Balgarianovinite.com “We will seek our rights in court, because what happened is outrageous,” Automobile Federation of Bulgaria (AFB) President Kaloyan Stanchev told journalists, after the cancellation of Rally Pamporovo 2025 by the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA).
The competition, which is the final round of the national rally championship, was cancelled because RIA refused to authorize the use of the roads over harsh conditions. Over 30 teams, including four international ones, failed to start, and the cars remained parked near the Perelik Hotel in Pamporovo in a sign of protest.
“Who are RIA to decide and what expertise do they have to determine what is dangerous and what is not? In Italy, the home of motorsport, iconic competitions are held under far more challenging conditions. In Finland, rallies are run entirely on ice and snow,” Stanchev added. He also said that at the root of the failed competition is expert Diana Russinova of the European Center for Transport Policies.
Todor Melemov, director of the Pamporovo rally, said that the refusal was due to the fact that Smolyan Region is already under winter conditions, making it “dangerous” to hold the competition.
“Two years ago, we held the rally when there was about 50 centimeters of snow cover, and there was no problem. Now, unfortunately, it turns out there is. The sad part of the whole situation is that we couldn’t react, as the rally was cancelled at the very last minute. It’s also sad for everyone here — the crews who have invested to take part in the event,” said Melemov. He added that all other institutions had granted permission, with signed agreements from the fire service, emergency medical services, and the police, all approving the event. The only obstacle remains the road’s administrator, which is the Road Infrastructure Agency.
Dobrin Borissov, who has 20 years of experience in motorsports, voiced his disappointment, calling it absurd for the road agency to classify the roads in Smolyan region as “extremely dangerous.”
“I see this as a blow to motorsport and to our entire community. It means that we can no longer practice this sport. Essentially, this decision declares motorsport dead from this day forward, because in this way any future motorsport event, no matter where or how it’s held, could be cancelled at the last minute as ‘dangerous,’” Borissov added.
By a decision of the Federation’s board, the annual standings of the national rally championship will be determined based on the competitions held so far. Road Authority Fails to Okay Last Leg of National Rally Championship, Automobile Federation to File Suit 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-11-08 17:16:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law