{"id":3368,"date":"2025-06-13T22:03:19","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T22:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldrally.eu\/?p=3368"},"modified":"2025-06-13T22:03:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T22:03:20","slug":"rally-poland-2025-begins-with-strong-performances-and-local-triumph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldrally.eu\/index.php\/2025\/06\/13\/rally-poland-2025-begins-with-strong-performances-and-local-triumph\/","title":{"rendered":"Rally Poland 2025 Begins with Strong Performances and Local Triumph"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morning Shakedown \u2013 A Confident Start<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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 M\u0101rti\u0146\u0161 Sesks set the pace early, posting the fastest time of 3:25.834.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mabellini and Lenzi at Shakedown \/ Photo by TG MotorPhoto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Top 5 Shakedown Times<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. M\u0101rti\u0146\u0161 Sesks \u2013 3:25.834<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Roope Korhonen \u2013 3:29.361<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Mads \u00d8stberg \u2013 3:29.989<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Philip Allen \u2013 3:30.055<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Jon Armstrong \u2013 3:30.370<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Qualifying \u2013 Sesks Keeps Momentum<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    St\u00e9phane 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Sesks and Francis at SS1 \/ Photo by TG MotorPhoto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Evening Super Special Stage \u2013 Polish Crew Shines in Miko\u0142ajki<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The day concluded with a 2.5 km Super Special Stage held at the Miko\u0142ajki Arena, following a ceremonial start in the town\u2019s historic center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Polish duo Marczyk and Gospodarczyk delivered a standout performance in front of their home crowd. Although they didn\u2019t beat their personal best of 1:44.6, their time was still the quickest of the evening, securing their fourth ERC stage win here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    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 \u00d8stberg with Giovanni Bernacchini rounded out the top five (+1.2 s).<\/p>\n\n\n\n