Vitaliy Pushkar

Vitaliy Pushkar
Nationality Ukrainian
Born (1987-05-09) May 9, 1987
Kishineu
European Rally Championship career
Debut season 2013
Current team The Boar ProRacing
Co-driver Ivan Mishyn
Starts 14
Championships 0 (ERC Production – 1)
Wins 0 (ERC Production – 1)
Best finish 37 (ERC Production – 1) in 2014
Previous series
2011–2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge
Last updated on: 2014.11.23.

Vitaliy Pushkar (Ukrainian: Пушкар Віталій Олексійович; born May 9, 1987 in Kishineu, Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic – in present-day Moldova) is a Ukrainian rally driver, Ukrainian rally vice-champion, European rally champion in ERC Production Cup category, and The Boar ProRacing team driver.

Career

Ukrainian Rally Championship

Pushkar began competing at the beginning of 2009 with his childhood friend Ivan Mishyn as a co-driver.[1] Their first car was the all-wheel-drive two-liter turbo Subaru Impreza earlier belonging to Igor Chapovskyi.[2]

During that year Pushkar started 11 times in different rallying competitions – and only not finishing once, at the Bukovyna rally, due to technical problems.

Vitaliy Pushkar and Ivan Mishyn on rally Bukovyna, Chernivtsi, 2009

Pushkar changed car to a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX and employed Ukrainian rally champion Oleksandr Saliuk, Jr. as a coach. In May 2010, Pushkar won his first race, the Shapovalov Rally Cup, and finished inside the top ten fastest Ukrainian drivers at the end of the season.

During the two next seasons, Pushkar was among the leaders of the Ukrainian rally championship, finishing the several rallies on the podium. In 2011, he reached the top five of the Ukrainian Rally Championship overall standings for the first time, and became the first and only winner of the Cup of Friendship, organized by the Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian Automobile Federations.[3]

The 2013 season was the most successful for Pushkar, now involved in the Ukrainian rally title battle. Winning the Chumatskyi Shlyakh rally and placing third in the Mariupol rally made him one of the season favorites. An accident during the Galicia rally weakened his standings. The overall title was decided at the Ivano-Frankivsk Trembita rally, but although Pushkar won that race, he did not take the title, coming second to his fellow Odessa Rally Team driver Youriy Kochmar.[4]

Intercontinental Rally Challenge

After 2010, Pushkar increased his number of international starts. He participated in the Latvian and Estonian championships, and in 2012 he took part in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. He won his first international race, the Romanian Rally Sibiu[5] and finished the season in sixth place in IRC Production. He began to work closely with the Lithuanian ProRacing Team.

European Rally Championship

Vitaliy Pushkar and Ivan Mishyn on rally Kyivska Rus, Kyiv, 2011

In 2013 Vitaliy Pushkar participated in European Rally Championship for the first time, which had been amalgamated with the IRC in late 2012.[6] He placed fifth in the Production Cup at the 2013 Rally Liepāja-Ventspils; but, after the several accidents and technical retirements he stopped the participating in ERC that year.

He returned to the ERC in 2014. He started the season with an accident at the Jänner Rally,[7] but finished second at the Rally Liepāja–Ventspils and won the Acropolis Rally.[8]

At the end of the season, Pushkar safely finished at the Rallye du Valais and Tour de Corse, and after scoring 167 points became the European Rally Champion among the Production Car drivers.[9]

International results

IRC

Year Participant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos. Points
2012 Odessa Rally Team Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX POR ESP IRL FRA ITA
23		 BEL
31		 SMR ROU
4		 CZE UKR
Ret		 BGR ITA
25		 CYP
20		 33rd 12

ERC

Year Participant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos. Points
2013 The Boar ProRacing Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X AUT LAT
12		 ESP POR
Ret		 FRA BEL
Ret		 ROU
Ret		 CZE POL CRO ITA ITA 81st 1
2014 The Boar ProRacing Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X AUT
Ret		 LAT
8		 ROU GRC
13		 IRL POR
Ret		 BEL
16		 EST
13		 CZE
Ret		 CYP
9		 ITA
16		 FRA
17		 37th 14

ERC Production Cup

Year Participant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos. Points
2013 The Boar ProRacing Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X AUT LAT
5		 ESP POR
Ret		 FRA BEL
Ret		 ROU
Ret		 CZE POL CRO ITA ITA 24th 25
2014 The Boar ProRacing Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X AUT
Ret		 LAT
2		 ROU GRC
1		 IRL POR
Ret		 BEL
6		 EST
5		 CZE
Ret		 CYP
4		 ITA
3		 FRA
2		 1st 167

Interesting facts and figures

Vitaliy Pushkar is the only driver from the former Soviet Union who has won the title of European Rally Champion.

From 2009 until 2014, Pushkar entered 77 rallies,[10] attaining 19th position in the Ukrainian Club 50 (drivers who have started in 50 or more rallies).[11]

Pushkar only once started a driver other than Mishyn: on 2010 Shapovalov Rally Cup Oleksandr Saliuk Jr. took Mishyn's place.[12] Interesting, that it happened exactly on Pushkar's birthday, May 9.[13]

The joint Pushkar/Mishyn crew has 76 starts, second only amongst Ukrainian crews to Gorban/Leonov, with 88 joint starts.[14]

Titles and awards

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Youriy Kochmar		 Ukrainian Rally Awards
'Progress of the Year' Winner
2012 		Succeeded by
Dmytro Radzivil
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Andreas Aigner		 ERC Production Car Cup Winner
2014 		Succeeded by
Not conducted
Preceded by
Not conducted		 Cup of Frendship Winner
2011 		Succeeded by
Not conducted

References

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