ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup with Electrifying Premiere in Austria

• A first: At the Rallye Weiz, the Opel Mokka GSE Rally will contest all special stages of a rally for the first time and will therefore be classified in the overall standings
• ‘Remote charging’: Innovative new charging infrastructure enables mobile charging between special stages
• Three-way battle at the top: Tom Dufour and Timo Schulz are chasing championship leader Ioan Lloyd

The ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup heads into its third round of the season this weekend at the Rallye Weiz with a landmark first. For the first time, the Opel Mokka GSE Rally cars, delivering up to 207 kW (281 hp), will tackle all the special stages of a rally in Austria – and will therefore also feature in the rally’s overall classification. This is made possible by the new mobile charging infrastructure that has been in operation since the start of the season in the world’s first electric rally one-make cup. The key innovation is ‘remote charging’: charging between two special stages outside the service park. To achieve this, the charging points are no longer permanently installed in the service park, but are transported on articulated lorries to wherever they are needed.

The charging stations have an internal storage capacity of 160 kilowatt-hours and deliver up to 250 kW of charging power, which can be split between two connections, each with a capacity of 125 kW. Eight charging cubes per truck can therefore power up to 16 rally cars simultaneously. Additionally, the charging stations are connected to a 150 kWh buffer storage unit. This enables them to operate independently of external power sources, whilst also having additional reserves at their disposal: the battery-electric charging trucks can, if necessary, feed additional power from their 450-kWh batteries into the buffer battery via their own inverter. The stations and the buffer storage system are recharged via a low-voltage connection, which at the Rallye Weiz provides a 100 per cent mix of renewable energy sources. This means that not only the rally vehicles but also the trucks operate locally emissions-free.

“The Rallye Weiz marks a real milestone for the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup. The fact that our Opel Mokka GSE Rally are completing all the special stages here for the first time and featuring in the overall standings makes me incredibly proud. It proves that we’ve got our concept spot on. Thanks to our new, mobile ‘remote charging’ system, we’re showing the motorsport world that electric rallying is absolutely suitable for long distances and highly flexible. We’re no longer waiting for the infrastructure to come to us – we simply take it ourselves to where the action is,” said Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott.

Strong field of promises adrenaline and intense competition

The ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup is not only setting the benchmark worldwide in terms of innovation and pioneering spirit, the competitive standard in the all-electric series is equally impressive. Drivers from nine nations, most of them under the age of 26, will line up for the third competitive outing of the season. And the opening two rounds of the season – the ELE Rally in the Netherlands and the Rallye Vosges Grand-Est in France – have shown that every tenth of a second is fiercely contested. No fewer than six drivers have set a fastest stage time so far this season, and the gaps at the top of the field are exceptionally close.

Following a third-place finish in the season opener and victory in the last race, Welshman Ioan Lloyd and his co-driver Sion Williams have taken the lead in the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup standings. Hot on the heels of the British pair are the young French duo Tom Dufour and Alex Dubois, who have also posted top times in the two rallies so far. Third place is occupied by experienced German driver Timo Schulz, who, alongside co-driver Maresa Lade, won the season-opener in the Netherlands.

And then there is Luca Pröglhöf: the 2024 Cup champion is making an electric comeback at his home rally. As always, he and his co-driver Christina Ettel are certainly not the type to just sit back and watch! Spectators can therefore expect plenty of excitement at the front of the field.

The Rallye Weiz features eleven special stages covering 140.5 kilometres. The rally kicks off on Friday (17th July) from 3.55 pm. After three special stages, the Opel Mokka GSE Rally will spend the night in the parc fermé from 8.35 pm. On Saturday, the action continues from 8 am, with the rally cars crossing the finish line in Weiz from 6 pm. Rally fans can follow the electrifying action in Styria via live timing at www.adac.de/motorsport.

Standing ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup (after 2 of 7 rounds)

1. Ian Lloyd (GB)                       60 points
2. Tom Dufour (F)                     58
3. Timo Schulz (D)                    35
4. Fabian Kamermans (NL)     35
5. Dante Johansson (S)            31
6. Claire Schönborn (D)           29
7. Alex Español (E)                    28
8. Thyrsa Eertmans (B)            20
9. Lukas Wilhelm (A)                16
10. Lars Stütz (D)                      14