ERC
Event preview: ERC winners push for Pole position
An event as challenging as it is long standing is up next in the FIA European Rally Championship title chase when ORLEN OIL 81st Rally Poland takes place from 13 - 15 June.
The second oldest rally in the world behind Rallye Monte-Carlo having first run in 1921, Rally Poland is hosting the ERC for the 55th time in 2025 with the championship tussle finely balanced after the opening three action-packed rounds.
Of the 63 drivers revving up to tackle the 190.40-kilometre competitive route, six have won in the ERC before. And two of them – Mārtiṇš Sesks and home hero Miko Marczyk – have triumphed on the Mikołajki-based contest.
Second in the ERC standings, Marczyk is a double Polish champion
© ERC
Marczyk placed first in Poland in 2022 and returns to the gravel round second in the provisional standings, three points behind leader Roope Korhonen.
“They are our stages and I hope I can use this knowledge to prepare for them and drive well on them,” said double Polish champion Marczyk, 29. “There are a lot of small things that need to be connected to fight for the top, but I will try.
There are a lot of small things that need to be connected to fight for the top, but I will try
“This rally is more sandy in some places than others, it’s also very fast and sometimes bumpy so I hope we will get the proper grip. We have some work to do before the rally because I would like to prepare as good as possible, especially for the test before the event, to try all the things to be ready for the race.”
Francis and Sesks won Rally Poland for Team MRF Tyres in 2023
© ERC
Like Michelin-equipped Marczyk, MRF-shod Sesks was in action when the FIA World Rally Championship visited Poland last June. However, while Marczyk was busy finishing as the top Polish competitor, Sesks was impressing at the sharp end of the field. Making his Rally1 debut, the Latvian went second fastest on stage two of the event before finishing fifth to underline his huge potential.
While he’s not won Rally Poland overall, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team driver Jon Armstrong has taken class honours on his three appearances so far, which has equipped him with useful event knowledge.
“It gets very rutted on the second pass of the stages because the surface is quite sandy and gets dug up with every car that passes,” the Pirelli-supplied driver said. “You have to trust the car in the ruts and really commit to them – there can be surprises waiting in them. Then you have the tricky sections through villages on Tarmac with a gravel set-up. But the Polish lake district is a lovely part of the world.”
Armstrong is a three-time Rally Poland class winner, including in 2023
© ERC
As well as counting for ERC1, ERC3 and ERC4 honours, the event counts as round three of the Hankook-supplied FIA Junior ERC Championship and is the third of five ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy counters. Meanwhile, ex-Formula One driver Jos Verstappen will bid for more Master ERC points in Poland after he rolled into retirement on the previous round in Sweden.
ORLEN OIL 81st Rally Poland route in short
FIA European Rally Championship regulars contesting ORLEN OIL 81st Rally Poland will take on a revamped route this week. Back as a round of the ERC after hosting the FIA World Rally Championship in 2024, event organisers have penned a 14-stage itinerary.
While many of the stage names will sound familiar, “many changes have been made to the route”, according to officials from organiser Polski Związek Motorowy (PZM), with only the Mikołajki Arena super special layout unchanged from 12 months ago.
And it’s the head-to-head fan-friendly, 2.50-kilometre test that forms the first stage battle from 19h00 local time on Friday 13 June.
The Hankook-supplied Junior ERC title chase resumes in Poland
© ERC
The action resumes at 10h00 on Saturday with the first of two passes of the Świętajno stage, which features sections never previously used on Rally Poland. The 20 kilometres of Olecko is next before crews head to the Stare Juchy stage (13.60 kilometres), which is back on the itinerary for the first time since 2019. While Olecko has been modified, the spectacular Rosochackie jump remains. After the morning stages are repeated in the afternoon, leg one concludes with a rerun of the Mikołajki Arena super special.
Sunday’s deciding leg consists of three repeated stages, Mikołajki – now located east of the host town – Pozezdrze and Gmina Mrągow, which forms the bonus points-paying Power Stage when it runs for the second time from 16h05 ahead of the finish in Mikołajki’s Main Square from 17h30.
Rally Poland, the third and final gravel round on the 2025 ERC calendar, is being held in the Masurian Lake District for the 20th time this season with Mikołajki remaining as its base and service park location.
How to watch?
Fans across the globe can experience the excitement and drama of the ERC with every stage of every rally broadcast Rally.tv platform. In addition, the ERC is broadcast in a number of countries around the world and fans are advised to check local listings for details.
ORLEN OIL 81st Rally Poland: the key numbers
Stages: 14
Stage distance: 190.40 kilometres
Total distance: 800.65 kilometres
