Crews competing in Škoda cars secured the top three positions at the 82nd Rally Poland. Finnish driver Teemu Suninen claimed his maiden FIA European Rally Championship victory and moved into the lead of the ERC standings. However, the event was by no means a walk in the park for him and many other crews.
For the first time since 2004, Rally Poland was contested on asphalt rather than gravel. The change suited Finnish driver Teemu Suninen perfectly, as he and co-driver Antti Haapala secured their first-ever victory in the FIA European Rally Championship. It was a result that the crew had to work hard for.
This was despite the fact that, when looking at the provisional results, it might not appear that way. Suninen moved into the lead of the Polish event on the third special stage on Saturday and did not relinquish the position for the remainder of the rally.
However, his advantage was always measured in mere seconds. At the end of Saturday’s leg, for example, the Finnish crew held a lead of just 8.4 seconds over their closest rivals. On Sunday, the pair once again delivered a composed and focused performance and deservedly claimed victory.
“Rally Poland was quite demanding, with many changes in grip levels,” said Suninen at the finish. “On paper, it was one of the most challenging rallies for me, but the car suited me perfectly throughout the whole event and I really enjoyed driving it. For that, I owe a debt of gratitude above all to the team,” he added, also praising the performance of his co-driver.
Behind Suninen, a fierce battle for the remaining podium positions raged, with seconds once again making the difference. In the end, the podium was completed by two home crews. Jakub Matulka and Daniel Dymurski successfully resisted the attacks of reigning champions Miko Marczyk and Szymon Gospodarczyk. At the finish, the two Polish crews were separated by just 3.8 seconds.
As a result, the top three positions were occupied exclusively by crews driving Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars. Marczyk’s strong performance on home soil brought an end to a run of unfortunate and lackluster results. While Suninen moved into the lead of the championship standings with his victory, Marczyk climbed to third place overall.
In addition to the three podium-finishing crews, three more Škoda crews secured places inside the event’s top ten. Pairing Marco Bulacia and José Murado finished sixth, followed by two more Polish crews. Adrian Rzeźnik and Kamil Kozdroń claimed seventh place, while Jarosław and Marcin Szejov finished eighth.
Czech crew Dominik Stříteský and Ondřej Krajča were also among the front-runners from the very beginning of the event. Stříteský won the qualifying stage and held a position inside the top five during the early stages of the rally. However, he suffered a high-speed accident on the third special stage.
The ERC season will continue later this summer with the next round, the traditional Barum Czech Rally Zlín, which will take place on the weekend of 14–16 August.
