Malta finished in a merited 12th placing out of the original 23 entries in what is considered to be the toughest off road 4x4 competition in the whole of Europe, the Croatia Trophy 2007

Maurice Farrugia from Pieta and Mario Xuereb from Mellieha, in their heavily modified Land Rover representing Malta for the very first time, competed in this prestigious event, rated to be amongst the most challenging and technical of its type. Twenty three vehicles and 10 quad bikes, representing 11 nations, hotly competed for honours in this gruelling seven-day event.

The Trophy commenced on the 27 April and was concluded on the 4 May.

At the start the Maltese team encountered technical problems with their ground anchor which was linked to their winch, did not function as planned, causing them to lose time and finish 18th in Pole position.

The following day, the Maltese team, had to start the first stage, an hour behind their competitors, having to replace a winch, however, the team still managed to catch up and overtake five competitors at the end of this stage.

As they went along, stage after stage, Maurice and Mario felt encouraged with what they could achieve with great effort and determination. By the fourth stage, they were running in 12th place out of 23 fellow competitors. The Maltese team spirit soared, causing a frenzy of activity when the mechanics, engineer and other Maltese crew gathered around the Land Rover, in order to prepare the 4x4 for the following stage.

Wednesday’s sixth stage was rated to be very technical and physically demanding for both vehicle and crew, and so it proved to be, 11 competitors failing to finish, including the leader; however, against all odds Maurice and Mario doggedly finished the whole stage, eighth overall. Encouraged by the results obtained till then, the Maltese contingent was in high hopes seeing that they had arrived that far.

However it was not meant to be. Like many of the highly prepared 4x4’s that had suffered damage due to the demanding extreme conditions, shortly afterwards the Land Rover’s engineer and mechanics deemed that major damage was sustained to the engine, confirmed after further investigation in engine noise heard.

The mechanics feverishly worked all through the night in order to try and fix the engine but it was considered to be such a major undertaking that it was decided to withdraw from the last two remaining stages with the consequence that they had to bear maximum penalties for not attempting these stages.

On contacting Maurice Farrugia in Croatia, he confirmed that the Land Rover had suffered irreparable damage to its virtually brand new engine barely 2,000 kms run in. Maurice could not help express his disappointment that the timing belt was the cause of engine failure, leading to his retirement from the last two stages. Although this will not deter him from trying again in the near future, he was still satisfied that, overall, the Maltese Team had not been out of their depth in such a hotly contested event. It proved to be a valuable experience, so next time, they will better prepared to face all eventualities.

Mario Xuereb was quoted as saying that it was a dream come true – he was completely satisfied that the Maltese team made an impression on the Croatia Trophy, by their dogged determination to finish against all odds, having no previous experience in this type of event featuring long 90 km stages sometimes taking over three hours to complete.

Team manager Charlie Vella felt that the team was well prepared, closely united , and very professional. There was a sense of achievement that all the preparations, logistics paid off, only to be let down by a mechanical failure, made it hard to accept but in the end luck plays a part too.

The Croatia Trophy 2007 was won by Mark Eykens and Jo Raemem from Belgium in a Toyota. Second placing went to Dany Vanbegin and Walter Swaenepoel in a Jeep also from Belgium. Harald Seyfried and Gilnreiner Dieter from Austria in a Punch finished third place.

The Maltese team was composed of the following persons:

Maurice Farrugia - Driver

Mario Xuereb - Co-Driver

Charlie Vella - Team Manager

Tonio Cini - Officer

Kevin Mallia - Engineer

Steve Micallef - Chief Mechanic

David Micallef - Ass. Mechanic

Kevin Muscat - Electrician

Joseph Abdilla - Panel Beater

Anthony Micallef - Camping Logistic Officer

Martin Chetcuti - Parts Logistic Officer

The Team arrived in Malta on Wednesday and was greeted by the President, Committee and club members of the All Wheel Drive Club Malta along with their respective families and friends.