!NEW! Opel is European Champion !

• Emil Bergkvist wins FIA ERC Junior in Opel ADAM R2
• Second place at Rally Estonia secures early championship title
• Team colleague Marijan Griebel with good shot at number two season finish 

Champions: Emil Bergkvist and his co-pilot Joakim Sjöberg secured the title in the FIA ERC Junior with their second place at the “auto24 Rally Estonia”.

In its first full season of competition, the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team with the Opel ADAM R2 has already taken the FIA ERC Junior by storm. With their second-place finish at the auto24 Rally Estonia, Emil Bergkvist (21, from Torsåker) and co-driver Joakim Sjöberg (29, from Ösmo) already won the title in the continent’s most fiercely contested Junior Rallye category one round before the season’s end. “I’m speechless,” beamed Bergkvist. “I want to thank everyone who contributed to this success, first and foremost Opel Motorsport and the whole team that always gave us a fantastic car. And of course my co-driver Jocke – without his perfect work this wouldn’t have been possible. The ERC Junior is so incredibly competitive that it takes a perfect team performance every time to get anywhere close to a podium finish. I really still can’t believe it!”

Successful duo: Emil Bergkvist impressed once again in his Opel ADAM R2 and could celebrate winning the FIA ERC Junior title in Estonia.

In addition to his high speed at the extremely fast gravel rallye in Estonia, Bergkvist also stole the show with an impressive and clever strategy. The two Swedes maintained a spot in the top 3 during all stages without taking incalculable risks for themselves and their Opel ADAM R2. And they didn’t let a 10-second penalty right at the start of the rallye distract them. Bergkvist said, “We quickly found a good rhythm and were able to attack without going all out. The car once again ran like clockwork. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the Opel ADAM R2 is the best rallye car in this category today.”

Also taking the two void results into account, Bergkvist/Sjöberg have a total of 128 points, which can no longer be achieved by any of their competitors. So the Barum Rallye season finale in the Czech Republic on the last weekend in August will be a show race for the two champions.

Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott was full of praise: “One can’t applaud Emil’s and Joakim’s outstanding performance over the entire season enough. They were at the front of the field in every rallye and very cleverly captured the title. A huge compliment also goes to the whole ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team. This passionate dedication and fantastic team spirit were the key to success. And we are of course extremely proud of our ADAM R2 that proved its ability to win under all conditions. To secure the title early in this tough championship in the first full year is much more than we could have expected. It is simply fantastic!”

Marijan Griebel (26, from Hahnweiler) and his co-driver Stefan Clemens (29, from Thailen) finished the demanding rallye in the Baltics a strong sixth, giving them a good shot at capturing second place in the FIA ERC Junior at the final rallye in the Czech Republic. “This was one of the hardest rallies I’ve ever driven in,” admitted Griebel. “I am very happy with the result. A lot of teams showed how difficult it was to drive fast here and how easy it was to make a mistake. We got better and better during the rallye and again gathered loads of experience on gravel. And of course I’m thrilled for Emil and Jocke: they and the whole ADAC Opel Rallye Team really deserve this sensational success.”

Potential runner-up: Opel factory driver Marijan Griebel still has a chance of finishing second in the FIA ERC Junior after claiming sixth place in Estonia.

In contrast, Pole Aleks Zawada and his French co-driver Cathy Derousseaux were plagued by bad luck in their customer Opel ADAM R2. The winners of the Ypres Rallye hit a rock in the fourth stage that one of the cars in front of them catapulted onto the track. On impact a wheel suspension broke and these parts punched through the oil pan. The next day, Zawada/Derousseaux tackled the second leg with their repaired car, but were again prematurely stopped. A clogged radiator caused the Opel ADAM R2 to overheat, dashing all chances of finishing the rallye. 

!NEW! Match Point for ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team

• Emil Bergkvist could already secure FIA ERC Junior title in Opel ADAM R2
• Extremely fast gravel surface at next-to-last FIA ERC Junior round in Estonia
• Marijan Griebel heading to Baltics in top form after recent outstanding performances

Joyful anticipation: Opel factory driver Emil Bergkvist admits that he loves driving on gravel tracks and wants to attack at the auto24 Rally Estonia.

The ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team is looking forward to its next big adventure at the auto24 Rally Estonia from July 17 to 19. The event around Tartu, about 180 kilometers south-east of Estonia’s capital Tallinn, is one of the fastest gravel rallies in Europe. So this fifth and penultimate round of the FIA ERC Junior seems to be tailor-made for Swede Emil Bergkvist (21, from Torsåker) and his Opel ADAM R2. The FIA ERC Junior leader and his co-driver Joakim Sjöberg (29, from Ösmo) are accordingly motivated. “These are the conditions I love the most for rallying,” says Bergkvist. “The extremely fast gravel roads in Estonia are going to be tons of fun! I’m sure that they’ll be a great fit to my driving style. Opel ADAM R2 has proven its competitiveness on every type of surface, so I think I’ll have a good shot at a podium finish.”

An early title win in the FIA ERC Junior is not the main focus, but it is a possibility, as only the best four of six results are counted. For each round, the top ten drivers earn points according to the Formula 1 scheme of the FIA. In addition, up to seven bonus points can be earned for each leg. A driver can earn a maximum of 39 points per FIA ERC Junior round – what Bergkvist already managed to do in Latvia and Ireland. Nevertheless, the Swede – the only driver who could already win the title in Estonia – refuses to engage in any speculation. “I am aware that the title could be decided in Estonia. But I’m not wasting any time thinking about that. Competition in the FIA ERC Junior is way too tough to do anything else but concentrate on the next stage – and then add the points up afterwards.”

Bergkvist’s colleague in the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team, Marijan Griebel, is one of the six drivers who currently have a chance of winning the FIA ERC Junior 2015 title. The 26-year-old from Hahnweiler and his co-driver Stefan Clemens (28, from Thailen) have gotten over their bad luck in Ypres, Belgium, where a puncture in the last stage cost them the victory, and are confident going into the adventure in Estonia. Griebel says: “I am really looking forward to very, very fast gravel roads that are quite different from the other events. That’s what makes the FIA ERC Junior so challenging and exciting. What am I expecting? A bunch of guys, mostly from Scandinavia and the Baltics, who will go flat out from the very first meter. But I think that the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team and the Opel ADAM R2 are in a good position to really give them a run for their money.”

In striking distance: Marijan Griebel and his co-pilot Stefan Clemens can also still win the FIA ERC Junior.

Upbeat and confident, Pole Aleksander Zawada and his French co-driver Cathy Derousseaux are looking forward to Estonia. The winners of the Kenotek Ypres Rallye in Belgium are racing in a customer Opel ADAM R2.

Participants in the auto24 Rally Estonia are facing a total distance of 656.38 kilometers, which includes 16 stages covering 204.86 kilometers. The first leg starts on Friday (July 17) at 20:00 local time (19:00 CEST) with the City Stage in Tartu. The rest of the first leg with nine more special stages takes place on Saturday between 8:52 and 19:52 local time. The second leg with six special stages begins on Sunday at 7:30 and first finishers will cross the finish line in Tartu beginning at 16:00 local time. Eurosport will broadcast daily reports covering the auto24 Rally Estonia. Opel offers live timing on the website www.opel-motorsport.com.

!NEW! Triple Victory for Opel at Ypres Rallye

• Opel teams dominate fourth round of FIA ERC Junior
• Three ADAM R2 winners – Aleks Zawada ahead of Marijan Griebel and Julius Tannert
• Bad luck costs Opel works drivers Griebel and Bergkvist near certain victory

Marijan Griebel, Stefan Clemens, Cathy Derousseaux, Aleks Zawada, Julius Tannert and Jennifer Thielen (from left to right) celebrate the Opel one-two-three at the Ypres Rallye.

Opel reinforced its strong position in the FIA ERC Junior at the Kenotek Ypres Rallye in West Flanders, Belgium. Pole Aleks Zawada and his French co-driver Cathy Derousseaux celebrated their first victory in their customer Opel ADAM R2, ahead of German Opel works drivers Marijan Griebel/Stefan Clemens from the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team and Julius Tannert and his Luxembourgian co-driver Jennifer Thielen in another customer Opel ADAM R2. Three of this year‘s four season victories in the FIA ERC Junior have now gone to the brand with the blitz!

