Barum Czech Rally Zlín 

The ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup starts on the international stage

25. 8. 2021 - Marcus Lacroix - Opel Motorsport

Rüsselsheim/Munich. With the Barum Czech Rally Zlín from August 27-29, the participants of the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup will face the season's highlight in this year's schedule. The fact alone that the world's first electric rally brand cup will be presented within the framework of the FIA European Rally Championship and thus in front of a large backdrop is a special feature of the debut season of the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup. The demanding asphalt stages of this traditional event around the industrial city of Zlín in the southeast of the Czech Republic, which has been held since 1971, represent a real challenge for the young teams in their nippy electric cars.

A total distance of 522.72 kilometers, including 12 highly demanding special stages over 147.33 km, is in store for the crews of the Opel Corsa-e Rally on the three days of competition. The Barum Czech Rally Zlín traditionally kicks off with the "Super Special Stage" on Friday evening in the heart of Zlín, which with its 9.18 km length is a spectacular prelude to the race weekend. The real action starts on Saturday morning with a total of seven special stages over 105.27 kilometers. The four Sunday stages over a further 32.88 kilometers will round off the weekend.

The 136-hp Corsa-e Rally will also receive their "juice" at the European Championship round in the Czech Republic through the charging infrastructure developed together with the specialists from eLoaded from Neusäß near Augsburg, which is capable of charging the 50-kilowatt-hour batteries of the rally vehicles in less than 30 minutes. This charging infrastructure, which draws its power from the public medium-voltage grid and feeds it to the individual charging points of the rally vehicles via its own transformer, will be set up in a service park designated solely for the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup in Zlín.

In sporting terms, the starting position is clear: The hunted in the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup is Laurent Pellier. The 26-year-old Frenchman has a clean slate after two rounds with a maximum score of 80 points, but he knows exactly what the time has come. "We realized at the last round on the Baltic Sea how quickly one mistake can ruin an entire rally. We have to be extremely focused at all times, because the competition is waiting for us to make the slightest mistake," says the Saintéloc driver.

Challenger number one is Luca Waldherr (27) in in the Corsa-e Rally entered by Opel Austria, who has clearly registered his ambitions with two second places at the first two events: "The decisive rallies are just coming up, and the Barum is certainly the highlight of this season. On these fast, treacherous asphalt stages, it's all about finding and maintaining a high rhythm and not allowing yourself any mistakes. Because any mistake here can have serious consequences. Our goal is to win the title. And I'm assuming that you can't afford any zeros if you want to be champion in the end."

The best-placed German pilots, Max Reiter and Alexander Kattenbach, are lurking just behind the two leading veterans from France and Austria. However, the German Cup drivers, who also include Christian Lemke, Marvin Wabnitz, Lukas Thiele, Lauren Schur and Jo Baur, have one thing in common: like the young Belgian Charles Munster, they all have considerably less international experience than Pellier, Waldherr or the Dutchman Timo van der Marel, who at 31 is the senior in the Cup field.

Interest in the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup at international level is high. TV channel Eurosport will report on the world's first electric rally one-make cup on Tuesday after the rally as part of its "ERC - All Access" magazine, focusing on championship leader Laurent Pellier. Various Czech and other European media have announced interviews and background reports on the joint pioneering effort by Opel and ADAC.

Guest appearance by WRC star Yohan Rossel in TotalEnergies' Corsa-e Rally
The regular teams of the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup can look forward to another special challenge at the Barum Czech Rally Zlín. With Yohan Rossel, a real international benchmark has announced his arrival for a guest appearance in the electric Cup. The 26-year-old Frenchman is regarded as one of his country's greatest talents. After his third win of the season in the Citroën C3 Rally2 most recently at the Ypres Rally, the Belgian round of the World Rally Championship, Rossel leads the WRC3 classification. At the Barum Rally, Rossel and his co-driver Alexandre Coria will be driving a Corsa-e Rally entered by Opel Motorsport and designed by Opel partner TotalEnergies.

As a guest driver, however, Rossel will receive neither points nor prize money. "I'm looking forward to my first start in an electric rally car," says the WRC star. "I will certainly have to adapt in the Corsa-e Rally, but Alex and I are happy to be here and gain experience. We will give everything to be competitive when we start as guests in the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup. I have no doubt that we will have a lot of fun, and I would like to thank Opel Motorsport and TotalEnergies for the opportunity to experience the Corsa-e Rally."

Ex-European champion Marijan Griebel competes in the Corsa Rally4
For Opel Motorsport, the Barum Czech Rally Zlín also represents an exciting event in other respects. For the first time, the new Opel Corsa Rally4, which has already been busy collecting victories and podiums at national level, will contest an international competition. At the wheel of the 208-hp customer sports car from Rüsselsheim is Opel factory driver Marijan Griebel (32, Hahnweiler), the 2016 and 2017 Junior European Champion, while co-driver Tobias Braun (26, Bückeburg) is also one of the best in his guild. And that also makes the Opel crew's goal clear: "The competition is really strong, but we don't want to just keep up. We want to prove the high potential of the Corsa Rally4 and do everything we can to have a say in the top positions," says Griebel.

The participants in the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup will definitely be keeping a close eye on what Griebel/Braun are up to in the Corsa Rally4. Because for one of them, the unique opportunity will present itself in 2022 to take the next steps in his driving development in the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team in precisely this vehicle on the international stage.

Rally fans can follow the action from the Czech Republic via live stream and live timing at www.fiaerc.com. Live timing is also available on the website www.ewrc-results.com. Eurosport reports daily summaries of the exciting action in the European Rally Championship.