Opel Motorsport

The Opel Corsa-e Rally is the first all-electric rally car from a carmaker. The Blitz-badged electric vehicles will next year take part in their own one-make series – the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup.

Four Corsa-e Rally cars from Opel Motorsport, in the hands of drivers Marijan Griebel, Horst Rotter and Opel racing legend, Volker Strycek, last week completed three days of testing at the Pferdsfeld Test Center. The 100kW (136hp) cars covered a total of 1,500 kilometres without problems. The Corsa-e Rally is based on the successful Opel Corsa-e, the winner of the 2020 Golden Steering Wheel.

Two complete rounds of the German Rally Championship (DRM) were rehearsed during the three-day test programme – including special stages, road sections and servicing. The unique features of electro-mobility, such as times spent driving and charging, temperature management of the battery and fine-tuning the software, were tested for the first time in a rally environment. The all-electric cars also completed long runs to test the durability of the new components.

“It was an efficient and successful test”, said Opel Motorsport Director, Jörg Schrott. “We gathered important data and information for the ongoing preparations for the 2021 Opel e-Rally Cup. Unfortunately, several test rallies with our development cars could not take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That made our rally simulation in Pferdsfeld even more important – as a result, the new Corsa-e Rally is now ready to go.”

The ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup will comprise eight qualifying rounds between spring and autumn 2021. An additional preparation rally for all registered teams is planned before the actual start of the season.