to reveal the beauty and majestic nature of Bulgaria. Its first edition was at the end of September, with the main focus Eagle’s Eye. An off-road trip with jeeps to the area and high adrenaline on the narrow roads of Trigrad and Buinov Gorge attracted the interest of many motorists.

Among the impressive cars taking part in Discover Bulgaria are Mercedes-Benz with the limited edition SL500 Mille Miglia, as well as their latest model – the C63 S AMG.

Along with this, one of the most powerful and fastest cars of the compact class Mercedes – AMG A45, the stunning Nissan GT-R Black Edition, the new generation Ford Mustang GT500 and Mustang 5.0, Dodge Challenger, Bentley Continental Speed, Maserati Ghibli and many others were presented.