.
“That was a tough rally, and we’re delighted to have made it to the finish,” said Tom Dufour. “As every point counts now, we did what we love doing in the Power Stage – went all out. And it paid off. It’s great to head into the final round as championship leaders. But we’re only six points ahead of Ioan. It’s going to be incredibly exciting!”
Following Schulz’s retirement, Max Reiter and his co-driver Conny Nemenich cruised to a commanding victory on their comeback in an electric rally car. “I never would have expected that,” said the two-time runner-up in the former ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup. “We’re very grateful to have been given the opportunity to make this guest appearance. Winning here is absolutely brilliant. We were able to get a good feel for the car during the shakedown, and that held up right through to the finish. The Mokka GSE Rally is an impressive rally car. With its power and massive torque, it challenges the driver far more than the Corsa.”
The local heroes and the Opel Mokka GSE Rally also shone in the overall standings: after 14 special stages covering 154 kilometres, the fastest of the all-electric cars – with a power output of up to 207 kW (281 hp) – finished in ninth place. Second in the Cup standings were the Belgians Tom Heindrichs and Jonas Schmitz, who made a guest appearance in the Mokka GSE Rally at the ADAC Saarland-Palatinate Rally after winning the 2025 ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup and securing the runners-up spot in this year’s Junior European Rally Championship.
Simon Gasslbauer and his co-driver Lena Plattner made an impressive debut in the world’s first electric rally one-make cup. The 21-year-old from Bavaria, who had only covered his first few metres in the Mokka GSE Rally during Thursday’s shakedown, improved with every stage and ultimately crossed the finish line in a strong fourth place. “That was just brilliant,” said Gasslbauer. “We were able to improve as the rally went on, and that was the aim. The Mokka GSE Rally handles really well; the responsiveness and brakes work perfectly. We hadn’t expected such a great result – so we’re all the more proud of it.”
“The Mokka GSE Rally once again put in a strong performance at the ADAC Saarland-Palatinate Rally,” said Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott. “Right from the second special stage, Timo was fifth in the overall field, behind four Rally2 all-wheel-drive cars. At the end of the first day, the best-placed Mokka was in seventh position. And the battle at the top of the Cup standings was once again of the highest calibre. Winning the title will, of course, now be a difficult task for Timo. But that’s just the way motorsport is, and anything can happen in the final round.”
The final round of the 2026 ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup will take place in Spa, Belgium, on November 28 and 29.
ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup standings (after 6 of 7 races)
1. Dufour 166 points
2. Lloyd 160
3. Schulz 136
4. Español 96
5. Schönborn 95
6. Johansson 84
7. Eertmans 77
8. Ledda 57
9. Kamermans 35
10. Van Empel 22
11. Luif 21
12. Wlömer 20
13. Wilhelm 16
14. Stütz 14
15. Wittenbeck 12
- ADAC Saarland-Palatinate Rally: Frenchman Tom Dufour takes the lead in the Cup standings
- Max Reiter wins the ADAC Saarland-Palatinate Rally; strong debut from Simon Gasslbauer
“That was a tough rally, and we’re delighted to have made it to the finish,” said Tom Dufour. “As every point counts now, we did what we love doing in the Power Stage – went all out. And it paid off. It’s great to head into the final round as championship leaders. But we’re only six points ahead of Ioan. It’s going to be incredibly exciting!”
Following Schulz’s retirement, Max Reiter and his co-driver Conny Nemenich cruised to a commanding victory on their comeback in an electric rally car. “I never would have expected that,” said the two-time runner-up in the former ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup. “We’re very grateful to have been given the opportunity to make this guest appearance. Winning here is absolutely brilliant. We were able to get a good feel for the car during the shakedown, and that held up right through to the finish. The Mokka GSE Rally is an impressive rally car. With its power and massive torque, it challenges the driver far more than the Corsa.”
The local heroes and the Opel Mokka GSE Rally also shone in the overall standings: after 14 special stages covering 154 kilometres, the fastest of the all-electric cars – with a power output of up to 207 kW (281 hp) – finished in ninth place. Second in the Cup standings were the Belgians Tom Heindrichs and Jonas Schmitz, who made a guest appearance in the Mokka GSE Rally at the ADAC Saarland-Palatinate Rally after winning the 2025 ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup and securing the runners-up spot in this year’s Junior European Rally Championship.
Simon Gasslbauer and his co-driver Lena Plattner made an impressive debut in the world’s first electric rally one-make cup. The 21-year-old from Bavaria, who had only covered his first few metres in the Mokka GSE Rally during Thursday’s shakedown, improved with every stage and ultimately crossed the finish line in a strong fourth place. “That was just brilliant,” said Gasslbauer. “We were able to improve as the rally went on, and that was the aim. The Mokka GSE Rally handles really well; the responsiveness and brakes work perfectly. We hadn’t expected such a great result – so we’re all the more proud of it.”
“The Mokka GSE Rally once again put in a strong performance at the ADAC Saarland-Palatinate Rally,” said Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott. “Right from the second special stage, Timo was fifth in the overall field, behind four Rally2 all-wheel-drive cars. At the end of the first day, the best-placed Mokka was in seventh position. And the battle at the top of the Cup standings was once again of the highest calibre. Winning the title will, of course, now be a difficult task for Timo. But that’s just the way motorsport is, and anything can happen in the final round.”
The final round of the 2026 ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup will take place in Spa, Belgium, on November 28 and 29.
ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup standings (after 6 of 7 races)
1. Dufour 166 points
2. Lloyd 160
3. Schulz 136
4. Español 96
5. Schönborn 95
6. Johansson 84
7. Eertmans 77
8. Ledda 57
9. Kamermans 35
10. Van Empel 22
11. Luif 21
12. Wlömer 20
13. Wilhelm 16
14. Stütz 14
15. Wittenbeck 12
