› Samohýl Škoda Team’s Adam Březík and co-driver Zdeněk Bělák jun. score maiden FIA European Rally Championship victory on their home event.
› Finnish Škoda crew Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala from The Racing Factory Motorsport Solutions take second place and strengthen their overall lead after five of seven events.
› Defending champions Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk from Poland drive ORLEN Team’s Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 to fourth position.
› Five Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews finish inside the top ten of the ERC classification.
Zlín (CZE), 17 August 2026 – Local heroes Adam Březík and co-driver Zdeněk Bělák jun. won Barum Czech Rally Zlín, fifth round of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). They finished 8.3 seconds ahead of their Škoda stablemates Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala from Finland. With two rounds left, Teemu Suninen has extended his ERC overall lead to 25 points.
For Simone Tempestini, who turned 32 two days before the event, Barum Czech Rally Zlín started with a delayed birthday present: Together with co-driver Francesca Maria Maior, also from Romania, he powered his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 to the fastest time of the qualifying stage. When the rally had started for real, the cars from Mladá Boleslav kept featuring on top of the interim standings. And it was a local crew, who seized the opportunity to shine at their home event.
On Saturday evening, Adam Březík and co-driver Zdeněk Bělák jun. were in front. The Samohýl Škoda Team pairing had taken the lead after the fourth of the leg’s seven stages. At that point, multiple former European champion Jan Kopecký and co-driver Jiří Hovorka held second position. Two stages later, it was game over for the Agrotec Škoda Rally Team crew. “A stone came into one of the rims. It broke and the brake pipes were damaged – no way to continue,” explained Jan Kopecký, who has won the event already twelve times.
So, Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk were listed in second position after the first leg. The defending FIA European Rally Champions trailed the leaders by 9.7 seconds after winning one stage with the ORLEN Team’s Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Sharing a similar car of The Racing Factory Motorsport Solutions, Teemu Suninen and co-driver Antti Haapala followed a further 1.6 seconds down in third position. “These stages are incredible, I have no words. You need to drive this rally ten times to be really fast,” Teemu Suninen confessed. However, the current ERC overall leader had won one stage across day one.
And he had no intention to give up on Sunday morning. After the legendary 18-kilometres stage “Pindula”, Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala had leapfrogged Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk to second position. While Adam Březík/Zdeněk Bělák jun. safeguarded their lead with a three-stage winning streak, these two Škoda crews changed positions two more times until the lunch break.
During the afternoon loop, Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala finally secured second position. Meanwhile, Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk came under pressure from Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi. With the fastest time in the final stage, the Italians snatched the lowest podium position by 1.3 seconds.
“I have no words, it’s absolutely amazing”, Adam Březík described his maiden FIA European Rally Championship victory. The 30-year-old normally concentrates on the Czech Rally Championship. His Samohýl Škoda Team-entered Fabia RS Rally2 is run by three-time Barum Czech Rally Zlín winner Roman Kresta. “I’m really happy with my performance. I know the stages really well. I live near the finish of the Pindula stage. But still, I’m surprised. Roman sets my Škoda up and I just drive.” His best result across his previous eight ERC starts was a fourth place at the Barum Czech Rally Zlín two years ago.
With the second place, Teemu Suninen and Antti Haapala extended their respective leads in the ERC Drivers’ and ERC Co-Drivers’ standings to 25 points. “I am really proud, it was an extremely difficult rally,“ Teemu Suninen summed up the event. Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk now hold third position in the overall rankings.
Two more Škoda crews finished inside the top ten of the ERC result. With fifth place, Jakub Matulka/Damian Syty from Poland built on their breakthrough ERC podium at home three weeks ago. Simone Tempestini/ Francesca Maria Maior helped Team MRF Tyres celebrate its 50th start in the European championship with sixth place. Locals Ján Kundlák/Pavel Zalabák took sixth position for Auto Strž Škoda Rallypossible Team in the overall classification, but didn’t score ERC points.
The FIA European Rally Championship continues with the sixth round, Rali Ceredigion (United Kingdom) from 4th to 6th September.
Number of the rally: 5
Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver Adam Březík and navigator Zdeněk Bělák jun. won five of the 13 stages on the way to their maiden FIA European Rally Championship victory.
Barum Czech Rally Zlín (CZE), 14-16 August 2026,
5th round of the FIA European Rally Championship/Result ERC
1 Adam Březík/Zdeněk Bělák jun. (CZR/CZR), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, 1:57.13.5 hours
2 Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala (FIN/FIN), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +8.3 seconds
3 Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi (ITA/ITA), Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, +15.8 seconds
4 Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL/POL), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +17.1 seconds
5 Jakub Matulka/Damian Syty (POL/POL), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +55.9 seconds
6 Simone Tempestini/ Francesca Maria Maior (ROU/ROU), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1:33.7 minutes
Standings ERC/Drivers (after 5 of 7 events)
1 Teemu Suninen (FIN), Škoda, 108 points
2 Andrea Mabellini (ITA), Lancia, 83 points
3 Mikołaj Marczyk (POL), Škoda, 69 points
4 Jakub Matulka (POL), Škoda, 53 points
5 Giandomenico Basso (ITA), Škoda, 45 points
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