Saturday at Barum Rally Zlín delivered one of the most punishing days of the season, with crews tackling six demanding stages, Pohorelice, Trojak, and Bunc, each run twice. What began as a routine morning quickly turned into a day defined by attrition, cancellations, and heartbreak for several key contenders.
On SS4, Creighton suffered an accident and the stage was cancelled, marking the first major interruption of the day. The Czech asphalt, fast and unforgiving, was already showing its teeth.
The afternoon brought even more drama. SS6 became the most chaotic test of the rally so far: Filip Kohn rolled, Reis Suniman crashed, and Jiri Hanák also went off, forcing officials to cancel another stage for a second time.
The list of casualties didn’t end there. Coleman struck a rock on the line, breaking his suspension and dropping out of contention. But the biggest heartbreak belonged to local hero Jan Kopecký. Running second overall, just 1.1 seconds behind the rally leader, he was forced to retire after a broken brake pipe left him unable to continue.
Even the final stage of the day carried its own sting. Philip Mareš, holding a strong third place, suffered a front‑right puncture that cost him crucial seconds and pushed him off the podium heading into Sunday.
Saturday standings
- 1. Adam Březík – 1:11:05.7
- 2. Mikołaj Marczyk – +9.7
- 3. Teemu Suninen – +11.3
- 4. Andrea Mabellini – +13.1
- 5. Jakub Matulka – +26.7
- 6. Filip Mareš – +33.4
- 7. Erik Cais – +34.2
- 8. Ján Kundlák – +58.9
- 9. Simone Tempestini – +1:02.0
- 10. Simon Wagner – +1:29.9
