Mads Østberg will participate in Poland’s ERC round in August Rally Rzeszow in Poland next month (3-5 August). The Norwegian driver entered round five of the eight-event all-action European Rally Championship, which takes place entirely on Tarmac. It will serve as ideal preparation for Østberg’s upcoming sealed-surface world rallies in Germany and Spain.
The 29-year-old Østberg will drive a Ford Fiesta R5, entered by his own team, Adapta Motorsport. He expects “high-level” competition against several established stars, plus a number of bright hopes from ERC Junior 28 for drivers in R5 cars born on or after 1 January 1989.
“I’m a big fan of the ERC,” said Østberg, quoted by fiaerc.com. “You need a good platform to big-up talent and the ERC is good for this. The events are good lengths but not too long for the budgets. The TV and PR around the championship are also really good so it’s ideal for young talent. With fast and experienced drivers like Kajetan Kajetanowicz, I’m not expecting it to be easy. And although I don’t know much about the drivers in ERC Junior Under 28, I know their level is very high. I’m going into their field but I will do that with respect. I’m prepared to fight.”
The previous ERC participation of Østberg was Rally Islas Canarias during last season. It will be his first competitive outing with co-driver Patrik Barth, 25, from Sweden, who will also partner Østberg on the world championship ADAC Rallye Deutschland.
Mads Østberg will participate in Poland’s ERC round in August Rally Rzeszow in Poland next month (3-5 August)
“Coming directly from Rally Finland there will be no time to do a test,” Østberg explained. “It will be a new car, a new rally and a new co-driver but it’s good to try some different options heading into the part of the season where there is quite a bit on Tarmac.”
Rally Rzeszow takes place on narrow, winding asphalt roads in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in south-east Poland. The stages are on steep climbs and tricky descents commonplace. A regular on the Polish and Slovakian national championship calendars, Rally Rzeszow joined ERC in 2016. Eleven stages over 214.63 competitive kilometres, including a city-centre test in rally hub Rzeszów, provide the challenge for crews.
