Pavlo Cherepin

Pavlo Cherepin

Pavlo Cherepin at Saaremaa Rally 2010
Personal information
Nationality	Ukrainian
Born	(1981-09-30) September 30, 1981
World Rally Championship record
Active years	2011 – present
Teams	Ascania Racing, AT Rally, Darnitsa Motorsport
Rallies	32 (WRC2 – 13)
Championships	0
Rally wins	0 (WRC2 - 3)
Podiums	0 (WRC2 - 7)
Stage wins	1 (WRC2 – 52)
Total points	8 (WRC2 - 182)
First rally	2011 Rally Sweden

Pavlo Cherepin (Ukrainian: Павло Черепін; born September 30, 1981 in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union – in present-day Ukraine) is a Ukrainian journalist, TV-commentator, rally co-driver, vice-champion of Ukraine (2010), winner of two rounds of World Rally Championship in WRC-2 (2014).

Career

Career outside motorsport

Pavlo Cherepin's career from the beginning was closely associated with the sport. From 2001 to 2007 he worked as a journalist and TV commentator, created a program "Our football", commented UEFA Champions League, Ukrainian Premier League, UEFA European Championship and FIFA World Cup matches on Ukrainian Inter, Ukrayina, Pershyi Natsionalnyi TV-channels.^[1] In 2002 creates the project "ua-football", which became one of the leading online sports media in Ukraine.

From 2005 to 2007, Pavlo Cherepin - Marketing Director of Professional Football League of Ukraine. Since 2008 - a business consultant in the field of sports marketing and online media.

Amateur rally

Relationship with motorsports for Pavlo Cherepin started in amateur rally. In 2007 and 2008 he took part in the several rounds of the FAU Rally Cup for production vehicles, acting on its own Subaru Impreza as the first pilot.^[2] Cherepin's professional debut occurred at one of the most popular Ukrainian competitions, Yalta Rally. The crew of Gennady Sanchenko and Pavlo Cherepin overcame the entire race distance, and, according to Pavlo, during the race they several times changed driver's and co-driver's role.^[3] However, it was not more than the experiment; serious Cherepin's career as rally co-driver began only three years later.

Professional rally

Ukrainian Rally Championship

Early winter 2010, when Oleksandr Saliuk and Adrian Aftanaziv stopped their collaboration, the current champion of Ukraine starts looking for a new partner. In search of the navigator Saliuk occasionally performs with Oleksiy Mochanov (WRC Rally of Turkey) and Ivan Herman (Rally Bukovyna), but soon starts cooperation with Pavlo Cherepin.^[4]

First crew's start ends with failure: near before the finish of Chumatskyy Shlyakh Rally red Mitsubishi Lancer Evo lost the pace and couldn't come back on the road.^[5] But it was the only fail of 2010 season – after that crew wins rally Mariupol,^[6] Galicia and Kyivska Rus and before the final round of the championship becomes the main contender for the title. Finally Saliuk and Cherepin became 7th on Yalta Rally and Saliuk won the title among the drivers^[7]/. At the same time Cherepin, who started season from the second event, didn't collect the needed points and became only vice-champion of Ukraine among the co-drivers.^[8]

Oleksandr Saliuk Jr. and Pavlo Cherepin on Saaremaa Rally, Estonia, 2010

The same year, the crew makes its debut in foreign competitions, taking part in two rounds of Latvian championship, as well as in the Estonian Rally Saaremaa.^[9] By the end of the Rally Latvia Saliuk and Cherepin rank second in class N4, and it remains the best result for the Ukrainian crews in Latvian rally competitions.^[10]

The next Ukrainian championship, unlike the previous one, begins successfully for the crew - with a convincing victory in Chumatskyy Shlyakh Rally. However, soon after Saliuk gets a shoulder injury playing squash, so the crew passes the following two rounds of the championship. After an enforced break Saliuk and Cherepin start in the rally Kyivska Rus, but early retires. As a result, in the final standings of the 2011 Ukrainian championship Pavlo Cherepin obtains only 10th position.

