- Round 8: First electric rally cup as part of FIA World Rally Championship qualifier
- Carlberg or Reiter: Who will take the 2023 title at the Central European Rally?
After a thrilling season, the 2023 ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe” will celebrate its finale at the Central European Rally (October 26 to 29). For the first time, electric rally cars will take part in a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The Central European Rally (CER) follows a new concept, with the special stages taking place in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. The central service point is in Passau, the start is in Prague.
The mostly young teams in their Opel Corsa Rally Electric cars can expect a special highlight. The celebratory start on Thursday afternoon in the Czech capital in front of thousands of fans promises to be an impressive experience. And the atmosphere around the big stars from the WRC will provide a special backdrop with over 200,000 spectators expected.
Nine special stages covering a total of 117 kilometres are on the itinerary for the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup. After the start and two short “Super Special Stages” in Prague, the Cup teams will pause on Friday before the rally proper takes place on Saturday and Sunday with seven stages in Germany and Austria.
From a sporting perspective, the Central European Rally will see a showdown. As part of the WRC round, the 2023 title fight in the world’s first electric one-make rally cup will be decided. The young Swede Calle Carlberg (23) travels to Passau with a lead of 17 points over his German rival Max Reiter, who is the same age. That means that fourth place would be enough for the Scandinavian, as always with father Torbjörn in the co-driver’s seat, to win the title. “I won’t rely on that. I want to win at the CER,” states Carlberg. With a maximum of 35 points on offer, Reiter and his co-driver Conny Nemenich must go on the attack. “And that’s what we will do,” promises Reiter. “But no matter how it turns out, we want to enjoy the CER, have a lot of fun and make the most of the experience. We’ll see everything else on Sunday evening.”
Anyone who cannot be at the rally live can follow the event online on the pay-for-view channel “wrc+” and find live timing at www.opel-motorsport.com.
Standings ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup (after 7 of 8 rounds):
1. Carlberg, 226 points.
2. Reiter 209.
3. Pröglhöf 151.
4. Rumeau 134.
5. Van Hoof 94.
6. Lemke 91.
7. Baur 72.
8. Gudet 58.
9. Mendoza 51.
10. Rott 48.
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