2003 (Harghita Rally) First win: 2009 (Brasov Rally)
Current team
Vali Porcișteanu Racing
Co-driver
Dan Dobre
Wins
9
Championship titles
2011
Romanian National Rally Champion
Awards
2013
Colin McRae Flat Out Trophy
Valentin Porcișteanu (born November 25, 1982, in
Bucharest,
Romania) is a driver in the
Romanian Rally Championship, who won the National Champion title in 2011, four National Runner-Up titles in 2010, 2012, 2018, 2019 and Colin McRae Flat Out Trophy in 2013 (ERC Sibiu Rally).
Early career
Before running in the
Romanian National
Rallying Championship, Valentin Porcisteanul competed in the
Romanian Hill Climb Championship, obtaining two podiums in Abrud Hill Climb 2003 (3rd place, young drivers' classification) and
Brasov Hill Climb 2003 (3rd place, Class N1.6).
Romanian National Rally Championship
2003 – 2007
Valentin Porcisteanu made his debut in the
Romanian National
Rallying Championship in 2003, his first appearance taking place at Arges Rally, as vorleiter. In his very first year he scored two class podiums in N1.6 Trophy, at the
Harghita Rally and
Cluj Rally, announcing himself as a strong candidate for the future seasons. Following the 2004 season in which he competed with a
Dacia Nova GTI, within Class N1.6, finishing 4th at
Brasov Rally, 3rd at
Romania Rally and 4th at
Harghita Rally, in 2005 he drove a
Citroen Saxo VTS, his best event results being Class N1.6 victories at the
Maramures Rally and
Bucharest Rally. His positive development continued in 2006, when he scored two more Class N1.6 victories at the
Sibiu Rally and Tara Barsei Rally. One year later, in 2007, he scored 7 wins in the row, at end of the season being 1st in the general classification of Class N2.
2008 – 2012
In 2008 Valentin Porcisteanu stepped into the top class of the
Romanian National
Rallying Championship, competing with a
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII and finishing 7th in the Overall ranking and 4th in the
Mitsubishi Lancer Cup. Porcisteanu started the 2009 season in the best possible way, with a win in
Brasov Rally, followed by other outstanding results: two 2nd places in the Tara Barsei Rally and Banat Rally and two 3rd places in
Cluj Rally and Arges Rally, securing a 4th place overall in the drivers' national championship. In 2010 he scored a win in Tara Barsei Rally and three second places at
Brasov,
Sibiu, Arad, finishing second in the
Romanian National Rally Championship Ranking. 2011 is the year of the greatest success of his career – he scored wins in
Brasov Rally,
Cluj Rally, Arad Rally and Tara Barsei Rally, and ended up the season as the youngest ever Champion in the
Romanian National Rally Championship history. In the 2012 season he won a second National Runner-up Title, after two victories in TESS Rally and Timis Rally and two podium finishes – 3rd in
Transylvania Rally and again 3rd in
Sibiu Rally (
Intercontinental Rally Challenge).
European Rally Championship
In 2009 Valentin Porcisteanu participated in two
European Rally Championship events, finishing 17th in the Rally
Mille Miglia and on the 6th position in
Croatia Delta Rally. In the same year he qualified and represented
Romania at the final
Pirelli Star Driver, a competition initiate to support young rally drivers, organised by
Pirelli and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (
FIA).
The inclusion of
Sibiu Rally in the 2013
European Rally Championship offered Valentin Porcisteanu the chance to participate in another international event along with some prominent personalities of European and World motorsport:
Jan Kopecky,
Bryan Bouffier,
François Delecour,
Toshihiro Arai. At the end of the competition he secured the 6th place in the
FIA overall ranking, his evolution being also rewarded with the
Colin McRae Flat Out Award.