ERC
Stříteský charges to ERC Zlín Qualifying Stage best
Dominik Stříteský has charged to the fastest time on the Qualifying Stage for Barum Czech Rally Zlín, round six of the 2025 FIA European Rally Championship.
Measuring 7.61 kilometres in length, Komárov is the longest Qualifying Stage of the season so far and provided a tough early challenge for the ERC stars and their cars.
At the wheel of a Michelin-equipped Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, Auto Podbabská Škoda PSG ACCR Team-entered Stříteský set a fastest time of 4min 24.8sec to edge out Pirelli-equipped ERC title contender Andrea Mabellini by 0.1sec. Championship leader Miko Marczyk was 0.4s behind Stříteský in another Michelin-supplied Škoda.
“It’s only qualifying and it will be a tough rally,” said Stříteský, who bagged his breakthrough ERC victory on Barum Czech Rally Zlín 12 months ago and will now start first on the road on Saturday. “To win again will be much more complicated than last year with a lot of fast guys and everybody wants to win.”
Mabellini was second fastest on the Qualifying Stage
© ERC
After completing the Qualifying Stage in 4min 24.9sec, Mabellini said: “It’s a little bit faster so it’s going to be another rally like Rome so tough for sure. I did this stage on Richard Burns Rally many times but it’s like a dream to be driving here with this car and these tyres.”
Marczyk, who starts Barum Czech Rally Zlín fresh from winning MARMA Rajd Rzeszowski in his native Poland last weekend, recorded a time of 4min 25.2sec. He said: “It was not the perfect run from my side, we had some ups and downs, not really a stable pace. We have two very tough days ahead but we have a good feeling and good season to this moment and hopefully we will keep like that.”
Jakub Matulka impressed with the fourth fastest time, 0.1sec quicker than 11-time Zlín winner and 2013 ERC champion Jan Kopecký. Adam Březík was sixth quickest ahead of Simon Wagner, who clipped a kerb in his Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Marczyk clocked the third best Qualifying Stage time
© ERC
Czech championship leader Filip Mareš reported being “too wide and too sideways in one corner” after going eighth fastest in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 as Jon Armstrong and Erik Cais rounded out the top 10.
“It was much more messy in terms of driving than Free Practice so can see where the two seconds went,” M-Sport Ford World Rally Team driver Armstrong said afterwards.
Miklós Csomós was the quickest Team MRF Tyres-entered driver in 12th, one place ahead of team-mate 2019 ERC champion Chris Ingram, who is making his first start in nine months.
Hankook-supplied Mille Johansson completed the Qualifying Stage with damage to the front of his MS Munaretto-run Škoda. “We did some changes to the rollbar to the car and I lost completely the grip under braking,” Johansson said. “It was quite sketchy.”
Barum Czech Rally Zlín begins in earnest for the ERC crews with the 9.57-kilometre SSS Zlín from 22:20 local time.
