› Teemu Suninen and co-driver Antti Haapala (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) win the fourth round of the FIA European Rally Championship for team The Racing Factory.
› Local pairings Jakub Matulka/Daniel Dymurski and Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk complete a full Škoda podium.
› The final result after 15 stages features six Škoda crews across the top ten.
Katowice (POL), 27 July 2026 – Taking the lead after the fourth stage, Teemu Suninen and co-driver Antti Haapala won the 82. Rally Poland – Rajd Polski. But the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew from Finland had to work hard for their very first victory in the FIA European Championship. After roughly 175 competitive kilometres, less than 20 seconds separated the top four.
The fight for seconds began even before the official start: Dominik Stříteský and co-driver Ondřej Krajča won the qualifying stage and were given the honour of opening the road. However, the Czech crew could not enjoy the advantage of a less polluted road for long. An accident during the third stage brought their rally to an end.
With a fastest time on the following stage, Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala took the lead from their Škoda brand colleagues Jakub Matulka/Daniel Dymurski. Italians Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi as well as Polish Škoda crew Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk joined the fierce four-way fight for the lead, entertaining thousands of fans along the special stages. At the first leg’s finish, Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala were leading Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi by 8.4 seconds. Jakub Matulka/Daniel Dymurski and defending champions Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk followed with gaps of 0.5 and 1.8 seconds respectively.
The tense fight for the victory continued over the second leg on Sunday. With three fastest times across the day’s seven stages, Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala secured the victory. Jakub Matulka/Daniel Dymurski and Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk took second and third position, making the podium a full Škoda affair. “This rally was quite tricky, the win ranks very high in my career,” emphasized Teemu Suninen, who also gave team The Racing Factory their first ever overall victory in the FIA European Rally Championship. The 32-year-old Finn extended his lead over Andrea Mabellini in the drivers’ overall rankings to 23 points. Defending champion Mikołaj Marczyk sits in third position after four of seven events.
The FIA European Rally Championship continues with Barum Czech Rally Zlín from 14–16 August.
Number of the rally: 6
Marco Bulacia from Bolivia together with Spanish co-driver José Murado as well as Polish pairings Adrian Rzeźnik/Kamil Kozdroń and Jarosław Szeja/Marcin Szeja finished in positions six to eight. This brings the total of Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews inside the top 10 to six.
Result Rally Poland – Rajd Polski (POL), 24-26 July 2026,
4th round of the FIA European Rally Championship
1 Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala (FIN/FIN), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, 1:38.52.8 hours
2 Jakub Matulka/Daniel Dymurski (POL/POL), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +9.7 seconds
3 Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL/POL), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +13.5 seconds
4 Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi (ITA/ITA), Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, +16.1 seconds
5 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (POL/POL), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +41.5 seconds
6 Marco Bulacia/José Murado, (BOL/ESP), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +51.4 seconds
7 Adrian Rzeźnik/Kamil Kozdroń, (POL/POL), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1:07.1 minutes
8 Jarosław Szeja/Marcin Szeja (POL/POL), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1:16.2 minutes
Standings Drivers (after 4 of 7 events)
1 Teemu Suninen (FIN), Škoda, 80 points
2 Andrea Mabellini (ITA), Lancia, 57 points
3 Mikołaj Marczyk (POL), Škoda, 47 points
4 Giandomenico Basso (ITA), Škoda, 45 points
5 Jakub Matulka (POL), Škoda, 35 points
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