Before the first of three events in France, at the Rallye Vosges Grand-Est next weekend on June 15/16, the battle for the top spots in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe” is in full swing.
At the previous round as part of the ELE Rally in the Netherlands, no fewer than five drivers won at least one of the 12 special stages. In the end, 24-year-old Austrian Luca Pröglhöf and co-driver Christina Ettel beat the Spanish duo Alex Español Jove/Patricia Sáiz Ruiloba by 8.8 seconds. Third place went to the brothers Anthony and Adrien Rott from France.
Christian Lemke (24) and Jan-Eric Bemmann were very unlucky. The winners of the Cup opener in Sulingen had made a strong start to the ELE Rally with a best time before their Corsa Rally Electric was delayed by water damage. The two Germans are therefore all the more motivated ahead of the third round of the world’s first electric one-make rally cup around the town of Gérardmer at the foot of the Vosges mountains.
Last year, the Rallye Vosges Grand-Est proved to be an ordeal for people and machines. “The roads have lots of bumps, rough asphalt, stones and deep cuts. You must drive not only fast, but also intelligently. In many places, you can’t win the rally, but you can lose it,” says Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott. A total of seven special stages covering 116.4 kilometres are scheduled between Saturday morning and Sunday evening.
The Rallye Vosges Grand-Est is a home event for four participants in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup. Anthony and Adrien Rott (24 and 22) in particular have big plans. After a strong start to the season, the Alsatians are in third place overall. For their compatriots Alizée Pottier (23), who will start in the Vosges with Manon Perrin in the co-driver’s seat, as well as Emma Chalvin (23) and her co-driver Emy Ailloud-Perraud, it is all about continuing the upward trend of the first rounds. Chalvin caused a stir at the ELE Rally with a controlled drive to fourth place in the most adverse weather conditions. Julien Casale is making a guest appearance in the Opel Corsa Rally Electric. The 29-year-old from Merville is competing in the Stellantis Rally Cup France this year. His co-driver is Pierre Delorme.
The Corsa Rally Electric, which is being used by the Dutch motorsport association KNAF as part of a young talent scouting program, will be driven by Hank Melse (25) and Joep Van Heutgen, who had already competed in the Cup season opener in Sulingen. Twenty-one year-old Lyssia Baudet will again be starting for the Belgian RACB together with her regular co-driver Pauline Denis.
Three Opel Astra GSe ensure safety as so-called “course cars”. Driving ahead of the participants, they check the special stages for correct drivability and compliance with the restricted areas, and also alert stage personnel and spectators to the rally vehicles that are approaching shortly.
For rally fans who cannot follow the action in France on site, there is live timing at www.opel-motorsport.com and www.adac.de/motorsport.
Standings ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe” after 2 of 8 rounds:
| 1. Pröglhöf | 60 points. |
| 2. Español | 48. |
| 3. Rott | 45. |
| 4. Hangodi | 44. |
| 5. Lemke | 42. |
| 6. Chalvin | 27. |
| 7. Pottier and Kurstjens | 16 each. |
| 9. Kamermans and Bayer | 14 each. |
| 11. Melse | 12. |
| 12. Wittenbeck | 9. |
| 13. Baudet | 8. |
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