Celebrating its 100th birthday, Rally Poland offers some new features to the 72 teams on the ERC entry list. While the high-speed gravel roads around Mikołajki in the Masurian Lake District again host the main action, the finish will be held in Warsaw. The last of in total 14 stages, named “Rally Poland 100th Anniversary”, is the event’s only sealed-surface test and runs on asphalt or cobblestones through streets of the historic part of the country’s capital.
One of the drivers, who have already won second oldest rally in the world still existing, is Andreas Mikkelsen. This year driving a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo run by Toksport WRT, the Norwegian triumphed, when Rally Poland was part of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) back in 2016. “It has always been one of my favourite rallies, the profile of the roads, the speed, a little bit of loose, but it’s offering quite high grip. That gives a nice sensation on the fast stages,” Mikkelsen looks ahead. “It’s a fast rally and you have to be really committed. That means, it’s good fun.” Consequently, Mikkelsen and co-driver Ola Fløene are one of the top-seeded crews among the roughly 40 competitors entered in the top class of RC2 cars.
Also in this category fits Nils Solans, the FIA Junior World Rally Champion of 2017. He shares one of Rally Team Spain’s ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo with WRC event winning co-driver Marc Martí. High hopes for overall victory as well share local heroes Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk in Team Orlen’s ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo and multiple Hungarian champion Norbert Herczig/Ramón Ferencz of ŠKODA Rally Team Hungaria.
Emilio Fernández/Ruben Garcia (CHL/ARG, Toksport WRT), Efrén Llarena/Sara Fernández (ESP/ESP, Rally Team Spain), Grzegorz Grzyb/Michał Praodzisz (POL/POL, RUFA Motor-Sport), Simone Tempestini/Sergiu Itu (ROM/ROM), Vladas Jurkevičius/Aisvydas Paliukėnas (LTU/LTU), Adrian Chwietczuk/Jarosłav Baran (POL/POL, Holowczyc Racing), Wojciech Chuchała/Sebastian Rozwadowski (POL/POL, Marten Sport), Gregor Jeets/Timo Taniel (EST/EST, Tehase Auto), Kacper Wróblewski/Jakub Wróbel (POL/POL), Aloísio Monteiro/Sancho Eíro (POR/POR) and Alberto Batistolli/Simone Scattolin (ITA/ITA) add up to a total of 15 private ŠKODA crews on the ERC entry list.
Rally Poland kicks off on Friday evening (18 June) with the spectacular Mikołajki Arena Super Special Stage. Seven speed tests follow on Saturday (19 June), before the rally on Sunday (20 June) heads with another six stages towards the finish in Warsaw’s national football stadium.
Did you know,…
…that run for the first time in 1921, Rally Poland is the second oldest rally in the world after Rallye Monte-Carlo?
…that a founding round of the world championship in 1973, when current FIA President Jean Todt co-drove Germany’s Achim Warmbold to victory?
…that Rally Poland’s links with the European championship date back to 1960?
…that Mikołajki has been Rally Poland’s base since 2005, which marked the event’s switch from asphalt to gravel stages?
…that Rally Poland after a break of 36 years was part of the FIA World Rally Championship in 2009 and again from 2014 to 2017?
2021 FIA European Rally Championship
Rally Poland 18 – 20 June
Rally Liepāja (Latvia) 1 – 3 July
Rally Roma di Capitale (Italy) 23 – 25 July
Barum Czech Rally Zlín 27 – 29 August
Azores Rallye (Portugal) 16 – 19 September
Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras (Portugal) 1 – 3 October
Rally Hungary 22 – 24 October
Rally Islas Canarias (Spain) 18 – 20 November
