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Wednesday 17th February 2021
Ștefan “Ștef” Raita is an active racing driver and motorsport enthusiast. The Formula 1 racing drivers Michael Schumacher, Martin Brundle and Jim Clark and the rally drivers Colin Mc Rae and Richard Burns inspired him even as a child. The 24-year-old from Kronstadt has been working for the Romanian Sports Car Association (Federa]ia Român² de Automobilism Sportiv – FRAS) since 2019, where he is responsible, among other things, for video commentary on live broadcasts of hill climbs, rallies and super rallies. After the end of last year’s motorsport season, Jan Stößer spoke to him for ADZ.
Mr. Raita, please explain the Romanian Sports Car Association and its tasks to us first.
FRAS – the Romanian Sports Car Association – unites all categories of Romanian motorsport under one roof. These include, for example, the hill climbs popular in Romania, the rally and the super rally, but also karting, drifting and off-roading. The basis for this is the legal framework and the regulations that FRAS draws up in accordance with the FIA regulations – the international umbrella organization for the automobile. Its use guarantees the legal staging of motorsport events even on public roads. FRAS is also involved in the organization and implementation of the races, which includes, among other things, the provision of marshals and technical equipment as well as the creation of safety concepts and compliance with the regulations. Because the safety of the drivers, spectators and track workers is the top priority for FRAS, and no compromises are made here.
In addition, the driver training is carried out and evaluated in close cooperation with FRAS, so that it is on a standard when it comes to driver training when participating in European or international races. Since the FIA regulations are much more dynamic than in football, for example, and are also constantly changing, FRAS, as a national superordinate organization, ensures that you are always up to date on this.
What experience sparked your interest in motorsport and how did you finally come to FRAS?
In 2002, when I was six years old at the time, my parents took me to the traditional Junii Brașovului parade to show me the horses taking part there. On the same weekend, the hill climb from Kronstadt to Schulerau (Poiana Brașovului) took place, which I saw and saw by chance. This type of “horse” appealed to me much more and my passion for motorsport was awakened. After going to the races as an ordinary spectator for many years, I started taking photos and videos of the cars with a few friends in 2012 and posting them on the Internet. As a result, in 2017 we started broadcasting some events live and via video on social media and also commented on them. And then everything went really quickly. Already at the next race we worked with the team from “M1 Sport” and suddenly found ourselves in a professional environment, which FRAS also became aware of. In 2019, he decided to broadcast the entire hill climb season live on Facebook and YouTube. Here I became, as it were, the official commentator after the FRAS President Norris Marcu M²geanu had written to me and offered me the opportunity. In 2020 we then added the rally and the super rally in the big cities to the broadcasts.
As a racing driver and commentator, you must have a good overview: What distinguishes Romanian motorsport spectators?
Of course there are different types of viewers. These include a small number of experts who have a technical understanding of the cars, are well informed and watch most of the races on site. Then there is the large proportion of local fans who watch motorsport on television and come to the races that take place near them. With my work and in personal conversation I also try to inspire and inform those who know nothing about the sport and who came into contact with it by chance. It is very pleasing that the number of those who watch our broadcasts and go to the events is steadily increasing. In 2019, for example, at the hill climb in Rosenau / Râșnov, we had the situation that there was such a big crowd that the organizer could not let all the spectators onto the track. The races that were held in 2020 continued to show great interest. I think that people are hungry for motorsport and it is our job to meet and expand this demand through our offer.
Which event in Romanian motorsport do you fondly remember?
My most emotional experience was definitely the premiere of the live broadcast in cooperation with FRAS. It was the first time I found myself in this professional environment and was relatively nervous in the run-up to the race because the standards were high and I wanted to do a good job. Which I also managed quite decently. I also look back with pleasure on my first victory as a racing driver, which I was able to achieve at a local rally.
How can the past 2020 season be summarized?
I think that despite the current circumstances, we made the best of the year. In times of social isolation and lockdown, FRAS responded innovatively and launched an online championship. Here, all those interested were able to measure themselves on the computer in a motorsport simulation. All you need is a computer, a steering wheel and pedals. As far as real life on the racetrack is concerned, from my point of view FRAS worked hard and acted very professionally and got the most out of this season. There was always close consultation with the responsible authorities and the planning was always adapted to the prevailing situation. Most of the events could be held, although some had to be canceled due to the current circumstances and there were restrictions on the audience. I am very impressed by the teams and the drivers who have pursued their passion in financially insecure times, with less interest from sponsors, and are already preparing for the coming season.
In the most important category in Romania, the hill climb, there was also a very strong and positive development in terms of drivers and the performance of the cars. The times that were driven have continuously improved and Emil Nestor was able to break all course records with the Norma M20FC. Including the previous record for Schulerau, which Michele Esposito set in 2017 in Radical SR4 and which many experts considered inviolable. In terms of performance, we have had the strongest season so far, which was also due to the fact that more prototypes were driven.
You mentioned that hill climbs are particularly popular in Romania. Where can the competitiveness of Romanian drivers be classified in this discipline?
In the European context, year after year we are getting closer to the Western European countries, which are the measure of all things in terms of technology and performance. When it comes to touring cars, there are some crazy and high-performance projects in this country in which extensive investments are made. I think we’re pretty close to the western level with this category. Unfortunately, there is no way to compare the routes or times, because it would be interesting to see how Bogdan Cuzma from the CB Rally Vest team does with his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9.
There is movement forwards in terms of prototypes, but there is still some catching up to do. This is mainly due to the fact that this vehicle category is still quite young or not very widespread in Romania and that you also have to rely on specialized mechanics here. Until a few years ago, Lucien Hora was almost a lone fighter with the Lola F3000. The category became better known and more popular after Silviu Dumitrescu entered this competition in his Osella PA2000 Evo and Emil Nestor created competition. In any case, the cars are getting faster, this is not only indicated by the times driven, but also by the performance data from the test bench.
What goals and ideas does FRAS have for the coming 2021 season?
A wide-ranging calendar of events has already been drawn up and will be published soon. Behind the scenes, the areas of public relations, communication and media presentation are to be strengthened and expanded.
FRAS and the organization of the races are well on their way and will become more professional. Motorsport itself is at a good level in Romania and will continue to develop in a positive direction. Maybe there will be some new competitions in the future too. I am very curious to see how the cars have developed further during the break and hope that the spectators can come to the tracks again without any restrictions, because without visitors it is only half as nice.
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