Opel reinforced its strong position in the FIA ERC Junior at the Kenotek Ypres Rallye in West Flanders, Belgium. Pole Aleks Zawada and his French co-driver Cathy Derousseaux celebrated their first victory in their customer ADAM R2, ahead of German Opel works drivers Marijan Griebel/Stefan Clemens from the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team and Julius Tannertand his Luxembourgian co-driver Jennifer Thielen in another customer ADAM R2. Three of this year's four season victories in the FIA ERC Junior have now gone to the brand with the blitz.
"A fantastic day, a fantastic car, a fantastic rallye,"said an elated Zawada, who seemed to be out of the running for victory at the beginning of the second day after his 190 hp front-wheel drive car was stuck in a ditch for a minute after a harmless spin. But the Polish-French team did not give up, fought their way back and ultimately also benefitted from their competitors' back luck. "Luck also plays a role, and the score is settled at the very end," said Zawada. "I am really sorry for Emil and Marijan. Both deserved to win. But I am overjoyed that our efforts resulted in victory."
The Opel works drivers Emil Bergkvist and Marijan Griebel battled for the lead from the first kilometer before both were impeded by mishaps. First Bergkvist had to retire his ADAM R2 in the12th of 17 stages with an engine problem. And then Griebel, who went into the last stage with a 36-second lead, suffered a left rear puncture shortly before the finish line. The 26-year-old from Hahnweiler still managed to take his ADAM R2 across the finish line on one rim, but the time loss of nearly one minute sent him and his co-driver Stefan Clemens (28, from Thailen) to second place behind Zawada.
Griebel was understandably frustrated: "After a few days, I'll probably be able to be pleased with our good performance and Opel Motorsport's superior showing in this magnificent setting in front of thousands of excited spectators here in Ypres. But right now disappointment is the overwhelming feeling. Opel's triple victory clearly proves that especially on asphalt, the ADAM R2 currently sets the benchmark in its class. So we're going into the last two FIA ERC Junior events in Estonia and the Czech Republic with a lot of self-confidence."