New Cup Car, Attractive Calendar, Strong Junior Team: Opel Brings Exciting Proposition to International Rallying

• Opel Mokka GSE Rally redefines the level of performance in electric rallying
• International field of participants in the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup 2026
• Attractive Cup calendar with seven races in six countries
• ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team fields three cars in the Junior European Championship
• Tom Heindrichs, Timo Schulz and Claire Schönborn will drive the works Corsa Rally4

Opel and ADAC are opening a new chapter in electric rallying with the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup. In the sixth season of the world’s first electric one-make rally cup, the new Opel Mokka GSE Rally will replace the Corsa Rally Electric as the competition car. With an output of up to 207 kW (281 hp) and torque of 345 Newton metres, the new customer sports rally car is more than twice as powerful as its predecessor and will be in the range of a Rally4 car in terms of performance.

However, the competition vehicle is not the only novelty. The charging infrastructure in the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup also sets new standards. Instead of tapping into the green electricity from the public grid, battery storage systems are being used this season with electric trucks placing these exactly where they are needed. This makes it possible to charge at different locations between the special stages and thus guarantees even more competition kilometres for the participants.

The calendar of the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup 2026 leaves nothing to be desired in terms of attractiveness and variety. Seven races in six European countries (Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy) are on the programme. One of the highlights of the demanding calendar is undoubtedly the appearance of the Mokka GSE Rally at the traditional Sanremo Rally in October.

The field of participants in the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup is more international than ever. Drivers and teams from nine nations, including Italy and Great Britain for the first time, will compete for points when the season starts at the ELE Rally around Eindhoven in the Netherlands on May 29 and 30.

One thing all participants have in common is the big goal of qualifying for promotion to the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team with top performances in the Electric Cup. In the Junior European Rally Championship (JERC), the top talents will then be able to compete with the best young drivers on the continent in the works Opel Corsa Rally4 fielded by Opel Motorsport partner Stohl Racing. This ADAC and Opel support programme, which has been running since the 2014 season, is unique in the rally world. Six Junior European Championship titles (2015 to 2018 as well as 2022 and 2025) speak for Opel Motorsport’s successful talent development programme.

Strong German-speaking trio in the Opel Corsa Rally4

The consistency of Opel’s talent promotion is evident in the line-up of the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team for the JERC 2026, which starts on May 22 in Sweden. With Tom Heindrichs, Timo Schulz and Claire Schönborn, three talents who have made a name for themselves in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup will be behind the wheel of the works Corsa Rally4.

Tom Heindrichs (22) was born and raised in the German-speaking part of Belgium. Last October, the brother of former World Rally Champion Thierry Neuville secured the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup title in a dramatic season finale at the Central European Rally. As a reward for the strong performance, Heindrichs will try to follow in the footsteps of the reigning Junior European Rally Champion Calle Carlberg. The Swede won the title in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup in 2023 and prevailed against the European junior elite in the Opel factory team last year.

His predecessor as electric champion, Timo Schulz (26), is entering his third season in the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team this year. In the 2023 season, he demonstrated his enormous potential in the Corsa Rally4 with class victories at the Barum Czech Rally Zlìn, which is part of the JERC, as well as the Central European Rally.

Claire Schönborn (26) started her career as a racing driver in hill climbing. As the first woman and youngest participant of all time, the German won the title in the KW Berg-Cup in 2024. In the same year, she made a guest appearance in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup at the ADAC Rallye Stemweder Berg. The convincing debut was the starting signal for a meteoric rise. Against strong international competition, Schönborn won the ‘Beyond Rally’ programme and thus secured a complete season in the Junior World Championship. This season, she will take the next steps in her driving development in the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team with the support of Manfred Stohl and his experienced crew.

Like Timo Schulz, Claire Schönborn will also compete in the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup parallel to her JERC appearances. The handling of the overlap between Cup and JERC in August (ADAC Saarland-Palatinate Rally and Barum Czech Rally Zlín) will be determined by the course of the season.

“We are facing a rally season that has it all in many respects,” said Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott. “The ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup will set new standards in electric rallying with the Mokka GSE Rally, a revolutionary new charging infrastructure and an attractive calendar. And with our strong JERC driver trio, the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team will undoubtedly play a leading role in the Junior European Championship again this season, in which Opel has dominated with six drivers’ titles since 2015. We are all looking forward to an exciting season.”

Dates ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup 2026

May 29/30 ELE Rally, Eindhoven NL

June 13/14 Rallye Vosges Grand-Est, Gérardmer F

July 17/18 Rallye Weiz A

Aug 14/15 ADAC Saarland-Palatinate Rally, St. Wendel (DRM) D

Sept 25/26 ADAC Rallye Stemweder Berg, Lübbecke (DRM) D

Oct 17/18 Rally Sanremo I

Nov 28/29 Rallye Spa B

Dates Junior European Rally Championship 2026

May 22-24 Royal Rally of Scandinavia, Karlstad S

July 3-5 Rally di Roma Capitale, Fiuggi I

July 24-26 Rally Poland, Katowice PL

Aug 14-16 Barum Czech Rally Zlín CZ

Sept 4-6 Rali Ceredigion, Aberystwyth GB

Oct 23-25 Rally Five Cities North of Portugal, Fafe P