The 81st edition of Rally Poland, the second oldest rally event in the world, kicked off today, 13 June. This historic rally is the fourth round of the 2025 European Rally Championship (ERC).
Morning Shakedown – A Confident Start
Friday morning began with the traditional shakedown session. This gave drivers a chance to get a feel for the course and make final adjustments to their cars. Latvian star Mārtiņš Sesks set the pace early, posting the fastest time of 3:25.834.
Top 5 Shakedown Times:
- Mārtiņš Sesks – 3:25.834
- Roope Korhonen – 3:29.361
- Mads Østberg – 3:29.989
- Philip Allen – 3:30.055
- Jon Armstrong – 3:30.370
Qualifying – Sesks Keeps Momentum
In the 6.3 km qualifying stage, Sesks and his co-driver Renars Francis proved their speed again. They clocked the fastest time, beating their earlier shakedown run with a 3:25.626 finish.
Stéphane Lefebvre and co-driver Andy Malfoy, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, led for most of the session. But Sesks managed to take the top spot by 0.428 seconds. Young Swede Isak Reiersen and his co-driver Stefan Gustavsson placed third, just 0.743 seconds behind the leader.
Evening Super Special Stage – Polish Crew Shines in Mikołajki
The day concluded with a 2.5 km Super Special Stage held at the Mikołajki Arena, following a ceremonial start in the town’s historic center.
Polish duo Marczyk and Gospodarczyk delivered a standout performance in front of their home crowd. Although they didn’t beat their personal best of 1:44.6, their time was still the quickest of the evening, securing their fourth ERC stage win here.
Mabellini and Lenzi finished just 0.1 seconds behind, while Sesks and Francis were only 0.2 seconds off the lead. Championship leaders Roope Korhonen and Anssi Viinikka placed fourth (+0.4 s), and Mads Østberg with Giovanni Bernacchini rounded out the top five (+1.2 s).