Filip Nivette wins the Rajd Gdańsk to extend his Polish championship lead
The Rajd Gdańsk (27th to 28th May) was the second round of the Polish Rally Championship (RSMP) and saw Filip Nivette and Kamil Heller claim their second win of the season to maintain their place at the top of the championship standings.
They were driving a FABIA R5 which was prepared and run by the Kresta Racing team and put in an impressive performance at what is the only gravel round of the RSMP season. They led the rally from start to finish, winning eight of the nine completed special stages (one stage was cancelled) and finished 52.3 seconds ahead of the pack.
Just behind Nivette in second place in the overall standings was another FABIA R5, the Auto Partner Rally Team car of Lithuanian duo Dominykas Butvilas / Renatas Vaitkevičius. Their FABIA R5, which was actually prepared and run by the ProRacing team, never slipped lower than second in the overall standings and four second fastest times on the stages and five third places ensured they would comfortably finish as runners-up.
Butvilas finished fifth at the Rajd Świdnicki, the opening round of the season, so this result has lifted him up to second in the championship standings after the opening two rallies.
There was also another FABIA R5 inside the top 10, as Marcin Gagacki / Marcin Bilski, who were driving for the Oponeo Motorsport team, came home in seventh place.
The Polish Rally Championship will resume from 3rd to 5th August with the Rajd Rzeszowski.
2017 Rajd Gdańsk Baltic Cup
Grzegorz Grzyb leads home ŠKODA’s One-Two-Three at the Rallye Tatry
It was a fantastic weekend for ŠKODA drivers at the Rallye Tatry (26th to 27th May) in the Slovak Rally Championship (MSR) as FABIAs finished first, second and third in the overall standings.
It was the Polish pairing of Grzegorz Grzyb / Bogusław Browiński who took the win by the narrowest of margins, beating fellow FABIA R5 driver Martin Koči by just 0.7 seconds. It was the third victory at the Rallye Tatry for Grzyb, who was driving for the Rufa Sport team, and the result keeps him firmly in the running for the championship.
It was a closely fought duel between the two, although one in which Grzyb always held the edge after winning the opening two special stages of the rally. But he was only to win one further stage as Koči (Styllex Motorsport), who along with co-driver Filip Schovánek was driving with pace and confidence, winning three stages of his own, to keep right on Grzyb’s tail.
There was another ŠKODA completing the podium, but this time it wasn’t a FABIA R5, as Tomáš Ondrej / Adam Gomori impressed in their FABIA WRC for the Xiqio Rally Team. They won no fewer than four stages and the podium place was their objective before the rally.
And that wasn’t the end of the good results as Igor Drotár / Tomáš Plachý managed to bring their Drotár Autošport FABIA R5 in seventh place overall.
The Slovak Rally Championship will continue with the Rally Hustopeče, which takes place on 16th and 17th June in the Czech Republic.
2017 Rallye Tatry
Fabian Kreim back on the top step of the podium at the Sachsen-Rallye
Fabian Kreim’s domination of the German Rally Championship (DRM) continued with another impressive victory in the fourth round of the season, the Sachsen-Rallye (26th to 27th May) in Zwickau.
Kreim, who was driving alongside regular co-driver Frank Christian for the ŠKODA AUTO Deutschland team in a FABIA R5 which was prepared and run by the Baumschlager Rallye & Racing team, won nine of the twelve special stages of this asphalt event, to secure victory 36.3 seconds from his nearest rival.
It was Kreim’s first ever victory at this event and his third win of the season and he is currently sitting in second place in the overall championship standings.
Dominik Dinkel / Christina Kohl also put in an impressive performance to finish third overall. Dinkel was also driving a car prepared and run by the Baumschlager Rallye & Racing but for the Brose Motorsport team. He drove a consistent rally and claimed one stage win, as he moved up to third in the championship standings.