After that, the majority of Cherepin's starts accounts for foreign competitions. In Ukrainian rally he appears only once - with Oleksiy Kikireshko on 2012 rally Galicia where the crew takes 4th place overall.

Intercontinental Rally Challenge

The short moment of Cherepin's career – participating in Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Saliuk and Cherepin started in IRC twice with the best result of 7th place in Rallye Açores. But after next race, Rally Islas Canarias, both drivers decided to stop their collaboration.

World Rally Championship

Pavlo Cherepin debuted in World Rally Championship along with Oleksandr Saliuk in 2011. As a part of Mentos Ascania Racing the crew took part in six rounds of Production World Rally Championship in Sweden, Portugal, 2011 Finland, Australia, Spain and Wales. Only once during the season the crew didn't finish the rally turned several times over the roof after a failed jump in Finland. The best results was held in Australia, where Ukrainian tandem took eighth place overall and third in Production WRC.^[11]

After the break with Saliuk Pavlo Cherepin starts in WRC episodically during two years. His drivers – Oleksiy Kikireshko and Oleksiy Tamrazov – rarely achieve high results, in most cases, ending the race early. Only honorable mention for Cherepin in this period becomes the 4th place in the WRC2 on Acropolis Rally with Tamrazov.^[12]

Yurii Protasov and Pavlo Cherepin, Rally Sweden, 2014

Quite different events unfold from the beginning of 2014, when Cherepin receives the invitation to become a co-driver of the talented Ukrainian driverYuriy Protasov.^[13] At the first start in Rally Monte-Carlo Protasov and Cherepin wins in WRC2 categorie.^[14] After two month they repeat it on Rally Mexico and in the middle of season the crew gets the status of season favorite.^[15]

Season-2015 starts for Protasov and Cherepin with the brand new car – Citroen DS3 WRC prepared by D-Max Racing. Debut race goes not the best way and after that crew changes car back to Ford Fiesta RS WRC. The second WRC round in Sweden becomes historical for Yuriy and Pavlo: setting the best time overall on special stage 6, they become the first Ukrainian crew able to make it.

On the next rounds of Championship in Mexico and Argentina Protasov and Cherepin return to Ford Fiesta RRC. Both times heading the WRC 2, the crew managed only to finish outside top-three due to technical problems (engine overheating in Mexico and broken suspension in Argentina). The luck came back in Italy where the crew finally won the WRC 2 round with famous Paolo Andreucci second and Jan Kopecky third. Spirited by this result, crew became 3rd in Finland and Germany and 2nd in Australia, getting the record-breaking for them four podiums in row.

Career results

WRC results

* Season still in progress.

PWRC results

WRC 2 results

* Season still in progress.

Podiums

#	Rally	Season	Class	Pos.	Co-driver	Car
1	Rally Australia	2011	PWRC	3	Oleksandr Saliuk, Jr.	Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
2	Monte Carlo Rally	2014	WRC 2	1	Yuriy Protasov	Ford Fiesta R5
3	Rally Mexico	2014	WRC 2	1	Yuriy Protasov	Ford Fiesta R5
4	Rally d'Italia	2014	WRC 2	3	Yuriy Protasov	Ford Fiesta RRC
5	Rally Australia	2014	WRC 2	1	Yuriy Protasov	Ford Fiesta RRC
6	Rally d'Italia	2015	WRC 2	1	Yuriy Protasov	Ford Fiesta RRC
7	Rally Finland	2015	WRC 2	3	Yuriy Protasov	Ford Fiesta RRC
8	Rallye Deutschland	2015	RC 2	3	Yuriy Protasov	Ford Fiesta R5
9	Rally Australia	2015	WRC 2	2	Yuriy Protasov	Ford Fiesta RRC

Interesting facts

Pavlo Cherepin is the first Ukrainian co-driver who won the single special stage in WRC overall – it has happened on SS6 of 2015 Rally Sweden.

Pavlo Cherepin is the only Ukrainian co-driver who scored the points in World Rally Championship. This achievement is hard to repeat because Cherepin gains the points with two different drivers – Oleksandr Saliuk Jr. and Yuriy Protasov.

References