!NEW! Rallye Deutschland: Opel Teams Join World’s Rallye Elite

• ADAC Opel Rallye Cup again at German round of World Rallye Championship
• ADAM teams expect four intense days with chance at double points
• ADAC Opel Rallye Junior team celebrates European Championship with fans

Junior European Champion: Emil Bergkvist and his Opel ADAM R2 from the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team.

The ADAC Rallye Deutschland from August 20 – 23, 2015 is a journey into a new dimension for many teams in the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup. This round of the FIA ERC, where the Opel teams again race in two complete stages, impresses with its commanding itinerary. It is even more formidable than last year: instead of 18 there are 20 special stages and the overall distance has increased to a mighty 1,285 kilometers.

Rallye Deutschland: The World Championship round on home turf is a highlight for the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup teams

So the teams face a strenuous and exciting week when they set off on Tuesday to meticulously prepare their pace notes for the rallye. As usual, the cars will leave the service park in Trier to head to the special stages, which follow demanding asphalt tracks through the idyllic Moselle region as well as the Baumholder military range with its notorious Panzerplatte and the legendary Gina jump. At 45 kilometers, the Panzerplatte Long stage that will be run twice on Saturday is by far the longest in the entire Cup season. Directly before this super stage, the participants complete three spectator-friendly sprints of 2.9 kilometers on the Arena Panzerplatte circuit track that already attracted thousands of rallye fans last year. In addition to racing excitement, fans can look forward to great entertainment: from 2 p.m. on Saturday, the German band Revolverheld will rev things up even more.

Jump “Gina“: The Rallye Deutschland special stages follow demanding asphalt tracks through the idyllic Moselle region as well as the Baumholder military range

The first highlight is the show start at the Porta Nigra in Trier on Thursday evening. The Cup teams will tackle the first leg with eight special stages on Friday. The second leg with twelve special stages (the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup will leave out stage 17 “Bosenberg”) goes from early Saturday to Sunday mid-day. Full points and full prize money will be awarded for both parts of the rallye. At the end of the second leg, at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland finish line, the teams will have completed almost 340 stage kilometers – about three times as much as at a “normal” race in the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup. Those who make it will drive over the finish ramp in front of the Porta Nigra on Sunday afternoon.

Experience has shown that not only the world elite promise an absolutely first-class show with their spectacular World Rallye cars, the Opel ADAM Cup cars are also real attention-getters in every race and have already caused quite a sensation in the rallye world.

Top favorite: Last year’s winner Marijan Griebel has a good shot at the Division 5 class victory, and he can also capture second place in the European Championship at the FIA ERC Junior season-finale Barum Rallye in the Czech Republic the last weekend in August.

Not to mention the around 190 hp ADAM R2 with which Opel works drivers Marijan Griebel (26, from Hahnweiler) and Emil Bergkvist (21, from Torsåker) from the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior team have stirred up the FIA ERC Junior this season. Quite literally – at the Rally Estonia in mid-July, the young Swede Bergkvist already won the title before the season’s end. His German team colleague Griebel, last year’s ADAC Rallye Deutschland winner and one of the top favorites in Division 5, has a good shot at taking second place in the European Championship at the FIA ERC Junior season-finale Barum Rallye in the Czech Republic the last weekend in August. All the more reason the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior team drivers can hardly wait to perform for German rallye fans as European champions at the home race.