There was also another FABIA R5 in fourth place as Sandro Wallenwein / Markus Poschner, driving for the race:pro motorsport team, took advantage of a 30-second penalty to rival Christophe Brugger, for touching the retarder on the final stage, to edge into the top 4.
The German Rally Championship continues with the Rallye Stemweder Berg which takes place on 23rd and 24th June.
2017 Sachsen Rallye
Rallye National du Saint-Emilion turns into a family affair as the Galpins steal the show
The story of the Rallye National du Saint-Emilion (27th May) was all about the Galpin family. Jérôme Galpin, who competes for Team FJ (the family company) with wife Anne as his co-driver, claimed an impressive victory. They won eleven of the twelve special stages to finish clear of the field by a margin of 1 minute 20 seconds.
But remarkably in fourth place, also driving a FABIA R5 in the colours of Team FJ, were Jérôme’s parents Jean and Françoise Galpin. They have been rallying since the 1970’s and have won more than 250 rallies as well as claiming the French Cup crown in 1987.
After starting out driving as a hobby, they went on to found Team FJ in 1991. These days the whole family is involved in the team, with Jérôme’s sister Julie also involved. They still find time to enter a few rallies each year themselves and always try to win.
Jérôme himself began racing in 1994 at the age of 18. He has won around 50 rallies himself and also claimed some podium finishes in the French Rally Championship. His wife Anne joined him in 2015 and in their debut season, they too won the French Cup.
And as if to prove that Team FJ is a family business, the other FABIA R5 they entered in this event was driven by Jean-Luc and Alexandra Roché. Jean-Luc is the father of Pierre Roché and husband to Martine, who compete for Team FJ in the French Championship. Alexandra is Jean-Luc and Martine’s daughter as well as Pierre’s sister.
There was another FABIA R5 inside the top 10 too, as Paul Gauthier / Ludovic Moreau finished in eighth place overall, but there was no doubt the headlines at the Rallye National du Saint-Emilion were all about the Family Galpin.
2017 Rallye National du Saint-Emilion
Filip Nivette wins the Rajd Gdańsk to extend his Polish championship lead
The Rajd Gdańsk (27th to 28th May) was the second round of the Polish Rally Championship (RSMP) and saw Filip Nivette and Kamil Heller claim their second win of the season to maintain their place at the top of the championship standings.
They were driving a FABIA R5 which was prepared and run by the Kresta Racing team and put in an impressive performance at what is the only gravel round of the RSMP season. They led the rally from start to finish, winning eight of the nine completed special stages (one stage was cancelled) and finished 52.3 seconds ahead of the pack.
Just behind Nivette in second place in the overall standings was another FABIA R5, the Auto Partner Rally Team car of Lithuanian duo Dominykas Butvilas / Renatas Vaitkevičius. Their FABIA R5, which was actually prepared and run by the ProRacing team, never slipped lower than second in the overall standings and four second fastest times on the stages and five third places ensured they would comfortably finish as runners-up.
Butvilas finished fifth at the Rajd Świdnicki, the opening round of the season, so this result has lifted him up to second in the championship standings after the opening two rallies.
There was also another FABIA R5 inside the top 10, as Marcin Gagacki / Marcin Bilski, who were driving for the Oponeo Motorsport team, came home in seventh place.
The Polish Rally Championship will resume from 3rd to 5th August with the Rajd Rzeszowski.
2017 Rajd Gdańsk Baltic Cup
Grzegorz Grzyb leads home ŠKODA’s One-Two-Three at the Rallye Tatry
It was a fantastic weekend for ŠKODA drivers at the Rallye Tatry (26th to 27th May) in the Slovak Rally Championship (MSR) as FABIAs finished first, second and third in the overall standings.
It was the Polish pairing of Grzegorz Grzyb / Bogusław Browiński who took the win by the narrowest of margins, beating fellow FABIA R5 driver Martin Koči by just 0.7 seconds. It was the third victory at the Rallye Tatry for Grzyb, who was driving for the Rufa Sport team, and the result keeps him firmly in the running for the championship.
