Diana Stoyanova About Her Racing Citroen Saxo

Diana Stoyanova is a Racing Driver

“This is a man’s world but it would be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl.” sang James Brown. And here is the beautiful young lady – Diana Stoyanova. She plays the game of the big boys and beats them. As a racer, she has a lot of wins in different racings. In this interview, Diana Stoyanova speaks about: the first car, the race car, the wins, the dreams, and the car which she doesn’t like to…

Diana Stoyanova and her racing Citroen Saxo.

Dro: How do you know that you will become a racing driver?

Diana: I think that I always knew that, from my born J

Dro: When was your first car race?

Diana: My first race was in 2005, only 3 months after I took my driving license. I started in a round of Ladies Championship of Bulgaria. These races are very good to start to get to know the car, the behavior of the car and for improving the driving skills.

Dro: What was your first racing car?

          Diana: It was Zastava Yugo J It’s an automobile which is on my age and I still keep it in the garage. I have beautiful memories with this Yugo, the first practices and training for races; the first long trips; it’s not a usual Zastava. The weight of the car was reduced and mounted roll cage inside, with colored vision, with great rich sound and it’s very agile. I don’t give a speck of dust to fall on it. The engine always shines, taken from Fiat Tipo 1.4L turbo.

Diana Stoyanova has beautiful memories with her first racing car Zastava Yugo with an engine from Fiat Tipo 1.4L Turbo. Well, now we can show only the racing Citroen Saxo.

Dro: What is your training day?

          Diana: There aren't too many places in Bulgaria where you can make quality training with your racing or training car. This prevents the development of a racer. When I have the opportunity, I travel to the race track in Serres (Greece). There, with the mechanics, we do tests with different settings of the racing Citroen Saxo. However, everything is relative because in Bulgaria the racing roads are with very different specifications and altitudes. Of course, I don’t ignore physical training. For me is important to be in high capability and I do other sports as well. I like gymnastics, athletics, swimming, cycling, etc.

Diana Stoyanova uses the race track in Serres (Greece) for training and preparing her Citroen Saxo.

Dro: In which disciplines do you race?

          Diana: Basically I’m racing in high climb and this year I’m a 2^nd place winner in RC5 class. Last year I was raced in innovative championship V1 Challenge Bulgaria with the pink Volkicar. In this race, 10 automobiles start at once. I took part in a few rally racings. I like all automotive racing types but my favorite is high climb. In this race, you rely on yourself and the car. The race length is about 4 kilometers (2.49 miles), mountain roads with interesting technical turns and straight sections.

Dro: What are your wins?

          Diana: I’m a winner in RC5 class with racing Citroen Saxo in which race the competitors were only males of the Bulgarian Rally Championship.  I’m champion in the Ladies Rally Championship Bulgaria for 2007, 2008, and 2009. I’m 2^nd place winner in the Hill Climb Championship Bulgaria for 2009, 2013, and 2015.

Diana Stoyanova talks about her wins in the RC5 Class with the Citroen Saxo in the Bulgarian Rally Championship; the Ladies Rally Championship Bulgaria and the Hill Climb Championship Bulgaria.

Dro: Do all of these wins are with this Citroen Saxo?

          Diana: In Ladies Championship I was raced with Citroen Saxo but it wasn’t a racing version. It was a tourist automobile. In 2009, in Hill Climb I drove Opel Corsa and other wins are with this Citroen.

The racing Citroen Saxo of Diana Stoyanova

Dro: How long have you been racing with this Citroen Saxo?

          Diana: This Citroen we bought from Greece in 2011 and we upgraded to this condition. It`s a fully prepared automobile for rally and hill climb in RC5 class.

Dro: What are the differences with the standard version?

          Diana: This Citroen Saxo is fully upgraded by homologation requirements in RC5 class and it’s ready for race J I don’t like but I will sell it. The engine is 1.6 16V, it weighs 900 kg, it has Bilstein suspension; short gears; the differential ratio is 4:9 according to the FIA requirements; it is revised and carefully maintained. The car has a lot of tires and rims which the new owner can race at least a season. If somebody is interested in this car can contact with me: di.stoyanova19@gmail.com  

Diana Stoyanova's racing Citroen Saxo is in homologation requirements for the RC5 class.

Dro: What will be your next racing car?

          Diana: I want to drive a powerful car. I dream of something 4x4, but from a financial point of view, maintaining such an automobile in top condition without advertisers’ support and sponsors will be hard for me.

Dro: Which is the race where you want to take part but still you haven’t this opportunity?

          Diana: I`m tantivy focused on a few European Hill Climb racings in 2016; I hope to race.

Dro: I wish you success! Thank you for this interview.

         

Diana: Thank you very much and I`m happy that I`m part of your blog, which is great and interesting.

Diana Stoyanova with her racing Citroen Saxo