He is a famous Yugoslav driver. The fact that he won 24 Yugoslav championship titles in his career and that the number of trophies in his cabinets exceeds 600 puts him at the top of the list. Yes, he is our best racing driver of all time. His dedication to auto-moto sports is best seen in the fact that alongside his racing career, he became an excellent journalist who covered events from every racetrack in Yugoslavia and Serbia. This is the life story of Čedomir Čeda Brkić.
BEGINNING
I was born on Saint Nicholas Day in 1957 in Smederevska Palanka. My parents were already in Belgrade at that time, and I lived with my grandmother… I was with my mother for five to six months; she worked in the court, my father in a construction company, so I stayed with my grandmother until I was about a year and a few months old. Then I started attending kindergarten near Cvetkova Market; it was the only one in that part of the city.
Some of my first childhood memories are of the cobblestone streets on the Boulevard where I lived. It was authentic… The post office was across the street, a small postal office… There was the restaurant “Leon,” and that was it. Nothing more. A carefree childhood in conditions that are unimaginable today.
I started elementary school at “Jelena Četković” because it was the closest, and I went there until the seventh grade. During that period, the entire Boulevard was demolished. New buildings and roads were being constructed… Because of that, we had to leave our home at the time. We got an apartment in Konjarnik. At that time, there were only fields around our building in Konjarnik—oh, how it looked back then… All barren… The bus turnaround for routes 17 and 13 was there. I continued school for another year, finished elementary school, and moved on. I was an average student. I enrolled in a traffic engineering high school, where I was excellent in technical subjects, while for the others, I just passed once a year, and that was it. In my fourth year, Professor Škerović asked me to explain to the entire class how the ignition distributor works. I stood up, explained it thoroughly to my classmates, turned to the professor, and said, “You are free to go.” My explanation was so detailed that there was no need for him to teach anything more about it, ha-ha-ha!
Foto: Privatna Arhiva
THE VIRUS BEGINS
Actually, I spent my childhood in the garage with my father. We repaired the cars of friends, godfathers, colleagues… That was my first encounter with cars. That’s when the “virus” started, gasoline entered my blood, and that was it. Back then, it was considered normal for boys to watch and love cars. It was natural. To start with—a bicycle. Until I got to gasoline, I tinkered with anything that had pedals. I rode bus 17, then to Zemun, to school, with two other friends, and then straight to the garage. Then a colleague of my late uncle “roared” through our neighborhood in an “Audi 80″—Veseljko Videnović! We all ran after him as far as we could. He drove rallies, and I always wanted to “help” him—just an excuse to be there and watch what and how he did things. Naturally, at 18, I got my driver’s license right away. I got a “Fića” and started “tuning” it, as they say. A million little modifications. That’s when the speed, noise, and adrenaline kicked in. We drove around the neighborhood day and night. Back then, everything was empty, wide streets, few cars or people… We raced around in the “Fića” until the fuel ran out. When it did, we got out, left the car where it stopped, and went home. Until the next refueling. Of course, there were also times when we “borrowed” keys from the fridge—just for a quick drive. We put little stones on the parking spot to save our space until we finished our ride. If the car stopped, we were doomed—straight to our parents to confess everything.
FIRST RACE
It was in 1977. I started with my “Fića” and immediately—disappointment. I quit. I realized I couldn’t afford it. It was too much… Then, the army came in Mostar, and my dream was put on hold. And in Mostar… the heat, unbearable! I remember it to this day. Great friendships, Commander Sefer Halilović from Sarajevo, and there was also Buca, Brena’s manager, as the second-in-command… He guided us so we wouldn’t do anything stupid. Belgraders always had a bad reputation, and Buca tried to keep things calm. A great man.
Foto: Privatna Arhiva
FIRST LOVE
Everything was from the neighborhood. We were kids, knew each other from childhood, everything was sincere… We drove around together, became friends, developed crushes, and then love. All the things that, as I see it today, don’t exist anymore. Everything has changed beyond recognition compared to those times.
VROOOM, VROOOM…
I got and fixed up a “Zastava 101.” I got the opportunity to drive for “Jugoauto” in the new “1150 Group A” class. First race in Banja Luka—I finished second! Immediately, points started rolling in, adrenaline, the club was thrilled, and I slowly started “biting” and finished the season in second or third place. That opened the path for me to switch to “Yugo” the following year.
In December 1986, we formed the “National Class.” It was a combination designed to be an affordable class in terms of tires, with a “Stojadin” engine, modified and tuned, so it wouldn’t be too expensive, and parts could be found in any junkyard. It became a legendary category that survived even the breakup of Yugoslavia and still exists today.
INTO THE TAVERN FOR TIPS
My first race was at Ušće, and I won it! You can imagine how I felt. My first title came in 1987 when I became the champion of Yugoslavia.
From various tavern gatherings, I carefully listened to hear everything about my competitors—who was capable of what, what tactics they had, and how dangerous they were. Then, I applied all of that knowledge on the track. I was by far the youngest in terms of experience, but results came weekend after weekend. I knew all my rivals both on and off the track. Winning at the famous Ušće was worth double. That gave me great confidence, and I continued in Slavonska Požega, Kraljevo… Then, I started working with the famous Boris Bakić from Munich, who helped me a lot with car parts.
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Passion
It has been recorded somewhere that there were 30,000 people at Ušće. The bridge was full, and everything around was packed. Kraljevo, Beranac, all recall the massive crowds from those days.