It was a closely fought duel between the two, although one in which Grzyb always held the edge after winning the opening two special stages of the rally. But he was only to win one further stage as Koči (Styllex Motorsport), who along with co-driver Filip Schovánek was driving with pace and confidence, winning three stages of his own, to keep right on Grzyb’s tail.
There was another ŠKODA completing the podium, but this time it wasn’t a FABIA R5, as Tomáš Ondrej / Adam Gomori impressed in their FABIA WRC for the Xiqio Rally Team. They won no fewer than four stages and the podium place was their objective before the rally.
And that wasn’t the end of the good results as Igor Drotár / Tomáš Plachý managed to bring their Drotár Autošport FABIA R5 in seventh place overall.
The Slovak Rally Championship will continue with the Rally Hustopeče, which takes place on 16th and 17th June in the Czech Republic.
2017 Rallye Tatry
Fabian Kreim back on the top step of the podium at the Sachsen-Rallye
Fabian Kreim’s domination of the German Rally Championship (DRM) continued with another impressive victory in the fourth round of the season, the Sachsen-Rallye (26th to 27th May) in Zwickau.
Kreim, who was driving alongside regular co-driver Frank Christian for the ŠKODA AUTO Deutschland team in a FABIA R5 which was prepared and run by the Baumschlager Rallye & Racing team, won nine of the twelve special stages of this asphalt event, to secure victory 36.3 seconds from his nearest rival.
It was Kreim’s first ever victory at this event and his third win of the season and he is currently sitting in second place in the overall championship standings.
Dominik Dinkel / Christina Kohl also put in an impressive performance to finish third overall. Dinkel was also driving a car prepared and run by the Baumschlager Rallye & Racing but for the Brose Motorsport team. He drove a consistent rally and claimed one stage win, as he moved up to third in the championship standings.
There was also another FABIA R5 in fourth place as Sandro Wallenwein / Markus Poschner, driving for the race:pro motorsport team, took advantage of a 30-second penalty to rival Christophe Brugger, for touching the retarder on the final stage, to edge into the top 4.
The German Rally Championship continues with the Rallye Stemweder Berg which takes place on 23rd and 24th June.
2017 Sachsen Rallye
Rallye National du Saint-Emilion turns into a family affair as the Galpins steal the show
The story of the Rallye National du Saint-Emilion (27th May) was all about the Galpin family. Jérôme Galpin, who competes for Team FJ (the family company) with wife Anne as his co-driver, claimed an impressive victory. They won eleven of the twelve special stages to finish clear of the field by a margin of 1 minute 20 seconds.
But remarkably in fourth place, also driving a FABIA R5 in the colours of Team FJ, were Jérôme’s parents Jean and Françoise Galpin. They have been rallying since the 1970’s and have won more than 250 rallies as well as claiming the French Cup crown in 1987.
After starting out driving as a hobby, they went on to found Team FJ in 1991. These days the whole family is involved in the team, with Jérôme’s sister Julie also involved. They still find time to enter a few rallies each year themselves and always try to win.
Jérôme himself began racing in 1994 at the age of 18. He has won around 50 rallies himself and also claimed some podium finishes in the French Rally Championship. His wife Anne joined him in 2015 and in their debut season, they too won the French Cup.
And as if to prove that Team FJ is a family business, the other FABIA R5 they entered in this event was driven by Jean-Luc and Alexandra Roché. Jean-Luc is the father of Pierre Roché and husband to Martine, who compete for Team FJ in the French Championship. Alexandra is Jean-Luc and Martine’s daughter as well as Pierre’s sister.
There was another FABIA R5 inside the top 10 too, as Paul Gauthier / Ludovic Moreau finished in eighth place overall, but there was no doubt the headlines at the Rallye National du Saint-Emilion were all about the Family Galpin.
