Rallye Vosges Grand-Est: Another Premiere for Opel Corsa Rally Electric

• Third round of ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe” in France
• Standings leader Max Reiter is the target on Rallye Vosges Grand-Est
• “Home game” for quick French drivers Callea, Rumeau, Gudet and Rott

In the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe” one premiere follows the next. After the successful debut of the world's first electric one-make rally cup in Switzerland at the Rallye du Chablais, the electric competition cars will return to France next weekend. Whereby the third round of the season on June 17/18 at the Rallye Vosges Grand-Est also represents new territory for the teams with their 100 kW/136 hp Opel Corsa Rally Electric. The rally centre in the small town of Gérardmer is only around 50 kilometres west of Colmar and a good 90 km from the German border.

A demanding task awaits the Cup teams in this round of the French Rally Championship at the foot of the Vosges. Eight special stages over 96 km are on the agenda; including the connecting stages, the electrified competitors must cover 509 km on Saturday and Sunday.

In terms of sport, the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe” 2023 leaves nothing to be desired. The current overall leader in the Cup, Max Reiter, had to push hard in Switzerland in order to achieve his second win of the season, just ahead of his Swedish opponent Calle Carlberg. Reiter’s lead in the overall standings gives him little reason to relax. “It's going to be tight. We must continue to do everything we can to stay ahead in this evenly matched field,” he admitted.

The two championship leaders are likely to face tough competition, not least from the local heroes. The lightning-fast Terence Callea wants to make people forget his accident in Switzerland on home soil, and Sarah Rumeau has impressively proven in the first two rallies of the year that she, like her teammate Cindy Gudet from the FFSA Academy, is always to be reckoned with. The Rallye Vosges Grand-Est is a real home game for Anthony Rott from Alsace, who is also contesting his first season in the world's first one-make electric rally cup.

However, the German juniors are always good for a podium, as Christian Lemke proved at the Rallye du Chablais. “We've often been close, but it finally worked. We want to continue like this,” he said. And Joe Baur, whose speed has often been slowed by small setbacks, has defined a clear goal: “Finally complete a rally without any problems, and right at the front!” A sentence that could also come from the Austrian Luca Pröglhöf.

Points standings ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup 2023 (after 2 of 8 rounds):

1. Reiter, 65.

2. Carlberg 56.

3. Lemke 46.

4. Rumeau 35.

5. Pröglhöf 33.

6. Callea 27.

7. Tarta 23.

8. Rott and Van Hoof, 22 each.

10. Gudet 16.

11. Wittenbeck 9.

12. Baur and Oprea, 8 each.

14. Mendoza 4.

Vauxhall Corsa Electric and Vauxhall Mokka Electric: Best-selling cars in their segments so far in 2023

• Vauxhall Corsa Electric and Mokka Electric are the best-selling models in their respective segments so far this year
• SMMT new car registration figures published today reveal 1752 Corsa Electric models sold this year
• Vauxhall Mokka Electric is the most popular small electric SUV so far this year with 3976 registrations

Vauxhall’s fully electric car range to grow this year with addition of Vauxhall Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric

Vauxhall has best-selling models in small electric car and small electric SUV segments so far this year, according to the latest new car registration figures published today by Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Vauxhall Corsa Electric is top-selling small electric car year-to-date, with 1752 registered, while Mokka Electric has outperformed every other small electric SUV in market in 2023, with 3976 registrations.

Two models make up part of Vauxhall’s growing and diverse electrified range, with fully electric versions available across Corsa, Mokka, Combo Life and Vivaro Life passenger cars, and Plug-in Hybrid power available across Astra, Astra Sports Tourer and Grandland.

This year will see the addition of Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric, while Vauxhall’s Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) line-up already features a fully electric variant across each model. Vauxhall is the best-selling electric LCV manufacturer so far in 2023 and has topped the sales charts for the past two years. By 2028, Vauxhall will be an electric-only manufacturer, seven years ahead of UK Government deadlines.

James Taylor, Managing Director, Vauxhall, said: “Vauxhall’s electrified line-up is diverse and growing, and as the latest registrations show, one of the most popular. Having best-selling model in two key electric segments so far this year shows our electric vehicles impress a range of buyers and users, with customers able to choose a vehicle that best meets their requirements.”

Opel Corsa Rally Electric Celebrates Switzerland Debut

• Anticipation ahead of second round of ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “"powered by GSe”
• World's first electric one-make rally cup starts at the Rallye du Chablais
• Former racing driver and presenter Cyndie Allemann makes rally debut

After the exciting start at the ADAC Rallye Sulingen, the teams of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe” are now looking forward to this season’s second instalment – and in more ways than one. On the one hand, because the electrifying rally entourage with the Opel Corsa Rally Electric will be celebrating its Swiss debut at the Rallye du Chablais around Aigle in the canton of Vaud on June 2 and 3. On the other hand, because the attractive special stages, characterised by large differences in altitude, in the foothills of the Alps south of Lake Geneva make every rally fan's heart beat faster. And thirdly, because the successful start to the season of the world's first electric one-make rally cup in northern Germany was mouth-watering.

From a sporting perspective, the Swiss round of the competition offers exciting action with an open outcome. The season opener in Sulingen already showed that there are several candidates for victory or a place on the podium. The winner of the opening round, Max Reiter (23, Germany), cannot afford to be complacent if he wants to maintain his lead. Because behind him the cup veterans Calle Carlberg (22, Sweden) and Christian Lemke (22, Germany) as well as the French newcomer Terence Callea (26) are waiting for the slightest weakness. Not to forget challengers like Joe Baur (24, Germany) or Luca Pröglhöf (23, Austria), who already caught the eye by setting top times in Sulingen.

Elsewhere, the field will be keeping a close eye on Sarah Rumeau from France. The 27-year-old celebrated her debut in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup in Sulingen with an impressive best time on the first special stage and finally finished in fifth place together with co-driver Julie Amblard. Her team colleague Cindy Gudet (26), who has caused a stir in hillclimbs to date, also impressed in her first important rally alongside Cécile Marie.

The two all-French female crews and Romanian duo Cristiana Oprea/Alexia Parteni will face “unique” competition at the Rallye du Chablais – coming from a prominent guest entrant: Cyndie Allemann celebrates her rally debut in the Opel Motorsport VIP vehicle. The 37-year-old made a name for herself in the Formula 3 Euro Series, the US Indy Lights Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and now works successfully as a presenter. “I'm super excited,” admits the Switzerland native. “For me, the result is completely secondary. I want to experience my very first rally, enjoy it and have fun.” The rally novice is accompanied by rally veteran Horst Rotter.

The electrifying Corsa field will cover a total distance of 565 kilometres at the Rallye du Chablais, including 10 special stages over 98 km.

Standings ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup 2023 (after 1 of 8 rounds):

1. Reiter, 30 points

2. Callea and Carlberg, both 27

4. Lemke 20

5. Rumeau 16

6. Pröglhöf 15

7. Van Hoof 14

8. Rott 10

9. Tarta and Baur, both 8

11. Gudet 6

12. Oprea 5

13. Wittenbeck 3