Opel at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland

The ADAC Rallye Deutschland from August 21 – 24 is a journey into a new dimension for most of the teams competing in this season’s ADAC Opel Rallye Cup. This prestigious event is also a round in the FIA World Rallye Championship and the Opel teams will contest all 18 stages and two complete scoring runs, which will present the young drivers with a very special challenge due to the sheer scale of the event.  
This year’s Rallye Deutschland will be based at Porta Nigra in Trier, instead of Cologne. The teams face an exciting challenge, which will start on Monday when they begin their pre-event reconnaissance runs to make pace notes. After starting as usual from the rallye’s service park, the 18 stages will take competitors along idyllic yet challenging asphalt tracks through the Moselle region, as well as provide tough tests at the military training grounds in Baumholder with their famous armour flat (Panzerplatte) section and legendary ’Gina’ jump.
The three-day event will cover a total of 1,227 km – almost three times the length of a normal Cup round within the ADAC Rallye Masters – including 326 km of timed stages. The challenging Panzerplatte Lang stage alone is 42.5 km long and will be driven twice on Saturday. Before each run, competitors will also complete a three kilometer sprint in the Arena Panzerplatte, which has the character of a circuit autodrome.
On Friday, the ADAM teams will tackle the first run with six stages comprising around 100 timed kilometers. The second run will go from Saturday morning to Sunday mid-day.
While the ADAC Rallye Deutschland represents a huge challenge for experienced competitors in the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup, it will be an even tougher test Opel driver Lina Van de Mars. In view of her limited experience, the famous TV host is approaching the “Deutschland Rallye adventure with due respect: “I’m not familiar with a single meter of this rallye, but I’ve received lots of reports and have a pretty good idea of what to expect,” she says. “My main goal has to be reaching the finish ramp on Sunday. But I’m really looking forward to the great tests ahead and many fans!” More information about Lina Van de Mars’s rallye experiences can be found on the www.opel-motorsport.com website under “Lina’s Rallye World”, where the Berlin resident reports on her adventures in the Opel ADAM Cup.
In addition to following the fortunes of ADAC Opel Rallye Cup competitors, rallye experts will also be keeping a close eye on the exploits of the two 190 hp ADAM R2 vehicles of the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team. Marijan Griebel (25, from Hahnweiler), as well as Fabian Kreim (21, from Fränkisch-Crumbach) have already caused quite a stir in expert circles during the first few months of competition since the ADAM R2 was homologated earlier this year. All told, the car has racked up no less than 14 class wins from 19 starts across Europe!
The Opel Rallye Junior Team looks forward to continuing this impressive form on the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. “It will be no walk in the park,” admits Marijan Griebel from personal experience. “Whoever wants to drive at the front can’t afford to give only 90 percent. We certainly have a fast car and we’re well prepared for what lies ahead.” Fabian Kreim is relaxed about his prospects: “We feel at home in our ADAM R2, but we’re not going to let ourselves go crazy. The top priority is to cross the finish line, and we’ll see how all the rest goes.”
Source: Opel