Interesting interview subjects for journalists and unusual shooting opportunities await photographers in the run-up to the start of the European Rally Championship 2014 in Freistadt.

Even the peaceful Christmas Season cannot mitigate the stress before the 31st January Rally which is to be held from January 3 - 5 in and around Freistadt. The organizing team of the RC Mühlviertel as well as its chief, Ferdinand Staber, are taking no breaks. Preparations are fully on schedule, and fine-tuning for the first run for the FIA European Rally Championship is in final stage.

Within the framework of the international pre-event press conference to be held on Friday, January 3 at 5:15 PM in the January Rally Media Center (Wirtschaftskammer WKO/Chamber of Commerce ,Freistadt, Linzerstrasse 11), highly interesting dialog partners will face questions from the numerous (almost 300 accredited) journalists:

1. Polish top star and WRC2 World Champion Robert Kubica;
2. Austrian serial State Champion Raimund Baumschlager;
3. Three-time January Rally winner from Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Pech;
4. and French IRC-Production Cup Winner 2012, Robert Consani.

In addition, a special motif is waiting, primarily for the accredited photgraphers. On Friday, January 3 at 2:00 P.M., the following persons will be available for an unusual photo shooting in the town of Rainbach-Kerschbaum, located five kilometers from Freistadt:

1. The reigning 2WD European Champion , Zoltan Bessenyey, from Hungary;
2. The current Production Cup European Champion, Andreas Aigner, from Austria;
3. The Polish Champion and Waldviertel Rallye -Winner, Kajetan Kajetanowicz;
4. and the internationally experienced driver, Ekaterina Stratieva, from Bulgaria.

Not only will the rally stars be worthwile subjects of interest, but also the horse-drawn railway, re-opened in Rainbach in 1996, and used earlier by the Habsburgs to travel between Budweis/Ceske Budejovice in the (today's) Czech Republic and Linz-St.Magdalena.
In the luxurious railway car "Hannibal", the top drivers, used to controlling horsepower in the hundreds, will be pulled over a distance of half a kilometer by a mere one horsepower, and, accompanied by ladies dressed in the style of the Emperor's time, this will result in a successful mix of nostalgia and modern times . In addition , it will provide for great touristic PR and advertising for the Upper-Austrian "Mühlviertel"-region.