Huge success for Simon Wagner from Mühlviertel: After his fourth national championship title in a row and victory at the home rally in Perg, the 31-year-old and his co-driver Jara Hain achieved a sensational second place overall at the Barum Rally in Zlin. For the first time since 2010, the victory did not go to series winner Jan Kopecky, but to 24-year-old Dominik Stritesky, who also leads the Czech national championship.
Wagner made a brilliant start to the rally on Friday evening with a stage best time on the nine-kilometer stage in Zlin. However, an eleventh place on the second stage dropped the Mauthausen native to fourth place. From then on, however, it was all uphill for the national champion. Two second times despite heavy rain on Saturday and another best time on Sunday secured Wagner second place overall. Four bonus points were also awarded for a second place on the final Power Stage.
Three January Rally winners left behind
“It was a great weekend. It’s incredible to race against all the locals here and I’m really proud of the team. We are the only ones who have consistently been on the podium over the past three years,” said Wagner as he crossed the finish line.
In the overall ranking, Wagner’s wild ride left the January Rally winners Hermann Neubauer (8th), Jan Kopecky (9th) and Vaclav Pech (10th) more than two minutes behind. Incidentally, Hermann Neubauer from Lungau also achieved his personal best European Championship result with eighth place. “I have been here three times so far and have never made it to the finish. I have finally managed that,” said Neubauer in his first reaction.
Read also: The OÖN in the cockpit of the four-time national champion – also available as a video:
From 21st to sixth place
With the 28 points he collected at the Barum Rally, Wagner is suddenly in the middle of the fight for the podium in the European Championship. The success in the Czech Republic saw him move up from 21st place in the overall standings to sixth place. The gap to third place overall, the Pole Marczyk Mikolaj, is 23 points. Wagner is 47 points behind the overall leader, the Australian Hayden Paddon.
The European Championship continues from August 30th to September 1st with a round in Wales. 183.02 kilometers of asphalt await the drivers in the city of Aberystwyth. The season will conclude with the Rally Silesia in Katowice, Poland, which will take place from October 11th to 13th.
