A total of nine relatively long special stages covering around 148 kilometres have to be completed on the two rally days (September 6/7). The roads lead steeply uphill and downhill with fast, difficult passages that demand everything from the cockpit crews.
In terms of sport, the excitement is rising in the world’s first electric rally one-make cup. In the sixth of eight rallies of the year, four-time season winner and leader of the table Luca Pröglhöf can put himself in a promising position for the title fight with another top result. The 24-year-old Austrian and his co-driver Christina Ettel are travelling to France with a lead of 42 points. A generous cushion, but one that can quickly shrink again, as a total of 35 points are up for grabs in one round of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup.
The Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine is a home event for four teams in the electric field. The brothers Anthony and Adrien Rott, who are second in the overall standings, want to reduce their points deficit to Pröglhöf. The two women’s teams from the FFSA Academy, Emma Chalvin/Emy Ailloud-Perraud and Alizée Pottier/Manon Perrin, will undoubtedly also attract a lot of attention. Jérôme Chavanne and co-driver Emilie Galleano, who competed in the Stellantis Rallye Cup France last year, will take on the established electric cars as guest drivers.
The German duos Christian Lemke and Jan-Eric Bemmann as well as Johannes Wittenbeck and Maximilian Kugler have also declared their ambitions for a top result at Mont Blanc after strong performances and positions 2 and 5 at the ADAC Rallye Stemweder Berg. The regular Cup teams will meet two other guest drivers in Morzine. Axel Bayer (with co-driver Aaron Jungnickel) and Ann Felke (with Thomas Velz), after their electric debut at the season opener in Sulingen, will be back at the start in France next weekend.
In addition to rally organizer Philippe Vanesse, who will chauffeur guests around the stages in an Opel rally taxi, a particularly exciting duo in another Corsa Rally Electric will be driving ahead of the field of Cup participants to ensure safety on the stages: ADAC Sports President Dr. Gerd Ennser shares the car with his son Fabian, who has been part of the Opel motorsport family since his appearances in the former ADAC Opel Rallye Cup.
A long day of rallying awaits the Cup teams on Friday (September 6). The start in Morzine will be at 7.30 a.m., before seven special stages are scheduled until 8 p.m. The rally will be decided the following day from 8.30 a.m. with two further stages. The crossing of the finish ramp in Morzine will take place from 2 p.m.
