Adrian Teslovan
Adrian Teslovan has made motorsport his second job by winning a number of national rally championship and vice-championship titles over the past 13 years. He has passed on this passion to his daughters who are also very successful in the sport. Alexandra, the eldest daughter, is a champion, with 2 national titles in skill and hill climbing, and the youngest, Timea, does moto-enduro. Find out the story of this motorsport-loving family in the following article.
Adi, we’ve known each other for at least 20 years and in the last 10 years or so, since social media, I’ve learned that you’re passionate about motorsports and you’re also brilliant at what you do with your car in the competitions you enter. What was that transition like from marketing meetings (in a tie and suit), to being a pilot?
Hi there, long time no see, thanks for the interview! I can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of the formal style. I’m not a fan of suits and I was lucky the company I work for didn’t have a dress code either.
Motorsport has been part of my life all along. I just got into performance at a slightly older age. It’s my second job, it’s not a hobby – it’s a way of life. Motorsport gives me balance, it let me be me for real. More recently my 16 years old eldest daughter is also into the sport and my youngest is into enduro – I think if we had two boys the situation would have been more advantageous ?. The big one is really doing well in motorsport having won 2 national titles in the skill and hill climbing.
We’re all in this sport because we love what we do. We have to admit that in everyday life, and especially in a job or when you are employed, you can’t do everything you set out to do, you also accumulate frustrations. But when you have the opportunity to do what you love, it’s great and you get a big dose of energy, you have a different vibe.
Why did you start rallying? Is it an old passion? Did you feel the need for adrenaline?
I’ve been a rally fan since I was a kid, a colleague of my dad’s used to race. I grew up in Miercurea Ciuc and every time the Harghita Rally was organized I used to run from school to watch the crews preparing their cars, especially the factory ones – at that time Dacia, Olcit, Aro, I was an Olcit fan. On the way home from school I always admired the racing car of my idol, a former driver from Miercurea Ciuc, Zvetozar Cnejevici, and dreamed of being a racing driver myself.
I always wanted to rally, I started somewhere around 2001 and at one point I took a break because it was very difficult to find partners for my project. I came back in 2012 – 2013 and haven’t stopped since – I’ve won about 4 national class titles, about 8 national runner-up titles.
At the moment it’s my second job. I’ve been doing this for over 13 years professionally and, if I manage to stay active for another 2 years, I’m very happy. Then I will move into the athlete management area – I want to maintain contact because I think I can add value.
Have you ever asked yourself the question: Won’t that be too dangerous for me? Still, maybe it would have been easier to play a poker game if I wanted a thrill? Or go skiing?
It is more dangerous to go from Bucharest to Iasi or Cluj. Yes, every sport has its risks, once you perform things come together. Safety features have come a long way and the sport has become safer, but of course the risks are not eliminated.
What type of surface do you like to race on? Asphalt? Macadam? Why?
Both surfaces have their magic, asphalt requires precision, an extremely meticulous approach and a lot of attention to detail, macadam is friendlier if you are master of the car, macadam allows more, but the sport and the cars have evolved a lot and the speeds on special stages are extremely high compared to what it was in the past. I prefer the macadam, but I can’t say I dislike asphalt either.
I see your girls are into motorsports too. I’m guessing the “virus” spread quickly in your family. Did you encourage them, or did things just fall into place?
Yes, they are passionate, as I told you, my eldest, Alexandra, has been competing in motorsport since she was 12. My youngest, Timea, does moto – enduro without me encouraging them at all, I really didn’t insist or take them specifically to classes, they came and told me they wanted to do it. Alexandra’s intention was deeper, in that she came to me and said she wanted to learn to drive and do motorsport. It was a sobering moment knowing how many sacrifices have to be made but I made an agreement with her that we can’t afford this sport as a hobby and that things have to be approached professionally and only with performance in order to evolve.
Do you have a driver in motor racing that you particularly appreciate? Why?
All my colleagues in the National Championship are fighters, even if on the outside this sport seems very pleasant, enchanted, behind is a lot of work, sacrifices.
We had 26 competition weekends last year – Alexandra and me.
There are many riders who have been in the sport for a lifetime and have performed, there are young riders who come from behind and have great potential, I don’t want to mention names so as not to leave anyone out.
What do you think will be the future of Romanian motoring? Will we stick our heads out in Europe and the world? Will we ever have a famous pilot? Or a circuit in WRC or F1 or MotoGP?
The future sounds good, we have youngsters with potential, we have a world junior rally champion – Simone Tempestini, who is still performing in the European Rally Championship, we have stage organizers of at least European level. The motorsport problem is the same as the sports problem in Romania – the sponsorship law, the sports law – we don’t have the basis for directing money to sport, we have indeed evolved since 20 years ago, but the steps are too small.
We have industries like gambling, alcohol, tobacco, loaded with a “bunch” of excise/taxes, part of which could be directed directly to projects in sports, culture, health – on clearly defined themes and I think things would go in a much healthier direction and we would evolve much more. Private companies should be fiscally encouraged to direct money to sport, health and culture because we all know that state management does not have the capacity to manage resources efficiently, with some exceptions.
We have athletes, we have organizers, we just need more involvement of the authorities, at least in motorsport we have a fantastic potential to organize the world stage and the natural framework, the roads we have at the moment – even if we don’t have highways ?, we just need a determination and involvement of all parties because you have to allocate considerable budgets. Many local authorities have absorbed European funds and developed local road infrastructure – county, forestry – which is to our advantage.
We also have 2 circuits in Romania, one 100% private in Ialomița (Adâncata) and a newer and higher standard one in Târgu Mureș, but managed by the local authorities.