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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started elementary school at “Jelena \u010cetkovi\u0107” 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\u2014oh, 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 \u0160kerovi\u0107 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Foto: Privatna Arhiva<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE VIRUS BEGINS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s 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\u2014a 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″\u2014Veseljko Videnovi\u0107! We all ran after him as far as we could. He drove rallies, and I always wanted to “help” him\u2014just an excuse to be there and watch what and how he did things. Naturally, at 18, I got my driver\u2019s license right away. I got a “Fi\u0107a” and started “tuning” it, as they say. A million little modifications. That\u2019s 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 “Fi\u0107a” 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\u2014just 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\u2014straight to our parents to confess everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FIRST RACE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was in 1977. I started with my “Fi\u0107a” and immediately\u2014disappointment. I quit. I realized I couldn\u2019t 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 Halilovi\u0107 from Sarajevo, and there was also Buca, Brena\u2019s manager, as the second-in-command… He guided us so we wouldn\u2019t do anything stupid. Belgraders always had a bad reputation, and Buca tried to keep things calm. A great man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Foto:\u00a0Privatna Arhiva<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n FIRST LOVE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019t exist anymore. Everything has changed beyond recognition compared to those times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VROOOM, VROOOM…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2014I 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n INTO THE TAVERN FOR TIPS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My first race was at U\u0161\u0107e, and I won it! You can imagine how I felt. My first title came in 1987 when I became the champion of Yugoslavia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From various tavern gatherings, I carefully listened to hear everything about my competitors\u2014who 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 U\u0161\u0107e was worth double. That gave me great confidence, and I continued in Slavonska Po\u017eega, Kraljevo… Then, I started working with the famous Boris Baki\u0107 from Munich, who helped me a lot with car parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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