Speaking of Beranac… I ran away from school as a 15-year-old just to watch the race. Took a bus straight to Kraljevo… but then struggled to get from the bus station to the track. By the time I got back, it had taken so long that I arrived home on the last bus, late at night. My mother wanted to kill me. But I was overjoyed—I had seen Janoš Drapal, the Hungarian, reigning supreme on the track. He was winning absolutely everything back then.
Im-pres-sive
Then came rally racing, hill climbs, circuits… And the number of victories and trophies kept growing. How many? I have no idea. Whenever my wife dusts them, she starts counting, gets frustrated, and gives up, ha-ha-ha! The number is definitely over 600 trophies. I don’t think anyone else in Yugoslavia has that. I was the Yugoslav champion 24 times, by far the most decorated Yugoslav race car driver. If we’re being realistic, those numbers will be incredibly hard to surpass. The number of races and classes is at a much lower level now. My career lasted exactly 20 years. And Yugoslavia was huge… Every major city had its own club, the competition was fierce. For the qualifications at Ušće, 120 “Yugić” cars would show up! We called them “Saturday racers”—they would battle on Saturday for a spot in the final race on Sunday.
Favorite Memory
Lovćen. Those victories down there… A track with 178 turns! Very few drivers from Serbia could win there—it was known that the “locals” dominated. So, my tactic was to go down four or five days early with my best man Vesko Prlainović. Bata Banićević would also come, and we would practice. There was no other way to win. I’d go, practice, come back, then head back again for the race. It wasn’t hard for me! My club supported me because winning at Lovćen was a big deal for them too.
Foto: Privatna Arhiva
Ah, Those Sanctions
My Mitsubishi’s engine blew. It was hot, and that car didn’t like the heat, and the rally was in six days! I jumped in the car and headed straight to Ljubljana, to my friend Klemenčić. His wife, heavily pregnant, got into their Ford, drove to Austria, and brought back a semi-engine in a crate. I tell everyone this story—what a woman! About to give birth, and she still did this for me. These are the friendships and moments that last a lifetime. We somehow convinced the Croatians to let us through the border—barely, of course, with a little “tipping” involved. Then, at our border, there was a celebration—people were eagerly waiting for us to return with the engine. They understood—it was for sport, no misuse. Why am I telling this? A valuable life lesson: Help everyone. Whenever you can. Never hesitate to do something for a friend or even an acquaintance. I was nothing to that woman, yet she did this for me with all her heart and succeeded.
Once, we had to smuggle two race cars. A guy drove them from Italy to the border, left them there, and ran off—he didn’t dare enter Serbia. We arranged for the border officers to turn off the floodlights, and together, we pushed the cars 500 meters over the border. Everyone wanted us to have those cars and those races… But the sanctions, the struggle…
Family
My wife is my biggest support in life. Without her—nothing. I have four children. Miloš and Uroš followed in my footsteps, and they are great champions. Between them, they hold three Central European champion titles and many more trophies. Miloš even organized some races for the Vojvodina Championship. I help them as much as I can. Luka chose television; he’s currently organizing for “Šarenica,” and we’ll see where that takes him. My daughter is the princess of the family. She’s protected to the max—after all, she has three brothers, ha-ha-ha! This is what a man lives for. To raise them right, to see them go in the right direction. I have nothing more to say other than that I’m proud of them all.
Newspapers and TV
I was unhappy with how the media covered racing. So, I went to the magazine Auto and started writing. Of course, Čđa Šoškić tore up my texts five times and made me rewrite them properly. I tested cars back then—Mitsubishis, BMWs, wrote race reports. I traveled with my friend Ljuba to races; he took photos, and we published everything. Then came Third Channel—I started with a small segment at the end of a show, where I drew prize winners and got a little time for racing. But I was still unsatisfied, so I knocked on Crkvenjakov’s door and asked for a show. Until then, there was “Sportski Miks,” an hour-long show every day. At first, I got half an hour on Tuesdays. Šarenac covered basketball for half an hour, and I got half an hour for racing. I managed to expand it, little by little… “3K on Wheels” was born, and we also started commentating on Formula 1. It was a time when motorsports were finally getting the recognition they deserved.
Čedomir Brkić – fotografije iz života Foto: Privatna Arhiva
My Copies
There was also a segment called “Celebrities Behind the Wheel.” They now act like they invented it, giving famous people test drives… But I did it way before them! After a music show on Sundays, I’d pick up celebrities in my car, drive them around the Sava Center parking lot, and chat—when they got their licenses, any accidents they had, flat tires… It gave the show a unique charm. “3K on Wheels” on Third Channel covered the entire motorsport scene in Yugoslavia in just 60 minutes. We informed the public about every race and every major motorsport event.
Čedomir Brkić – nekad i sad Foto: Damir Dervišagić
Today, Where Are We?
No money, no tires, no sponsors. YouTube has ruined everything. Why would anyone advertise on a race car when their ad can pop up on some auto parts website? Why would they brand a car? It’s sad. I love this sport—it should be a national brand, something we’re proud of. Back in the day, Serbia was number one in the entire former Yugoslavia. Now? Not even close, unfortunately.
Čedomir Brkić – karijera za film Foto: Privatna Arhiva
I Became an “IT Guy”
I joke with my kids that I’ve become an “IT guy.” Since retiring, all I hear is “Hey, Dad, can you do this?” and “Hey, Dad, come here!” They say retirement is boring—yeah, right! I have less free time now than when I was working. And I’ll keep going as long as I can. That’s just how I am. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I did what I believed was best in every moment. No regrets. That’s me.
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Source: Kurir, Foto:Privatna Arhiva, Damir Dervisagić