Barum Czech Rally Zlín 

Morning stages: Kopecký wins again! He has got eight seconds over Mikkelsen, Kostka and Stříteský have resigned

28. 8. 2021 - Jakub Kudláč

Saturday's leg started with the first passes of SS Březová and Hošťálková. First place within the European Championship from the evening city drive was defended in both cases by the crew of the Agrotec Škoda Rally Team Jan Kopecký, Jan Hloušek in the Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, while Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen toiled especially on SS3, where he finished fourth. The Czech drivers Kostka and Dominik Stříteský have already resigned from the races, after Stříteský's accident the SS Hošťálková had to be cancelled.

The eight-time Barum Czech Rally Zlín winner Jan Kopecký also won the European classification in the second SS of this year's jubilee competition, when he and his co-driver Jan Hloušek managed Březová's first pass in 7:56.0 minutes and left the Norwegian-Swedish crew Andreas Mikkelsen with Jonas Andersson behind.

The third place belongs to the crew of Erik Cais and Jindřiška Žáková with the Ford Fiesta Rally 2, who fell behind the current leader by 2.1 seconds. The elite ten of the Czech drivers contains Filip Mareš (Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo), Adam Březík and Dominik Stříteský (both Škoda Fabia R5). Tomáš Kostka (Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) was the fourteenth but retired from the race after the stage due to technical reasons.

The overall winner of Březová was Václav Pech, who set a time four seconds better than Kopecký, however the Ford driver competes only within the Czech national championship.

Only Ken Torn from Estonia (Ford Fiesta Rally3) continues in the ERC Junior category, as his competitor Norwegian Oscar Solberg crashed in SS Březová. Polish driver Dariusz Poloński (Fiat 124 Abarth RGT) set the best time in the ERC2 category, but Tibor Érdi junior (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) continues to lead. In the category of 2WD, ERC3 and ERC3J the Finn Sami Pajari (Ford Fiesta Rally4) was the fastest, but the championship lead still belongs to the French crew of Jean-Baptiste Franceschi, Anthony Gorguilo (Renault ClioRally 4).

Jan Kopecký also dominated the Hošťálková SS with a time of 10:22.2 minutes, followed by Erik Cais by 3.5 seconds, Simon Wagner took third place. Of the Czechs, the seventh Filip Mareš and the tenth Miroslav Jakeš were also placed. In the end, only eleven cars reached the finish line, because after the accident of Dominik Stříteský, who crashed with his Škoda Fabia R5, the stage was cancelled.

Classification after SS3 Hošťálková:

1. Kopecký, Hloušek (CZE, Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) 24:51,6 min
2. Mikkelsen, Andersson (NOR/SWE, Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) + 8,0 s
3. Cais, Žáková (CZE, Ford Fiesta R5 MkII) + 11,6 s
4. S. Wagner, Winter (AUT, Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) + 14,4 s
5. Marczyk, Gospodarczyk (POL, Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) + 17,8 s
6. Herczig, Ferencz (HUN, Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) + 24,4 s
7. Huttunen, Lukka (FIN, Hyundai i20 R5) + 33,1 s
8. Mareš, Bucha (CZE, Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) + 34,2 s
9. Bonato, Boullound(FRA, Citroén C3 Rally2) + 39,0 s
10. Devine, Fulton (IRL, Ford Fiesta R5 MkII) + 47,6 s

26. Torn, Pannas (EST, Ford Fiesta Rally3), 1. ERCJ + 1:16,1 s
29. Franceschi, Gorguilo (FRA, Renault Clio Rally4), 1. ERC3 + 1:21,1 s
38. Érdi jr., Csökö (HUN, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X), 1. ERC2 + 1:37,3 s