- Belgian Tom Heindrichs wins fourth cup race at the ADAC Saarland-Pfalz Rallye
- Kilian Nierenz and Fabian Kamermans finish on podium again in the Opel Corsa Rally Electric
- New Opel Mokka GSE Rally celebrates its German premiere around St. Wendel
Tom Heindrichs and co-driver Jonas Schmitz took the lead right from the start. Unlike at the recent Rallye Vosges Grand-Est, however, the brother of World Rally Champion Thierry Neuville did not have an easy ride, but had to fight hard for the win. “We focused primarily on the Spaniards and tried not to risk any punctures or other damage to the car. That worked out well. We are very happy about the victory and that we were able to close the gap to the top of the standings. Overall, we are on the right track,” said Heindrichs.
Kilian Nierenz and his co-driver Milena Raithel once again delivered a flawless performance. With consistently fast driving and three stage wins, the Bavarians celebrated their third podium finish of the current season and their best result in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup with second place. “It couldn't have gone much better. Our goal was to get closer and closer over the course of the season and increase the pressure on the leaders. We are very happy that it is going so well,” said Nierenz, who is currently third in the standings, 14 points behind Español.
Fabian Kamermans and Stefan Müller finished third. “It was a tough rally. We lost a bit of speed today. So it's all the more satisfying that we still made it onto the podium,” said Kamermans after crossing the finish line on Saturday. In the end, it was a really close call for the Dutch duo. With fastest times in the last two stages, including the ‘Power Stage’, Alex Español and co-driver Borja Odriozola closed in on them again and ultimately missed the podium by just 0.8 seconds. Finishing sixth behind experienced Christian Lemke/Pascal Raabe, brothers Arwed and Aaron Jungnickel achieved their best result to date in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup.
Opel Mokka GSE Rally makes German debut
The new Opel Mokka GSE Rally celebrated its German premiere at the ADAC Saarland-Pfalz Rallye. As part of the development programme for the 207 kW (280 hp) strong electric racer, Opel racing legend Volker Strycek and co-driver Conny Nemenich completed selected special stages in the first rally car developed according to FIA eRally5 regulations.
For the fifth showdown of the season, the teams of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup ‘powered by GSE’ will travel to France on the first weekend of September. The Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine is an absolute highlight in the calendar of the world's first electric rally one-make cup.
Standings ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup ‘powered by GSE’ after 4 of 7 rounds:
1. Español 115 points
2. Heindrichs 107 points
3. Nierenz 101 points
4. Lemke 86 points
5. Kamermans 79 points
6. Wittenbeck 47 points
7. Neulinger 46 points
8. Jungnickel 42 points
9. Eertmans 32 points
10. Steitz 31 points
11. Raftery 20 points
12. Rott 19 points
