Teemu Suninen claims maiden ERC win at 82nd Rally Poland, Polish duo Matulka and Marczyk complete podium
Finland's Teemu Suninen secured his first FIA European Rally Championship event win at the 82nd Rally Poland on Sunday, finishing 9.7 seconds ahead of Polish champion Jakub Matulka on the asphalt stages of Silesia, with defending European champion Mikołaj Marczyk a further 3.8 seconds back.
Suninen dominates from Saturday
After Friday's single short city stage in Katowice, won by Italian Andrea Mabellini, the rally shifted to demanding asphalt tracks on Saturday. Jakub Matulka struck first, winning OS2 Jastrzębie-Zdrój to take a surprise overall lead.
- Mabellini wins opening city stage, leads rally.
- Matulka fastest, takes overall lead for first time in ERC.
- Suninen seizes lead on longest Saturday stage, Matulka drops to second.
- Suninen leads by 8.4s over Mabellini; Matulka third, 8.8s back.
- Matulka moves to second, deficit 11.1s after three stages.
- Mabellini wins, gains 5 bonus points, but finishes fourth overall.
- Suninen wins by 9.7s; Matulka second, Marczyk third, 16.1s separates top 4.
We did a good job. I felt great behind the wheel in difficult conditions. I think our experience paid off and we were able to drive quite regularly. Local drivers had really great, very even pace, but we also kept an even pace throughout and were one of the fastest crews — that was the key to victory.
Suninen's first ERC event victory extends his championship lead to 80 points, 23 clear of Mabellini.
Poles complete the podium
Jakub Matulka and co-driver Daniel Dymurski, the reigning Polish champions, were the revelation of the rally, winning six special stages, the most of any crew. Their aggression brought them within 9.7 seconds of Suninen by the finish, earning a career-best second place in an ERC round. "Six stage wins in a rally like this looks really great. We felt comfortable in the car and kept that pace, though it was at times killer," said Matulka.
- Suninen
- 5
- Matulka
- 6
- Mabellini
- 3
Mikołaj Marczyk, the 2025 European champion, fought hard with Mabellini for the final podium spot. A strong Power Stage earned him four bonus points and allowed him to edge the Italian by 2.6 seconds. He acknowledged Suninen's superiority:
I wanted a Pole to win this year. We can be proud of how the Polish crews performed here, but Teemu Suninen was out of reach. He showed world class and kept us all under control.
The top four were covered by just 16.1 seconds, underscoring the intensity of the competition. Fifth place went to three-time European champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz, 41.5 seconds behind.
Rescue and psychological strain
A serious accident on Saturday cast a shadow over the event. Czech crew Dominik Stritesky and Ondrej Krajca crashed heavily into a tree on OS3, which was subsequently cancelled. Marczyk and his co-driver Szymon Gospodarczyk stopped to assist before medics arrived. Marczyk later admitted the emotional toll: "We took part in the rescue operation for Dominik and Ondrej. It led to some psychological strain, but we returned to competition. I am happy we did." The incident highlighted the risks on the narrow Silesian roads.
RSMP and class honours
Within the Polish championship round, Matulka claimed his fifth career RSMP victory, ahead of Marczyk and Adrian Rzeźnik. Jarosław Szeja finished fourth and reinforced his overall RSMP points lead. In ERC3, Finnish crew Ville Vatanen and Joonas Ojala triumphed after early leaders Michał Chorbiński and Adam Chrzanowski retired with a lost wheel. Germany's Tom Heindrichs and Jonas Schmitz took victory in the Junior ERC category.
