Simion Emil & Dumitran Stelian Tandem in the Spotlight This Season

The 2026 season marks the first year in which the Bucharest Branch has organised races along the Bulgaria–Greece route. Although two separate race programmes were established, the flight direction remains the same. Up to this point, five races have been held under Programme 1, all belonging to the Sprint category. While several fanciers have celebrated victories in the individual pigeon standings – including the tandems Stănescu + Dobre, Miki & Cornel, Ayan & Aron, Bortoneanu Marian & Claudiu, as well as Andrei Cătălin and Stoian Răzvan – one name has consistently stood out in the Fancier Championship: the Simion Emil & Dumitran Stelian tandem. Approximately 160 fanciers from the Dragomirești, Grivița, Rândunica and Voluntari clubs compete under Programme 1. The first four races featured liberation points situated before the Balkan Mountains, while the fifth race required the pigeons to cross this significant natural barrier.

Two Consecutive Victories from Veliko Tarnovo

The opening race on the new route took place on 26 April, with the pigeons being liberated from Veliko Tarnovo. Distances ranged between 140 and 160 kilometres, and the race was held under favourable conditions. By the official closing of the race, 79.37% of the 6,339 entered pigeons had already returned.

Simion Emil & Dumitran Stelian competed with 88 widowhood hens, which had to cover a distance of 154 km. Their first classified pigeon appeared in 8th place in the individual standings, but in the Fancier Championship they secured 1st place among 146 competitors. They accumulated only 15.46 penalty points while clocking an impressive 60 prize-winning pigeons. The second race, held on 3 May, also from Veliko Tarnovo, once again saw the tandem basket 88 hens. A total of 5,601 pigeons competed. In the individual rankings, the battle for the top positions was fought between the tandems Stănescu + Dobre and Simion Emil & Dumitran Stelian. The first five positions went to Stănescu + Dobre, while Simion Emil & Dumitran Stelian placed 6th, 7th, 8th, 11th, 18th, and several others.

In the Fancier Championship, however, Simion Emil & Dumitran Stelian once again proved unbeatable. They convincingly claimed 1st place, with an outstanding score of just 4.46 penalty points. Furthermore, they achieved an exceptional prize percentage, with 73 pigeons classified from 88 entered, representing an impressive 82% success rate.

Back on Top at Plakovo

Following the two Veliko Tarnovo races, two further events were organised from Plakovo, with race distances ranging from 160 to 180 km. In the first Plakovo race, the Simion Emil & Dumitran Stelian tandem secured 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 15th, 17th and 18th places in the individual standings, competing against a field of 6,248 pigeons. In the Fancier Championship, they finished 4th out of 150 participants, recording 22.72 penalty points and 71 classified pigeons from 86 entered. At the following Plakovo race, held on 16 May, the Simion Emil & Dumitran Stelian tandem returned to what many had begun to regard as their rightful place, once again claiming 1st place in the Fancier Championship against 148 competitors. Their winning coefficient amounted to only 3.65 penalty points, while their prize percentage remained remarkably high, with 72 pigeons classified from 85 entered.

A True Masterclass at Yastrebovo

Crossing the Balkan Mountains had the potential to significantly alter the standings. Nevertheless, Simion Emil & Dumitran Stelian demonstrated that the outstanding form of their team remained unaffected by the increased difficulty of the route.

During the Yastrebovo race, held on 25 May, the pigeons had to cover 249 km. The event produced one of the tandem's most spectacular performances of the season so far. No fewer than 17 hens arrived together as a kit, occupying positions 4 through 20 in the liberation ranking, from a total entry of 6,199 pigeons. Among them was one of the tandem's nominated team hens, which, together with another hen clocked only seconds later and placed 22nd, secured yet another 1st place in the Fancier Championship for Simion Emil & Dumitran Stelian. The result was achieved in competition with 155 fanciers, with an excellent score of just 5.81 penalty points. Their classification percentage was equally remarkable, with 76 pigeons classified from 85 entered—an outstanding 89% success rate.

Commenting on the new racing route, Stelian Dumitran stated: "The change of the racing route is one of the best decisions ever made by the Bucharest Branch. It has proven that the pigeons return exceptionally well. This is the first route that no longer creates inequalities. It is a route where obstacles do not affect only certain competitors and where the distance corrections truly reflect reality. The pigeons fly exactly the number of kilometres shown in the results, which is a decisive factor for fair competition. I hope we can continue as we have started, because this can only benefit our branch."