“A fantastic day, a fantastic car, a fantastic rallye,” said an elated Zawada, who seemed to be out of the running for victory at the beginning of the second day after his 190 hp front-wheel drive car was stuck in a ditch for a minute after a harmless spin. But the Polish-French team did not give up, fought their way back and ultimately also benefitted from their competitors’ back luck. “Luck also plays a role, and the score is settled at the very end,” said Zawada. “I am really sorry for Emil and Marijan. Both deserved to win. But I am overjoyed that our efforts resulted in victory.”

The Opel works drivers Emil Bergkvist and Marijan Griebel battled for the lead from the first kilometer before both were impeded by mishaps. First Bergkvist had to retire his Opel ADAM R2 in the twelfth of seventeen stages with an engine problem. And then Griebel, who went into the last stage with a 36-second lead, suffered a left rear puncture shortly before the finish line. The 26-year-old from Hahnweiler still managed to take his Opel ADAM R2 across the finish line on one rim, but the time loss of nearly one minute sent him and his co-driver Stefan Clemens (28, from Thailen) to second place behind Zawada.

Bad luck strikes: Opel factory driver Marijan Griebel was leading until a damaged tire on the last stage of the Ypres Rallye saw him drop to second.

Griebel was understandably frustrated: “After a few days, I’ll probably be able to be pleased with our good performance and Opel Motorsport’s superior showing in this magnificent setting in front of thousands of excited spectators here in Ypres. But right now disappointment is the overwhelming feeling. Opel’s triple victory clearly proves that especially on asphalt, ADAM R2 currently sets the benchmark in its class. So we’re going into the last two FIA ERC Junior events in Estonia and the Czech Republic with a lot of self-confidence.”

Lead defending: Opel factory driver Emil Bergkvist defended first place in the FIA ERC Junior despite having to retire from the Ypres Rallye.

Swede Bergkvist (21, from Torsaker), who together with his co-driver Joakim Sjöberg (29, from Ösmo) won the first two FIA ERC Junior rounds in Latvia and Ireland, was disappointed but composed. “We had absolutely everything we needed to win here today. But things like this happen in motorsports, and there is no one I can blame for it. To be honest, I’d rather fight to win and have to pull out because of bad luck than be too slow and finish fourth. And we still have the best shot at the FIA ERC Junior championship.”

Indeed, the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team’s position in the FIA ERC Junior is still excellent. As only four of six rallye results are taken into consideration for the final points tally, Bergkvist’s withdrawal in Ypres could be a void result. And as his two toughest pursuers also failed to finish the race, he even increased his lead in the ranking after four rounds by two to 26 points. Griebel’s second-place finish put him in third place in the overall standings. He is currently 43 points behind his team colleague Bergkvist.

Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott commented on his charges’ results with mixed feelings: “Today two hearts beat in my chest. We celebrated a fantastic result for Opel that proves that our customer ADAM R2s are just as powerful as both works cars. I really feel for Emil and Marijan. Both gave a fantastic performance that deserved a victory. Marijan really had everything under control until the last stage. But I’m also happy for Aleks and Julius, who showed that they are capable of keeping up with the fast pace at the top of the FIA ERC Junior. Overall the performance of the Opel ADAM R2 was extremely good. And we are of course happy to go into the races in Estonia and the Czech Republic knowing this.”

!NEW! ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team Ready to Rumble

Second season of ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team with ADAM R2

Six EC races and ADAC Rallye Deutschland world championship race

Winning formula: The ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team wants to repeat last season’s success with the ADAM R2. 

From Latvia’s snow over Northern Ireland’s asphalt to the Azore’s gravel roads – the junior European Rallye Championship (FIA ERC Junior) 2015 calendar covers the entire spectrum of challenging racing surfaces. The best rallye drivers born in 1988 or later are set to prove themselves in Europe’s toughest young talent league in vehicles from the RC4 category, also known as R2. The ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team with two Opel ADAM R2 cars driven by Marijan Griebel and Emil Bergkvist are ready for the action to start.

Junior team: Marijan Griebel (right) and co-pilot Stefan Clemens (left) hope to get off to a successful start to the 2015 European Rallye championship in their Opel ADAM R2.

