This category is the second one of the National Championship, after the National Ace category, which requires 20 ranked races in two consecutive years to be achieved. The stages that can be taken into account for this norm are the short distane, middle distance and long distance, ie those that start with 95 km and end with 630 km distance. On these criteria, in the 2020 season, 353 norms were met.

The 1^st national place in the Speed ace ​​Palmares category 2020 was won by the team Constantin F. + Ivănescu I., from Pitești, Argeș County, a team that also won the 1st place Speed ace Old birds last season with the same pigeon. The cock “Sultan”, with the series 0154047/2018, is a double national champion at Speed ace ​​in the 2020 season, winning the most coveted trophy of the one-year norm, in the ranking of old birds, and also for Palmares. In second place we find Emeric-Claudiu Pop, from Sighișoara, who, although he lives in one of the most disadvantageous areas for racing pigeons sport, manages, with the help of the cock 9009742/2017, to win an honorable national vice-champion trophy. The third place is also occupied by a pigeon fancier from Transylvania. This is Damian Drăgoiu, from Ghimbav, Brașov, who wins the 3rd place National Speed ace ​​Palmares with the cock 5033027/2018.

“Sultan” dominates the Speed ace ​​category in the 2020 season

Only two pigeons from Argeș County managed to make the Speed ace ​​Palmares norm last season. Of course, one of them is the champion team Constantin F. + Ivănescu I., who obtained, in the 20 centralized competitions for the Speed ace ​​Palmares category, a total coefficient of 394.01 penalty points. This result was possible due to the fact that throughout the 2020 season, “Sultan” competed perfectly. If in the 2019 season, as a yearling, he ranked 55th National at Speed ace, with a score high enough to hope for a national top record, in the 2020 season, “Sultan” did not miss any stage and drastically improved the coefficient for the record. He ranked 11 races with very good scores, thus canceling a race from the 2019 season, in which he had obtained 268.62 points and which had to be improved in order to have chances at the national podium. “The cock is original Silviu Glodeanu and brought us the greatest satisfactions so far in this sport. He competed in widowhood, like the whole flight group, being separated two weeks before the first race, after raising a chick. Usually, we prefer to send the calm pigeons to competitions, but there were also stages when we let them be seen before basketing. For feeding I used Vanrobaeys, mixture 29, and Gerry from Versele Laga. As a recoverer we use Avipharm, on arrival, and on Monday they receive probiotics. Between races, the pigeons are taken two or three times a week at the beginning of the season, and towards the end, we leave them a little lighter “, said Ionuț Ivănescu. It should be mentioned that the same cock occupies the 3rd place for Short distance ​​Palmares 2020.

Emeric-Claudiu Pop (Mures) wins the first national trophy

A top pigeon fancier in Transylvania, with dozens of provincial and county trophies in the one-day stages, Emeric-Claudiu Pop, from Sighișoara, managed in the 2020 season to climb the national podium at Speed ace ​​Palmares, winning the 2nd National place. For the pigeon fancier from the old fortress of Sighisoara, this is the first national trophy, but certainly not the last. The winner is a cock, with the series 9009742/2017, who in 2019 ranked 19th National at Speed ace old birds, and last season, at the record of the same category, he obtained a coefficient of 436.41 penalty points. “This cock is my best pigeon so far. Until obtaining this result, he was multiple county champion, and at the provincial level he is three times on the first place, at Short distance ​​Palmares, Middle distance Palmares and Speed ace ​​Palmares, he is provincial vice-champion at Short distance Palmares and the 3rd provincial place at Short distance old birds. At Shorrt distance ​​Palmares is also the 6th National place. His mother is from Romulus Matei, from Marc Medaert pigeons, and his father is from Eugen Rogoz. In total, it has 30 ranked races, of which 17 times it was in the top 10 at launch. The pigeons compete for widowhood, and for feeding I use a mixture produced by Paap Erno, from Harghita, made from over 20 seeds, but which does not contain peas at the short distance and middle distance stages. Upon arrival, the pigeons receive classic recovery supplements, electrolyte, but also probiotic, plus an iodine-based solution for disinfection. The third day after arrival, I take them to a maximum training of 30 km and start to prepare the next race “, explained Claudiu Pop.

Damian Drăgoiu (BV) completes the national podium, winning the third place

In the 2019 season, the young flyer 5033027/2018, competed by Damian Drăgoiu from Brașov, took the 4th place National Speed ace yearlings. A year later, in 2020, it managed to have an equally sustained performance, with another 10 ranked stages. Thus, after the centralization of the palmares, Damian Drăgoiu’s cock, with the 438.29 penalty points, had the third national coefficient in the Speed ace ​​Palmares category and won the last national trophy at stake. “The cock was a very good flyer when he finished nine stages. It also has a 1st place on the launch, in a Middle distance competition. He is a very special character. He chose a certain place in the loft, where he sits when he is not in the box and where I put a folding rest, with the help of which I motivate him. Originally, it is a Vandenabeelle pigeon, on the father’s line, and its mother is a hen from Kelemen Csaba. The pigeons compete as widows, after raising a series of chicks at the beginning of the season. I use food from Vanrobaeys and various supplements, from Rohnfried or Dr. Brockamp, ​​but when the pigeons arrive from the races, they receive water with lemon and honey. In the middle of the week I try to do two trainings for them from 30 km. At the beginning of the season, the pigeons do not see each other before basketing, but, after four or five stages, I leave them together for about 30 minutes before basketing them”, detailed Damian Drăgoiu.

So, when we talk about the record of a category, things are completely different. Few pigeons manage to compete as well for two consecutive seasons or, in our case, to compete better and better so that they can climb the national podium, although they did not start with the first chance.