The final day of the Barum Czech Rally Zlín brought fewer surprises compared to the drama of Saturday. Although the gaps between the leaders grew, the top three positions stayed the same as the previous day.
The crews tackled two loops of three stages – Pindula, Podhoran, and Kateřinice. While most of the action ran smoothly, the last stage had to be cancelled after Dominik Střiteský suffered an accident. It was another unlucky end for the young driver, who faced three punctures in the same stage on Saturday.
At the top, Jan Kopecký once again proved his dominance. By securing his 12th Barum Rally victory, he confirmed his reputation as the master of Barum. After the finish, Kopecký admitted he was emotional: “I’m shaking now, because after last year (when Střiteský won) I was not expecting I could be as fast as this during this year.”
Behind him, Jon Armstrong finished second overall, scoring his second podium of the season. He also picked up three valuable points in the power stage, keeping his championship hopes alive. Andrea Mabellini completed the podium in third, boosting his title chances while also taking maximum points on the power stage. Unfortunately for Simon Wagner, his puncture on Saturday cost him too much time, and he could not recover, finishing fourth overall.
There was also a special return for Chris Ingram, who rejoined the ERC after nine months away. However, his comeback was far from smooth, with several tyre punctures, a bent steering rack, and power steering issues, he could only manage 45th overall.
Meanwhile, Calle Carlberg still had reason to celebrate. Despite retiring on Saturday due to a driveshaft failure, his earlier results were enough to crown him ERC Junior Champion. Congratulations to him and his team 🎉
Power Stage results
- Andrea Mabellini – 7:06.6
- Simon Wagner – +1.1
- Jon Armstrong – +2.9
- Miko Marczyk – +4.7
- Jan Kopecký – +6.7
Top 3
🥇Jan Kopecký and Jiří Hovorka – 2:00:49.3
🥈Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne – 2:01:00.0
🥉Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi – 2:01:03.1
The next stop in the European Rally Championship is Wales, taking place from 5 – 7 September, which will be the penultimate round of the season.
Overall Championship Standings after Barum (rd. 6)