The competition is fully aware of the enormous potential of the 190 hp ADAM R2, and not just since Griebel’s outstanding second-place finish at the Barum Rallye in the Czech Republic last year. Griebel is accordingly optimistic before the season starts in Latvia: “In spite of the early start, we are going into the second season of the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team well prepared. Last year’s results show that we can hold our own against the competition in the ERC Junior. In the last months, we further developed not only the ADAM R2, but also ourselves as a team.”

Swedish duo: Emil Bergkvist (right) and his co-pilot Joakim Sjöberg (left) after looking forward to the start of the 2015 FIA Junior European Rallye Championship.

Emil Bergkvist, who advanced to the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team following his title win in the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup 2014, is also raring to go: “I learned so much in the ADAC Opel Rallye Cup. I’ll benefit from that in the ERC Junior. And as a Swede, I’m of course especially looking forward to the hopefully snowy races in Latvia.”

Open in Latvia: The pilots can look forward to some snowy stages at the Rallye Liepāja.

A special season highlight next to the six FIA ERC Junior races is participation in the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, where Marijan Griebel celebrated an overwhelming class victory last August. His new co-driver is Stefan Clemens. Bergkvist’s co-driver this season is again the Swede Joakim Sjöberg. The Opel works drivers will encounter two other ADAM R2 cars in the EC. German Julius Tannert and his Luxembourgish co-driver Jennifer Thielen will be in four of six races, including the Rallye Liepāja. Pole Aleks Zawada and his French co-driver Cathy Derousseaux are taking part the whole season. However, their car is being run privately, while the works ADAM R2 is, as usual, in the capable hands of Holzer Motorsport.

Calendar ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team 2015

February 6 - 8            Rallye Liepāja, Liepāja/Latvia (gravel/ice/snow) *

April 2 - 4                  Circuit of Ireland Rally, Belfast/Northern Ireland (asphalt) *

June 4 - 6                  SATA Rallye Açores, Ponta Delgada/Azores/Portugal (gravel) *

June 25 - 27              Geko Ypres Rally, Ypern/Belgium (asphalt) *

July 17 -19                auto24 Rally Estonia, Otepää/Estonia (gravel) *

August 20 - 23           ADAC Rallye Deutschland, Trier (asphalt)

August 28 - 30           Barum Czech Rally, Zlín/Czech Republic (asphalt) *

* Race in FIA ERC Junior

!NEW! Opel Ampera Braves Freezing Temperatures on Frozen Baltic Sea

Test drives on ice crossings in Estonia underscore winter suitability

Snow covered streets and icy roads are not uncommon in some European countries right now. In Estonia temperatures fall so low that parts of the Baltic Sea can be driven over on up to 50 days a year. This is unique in Europe. Opel now used the frozen Baltic Sea to prove the Ampera’s everyday suitability with a number of teams of journalists. The vehicles covered hundreds of kilometers without a hitch – impressive proof of the Ampera’s winter capabilities. Thanks to the constant battery temperature control system, even freezing temperatures are not a problem for Europe’s best selling electric vehicle.

From ice cover thickness of at least 25 centimeters cars can drive over the socalled ice crossings and so reach islands without having to use a ferry. On a number of stretches up to ten kilometers long, the Ampera proved that electric mobility isn’t stopped by cold. The car can run on pure battery electric propulsion at temperatures down to minus ten degrees.

When temperatures are even lower, the range extending gasoline engine supports the electric motor. In cold weather, the battery is preheated during charging to provide a full power capability. This preserves it during starting and benefits the battery’s capacity. Standard auxiliary heating warms the cabin, ensuring additional comfort and sparing the driver the tedious task of scraping ice off the car.

The Opel Ampera is electrically driven at all times. A unique 16 kWh lithium-ion battery pack feeds an advanced, 111 kW/150 hp electric drive unit to deliver between 40 and 80 km of pure electric operation with zero emissions – depending on terrain, driving technique and temperature – when fully charged. According to the official R(EC) 715/2007 regulation for measuring fuel consumption and CO₂  emissions, the Ampera consumes 1.2 l/100 km fuel and emits 27 g/km CO₂. Instant torque of 370 Nm enables zero to 100 km/h acceleration in under ten seconds and a top speed of 161 km/h. The Ampera offers a unique driving experience in battery operation, delivering nearly silent electric drive and a highly refined NVH performance even in extended range drive mode.