Teemu Suninen banked his maiden FIA European Rally Championship victory by fending off home heroes Jakub Matulka and Miko Marczyk on an action-packed 82nd Rally Poland.
Leading the Katowice-based event by 8.4sec at the start of Sunday’s seven-stage deciding leg, the Pirelli-equipped Finn edged closer to his first ERC win when he went fastest on the opening Przegibek test, which was back on the Rally Poland itinerary after a 27-year break.
Although Matulka trimmed his fellow Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver’s advantage to 9.3sec by winning he next stage, Suninen stood firm, even when Matulka moved to within 9.2sec of top spot with the fastest time on the penultimate stage.
By making it through the Silesian Voivodeship Power Stage unscathed and with the fourth fastest time, Suninen won for Portuguese-based The Racing Factory by 9.7sec.
“Rally Poland was quite tricky with lots of changes on the grip level,” said Suninen, who was co-driven by compatriot Antti Haapala and leads the provisional ERC standings by 23 points. “On the paper one of the trickiest rallies for me, but I was enjoying the car all the time and my driving so big, big thanks to the team. They have managed to make an excellent car for me and big thanks to Antti also. My schedule has been quite busy, and I haven’t been able to prepare as I want but co-drivers and teams have been helping me a lot.”
For Michelin-supplied Matulka, second place marked the Polish champion’s breakthrough ERC podium, while third position – 3.8sec behind Matulka – ended a frustrating run of results for Marczyk, the 2025 ERC title winner.
“It feels amazing, we did a really good job,” said ORLEN LOTTO Rally Team driver Matulka. “Teemu was untouchable here, okay the difference was not big, but he was too consistent and too fast. It’s a very big confidence boost for me after not the best last two rallies. I’m really, really happy.”
Andrea Mabellini began leg two in second place, 8.4sec off the lead, after a back-to-form showing on Saturday. But with the Przegibek test proving a “disaster” for the Italian driver as he slipped to fourth overall, his wait for a first ERC podium in Lancia Corse HF colours goes on after he missed out on third place by 2.6sec, despite going quickest on the Power Stage.
Having claimed second from Mabellini on SS9, Matulka cemented the position by winning SS10. He was quickest again on SS12 and SS14 as Rally Poland returned to asphalt-only stages for the first time since 2004 following its move south from Mikołajki for 2026.
Starting his first ERC rally since 2017, three-time European champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz spurned Marco Bulacia’s Sunday morning advances to secure fifth place, much to the delight of the thousands of fans lining the stages of Poland’s Silesian region.
Bulacia settled for sixth, his best performance on asphalt to date, with 19-year-old ERC3 category graduate Adrian Rzeżnik claiming a career-best seventh. Polish championship leader Jarosław Szeja hit back from a fifth-gear spin on SS9 to finish eighth.
Having run fifth at one stage, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver William Creighton demoted Erik Cais (Team MRF Tyres) for ninth on the Power Stage, with Hankook-supplied Isak Reiersen taking advantage of Philip Allen’s overshoot and spin on SS14 to finish 11th, the Swede’s first ERC points on asphalt.
The ERC’s high-speed asphalt adventure continues with the 55th Barum Czech Rally Zlín from 14 – 16 August. Click HERE for more information. Meanwhile, Suninen will contest his third rally in as many weeks when he takes part on the WRC-counting Secto Rally Finland from 30 July – 2 August.
Click HERE for results and updates and re-live all the action on Rally.TV.
Final standings:
1. T Suninen / A Haapala FIN Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 1h 38m 52.8s
2. J Matulka / D Dymurski POL Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +9.7s
3. M Marczyk / S Gospodarczyk POL Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +13.5s
4. A Mabellini / V Lenzi ITA Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2 +16.1s
5. K Kajetanowicz / M Szczepaniak POL Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +41.5s
6. M Bulacia / J Murado ESP Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +54.1s
