Arad: Arrivals Worth Framing for George Popescu and the Slăniceanu & Bartoș Team

Renowned for its competitiveness, with fanciers who bring home national trophies year after year in nearly every category, the Arad branch has once again staged a spectacular young bird season. Of the four races flown so far, the true highlights were the second and third events, where George Popescu and the tandem of Slăniceanu & Bartoș delivered performances to remember.

George Popescu sweeps the top 17 places at Dabas 1

The second stage of the young bird championship, released from Dabas (Hungary), brought 4,044 pigeons and 74 fanciers to the line. Held on September 1st, it proved to be an exceptional race. For George Popescu, a fancier from Pecica, it was nothing short of perfection. Entering 65 youngsters, he dominated the competition with a dream result: the first 17 positions in the overall ranking and 1st place in the fanciers’ standings.

Covering 183 km, Popescu’s winning pigeons arrived in a tight cluster between 10:52:44 and 10:53:12, after their 08:45 release. Among the first arrivals were also two team pigeons, sealing his supremacy. With 42 classified birds and just 3.22 penalty points, Popescu left no doubt about his superiority.
“I’ve been competing since 2021, in speed, middle-distance, and long-distance races. In the future, I also plan to tackle marathon events. My pigeons come exclusively from German breeders. The youngsters fly natural. I train them twice daily, around the same hours, and once or twice a week I take them by car for 30 km tosses. For feeding I use Gerry mix, and before a race I give them one meal with 50% Energy,” explained Popescu.

Slăniceanu & Bartoș shine in the third race

Next on the calendar was Kecskemet, another speed event, where the partnership of Slăniceanu & Bartoș stole the show. Out of the 90 youngsters they entered, 15 arrived together at the loft, taking an extraordinary sequence of top places: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 17 over a distance of 164 km. In total, they classified 57 pigeons, with 31 of them in the first 87 overall. Against strong competition—4,699 pigeons and 83 fanciers—the duo also claimed 1st place in the fanciers’ ranking.

Their pigeons’ superb form carried through to the fourth race, Dabas 2 (211 km), where they placed five birds among the top 10 overall and secured 2nd place in the fanciers’ standings.