Schulz wins Rallye Stemweder Berg as Lloyd takes ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup lead
Timo Schulz took his third win of the season at the ADAC Rallye Stemweder Berg, while Ioan Lloyd moved to the top of the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup standings.
- 1 minute 18 seconds
- 14 stages, 141.8 km
- 207 kW (281 hp)
- 10 points
What Happened
Timo Schulz dominated the ADAC Rallye Stemweder Berg, the German and his co-driver Maresa Lade keeping their rivals at bay in their all-electric Opel Mokka GSE Rally to take their third victory of the season at the fourth round of the 2026 ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup. The pair finished 1 minute and 18 seconds ahead of the runners-up and set the fastest time on no fewer than ten of the 14 special stages, which covered 141.8 kilometres. Thanks to 'remote charging', the electric cars, with power outputs of up to 207 kW (281 hp), once again covered the entire distance of the rally.
“It really went like clockwork. We were able to pull away early on and manage our lead thereafter. Here, unlike in the JERC, it's not a seven-point lead but a seven-point deficit in the standings – but there are still three rounds to go in the Cup. It's incredibly close, and everything is still up for grabs.”
Ioan Lloyd is the new leader of the world's first electric rally one-make cup, taking the top spot after finishing third to secure his fourth podium finish of the season. Tom Dufour, who had travelled to North Rhine-Westphalia as championship leader, was in second place when he lost his left front wheel during a run-off in the fourth special stage, after which the stage had to be neutralised. Dufour and his co-driver Alex Dubois were able to restart on Saturday, but a ten-minute time penalty for failing to complete the special stage left them out of contention for the top positions. Dufour slipped to third in the standings, and after four of seven rounds just ten points separate the top three.
“Today was a real rollercoaster ride. We got off to a good start and were in second place behind Timo and Maresa, who were once again incredibly strong. Then came a spin and rear-axle damage, which set us back to fifth place. I'm really pleased that we still managed to make it onto the podium and pick up the points for second place in the Power Stage. The battle against Timo and Tom is incredibly close – that's exactly what makes the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup so special.”
- Alex Español of Spain, last year's Cup runner-up, and his co-driver Enrique Velasco finished second – their strongest performance of the season.
- Valentino Ledda of Italy, with new co-driver Lorenzo Fratta, was on course for a podium until shortly before the end, but passed a time control too late before special stage 13; the ten-second penalty and a mistake in the final stage dropped him to fifth overall behind the Swedish team Dante Johansson and Tom Törngren.
- Claire Schönborn made another decisive improvement on Saturday and finished sixth overall at the rally where she had begun her rallying career with Opel just two years ago, setting the second-fastest time in special stage 12.
- Belgian Thyrsa Eertmans followed immediately behind the German in seventh place.
- 111 points
- 104 points
- 101 points
Behind the top three, Dante Johansson is fourth on 70 points, ahead of Claire Schönborn on 62, Alex Español on 55, Thyrsa Eertmans on 44, Kamermans on 35, Wlömer on 20, Ledda on 16, Wilhelm on 16, Stütz on 14 and Luif on 13. The fifth round of the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup will take place from October 16 to 18 as part of the legendary Sanremo Rally in Italy. Schulz also heads into the final round of the Junior European Rally Championship (JERC) in Portugal at the end of October as the leader.
Previously from Opel Automobile GmbH
Motorclaw reported earlier in September that the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup was making its German debut: the world's first electric rally one-make cup arrived in Germany, where remote charging allowed the Opel Mokka GSE Rally to contest every special stage at the Rallye Stemweder Berg on September 25-26. Today's round-four results come from that event.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Opel Automobile GmbH's official releases.
Why this matters
The ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup is the world's first electric rally one-make cup, so each round tests whether battery-electric rally cars can cover a full event distance: here 141.8 km over 14 special stages, run with remote charging. With three rounds left and only ten points covering the top three, the title fight between Lloyd, Schulz and Dufour is still wide open.
Terms in This Story
- one-make cup
- A motor-racing series in which every competitor drives an identical car supplied by the same manufacturer.
- special stage
- A timed section of a rally run on closed roads, where crews race against the clock rather than side by side.
- Power Stage
- A designated stage of a rally that carries extra championship points for the fastest crews.
- remote charging
- Charging vehicles away from a permanent charging point rather than at a fixed station.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.