Timo Schulz Wins the 2026 European Junior Rally Championship Title With Opel

• Triumphant finish: At the final round in Portugal, second place was enough for the German to clinch the title in his Opel Corsa Rally4
• Bad luck for his team-mate: A stone chip ruined Tom Heindrichs’ title hopes
• Proof of a perfect talent development programme: Seventh title for the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team

Timo Schulz is the 2026 Junior European Rally Champion. The 27-year-old German, alongside co-driver Maresa Lade, prevailed in the Junior European Rally Championship (JERC) showdown in Portugal in an all-Opel duel against his team-mate Tom Heindrichs, though he also benefited from the Belgian’s misfortune. Even before the season finale at the ‘Rally Six Cities North of Portugal’ around Fafe, only one of the two drivers from the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team was still in contention for the JERC title. It was the seventh Junior European Championship title for the team led by Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott in ten years of participation.

“To have consistently been among the frontrunners in this fiercely contested championship over such a long period is testament to the strong performance of everyone involved and the effectiveness of the unique development programme run by Opel and the ADAC,” said Jörg Schrott. “Once again, we had the best combination of drivers, car and team. My thanks go to Manfred Stohl and his professional, dedicated team, who always provided our crews with a perfectly prepared car. The Corsa Rally4 set the benchmark once more in its fifth year of competition in the JERC. And our drivers and co-drivers deserve the highest praise for a magnificent job throughout the season.”

The newly crowned European Champion, Timo Schulz, was “absolutely happy” at the finish line. “I’m a bit lost for words when it comes to describing how I feel. We’ve worked so hard for this success over the past years. And now, having won the European Junior Championship, it’s a fantastic feeling. I’m extremely grateful for everything Opel and Opel Motorsport have done for me. None of this would have been possible without them. I’d also like to thank Maresa, as well as the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team and Waldherr Motorsport, for their brilliant work throughout the season.” The rally itself was a nerve-wracking affair for two-time season winner Schulz: “It was a tough rally. I feel really sorry for Tom and Jonas. It would have been nicer to see the title battle through with them. As it was, on Sunday we just had to coast through and get the car to the finish. But even that was difficult enough. In the end, we managed it and we’re just happy!”

The rally was won by the Norwegian Karl-Peder Nordstrand in yet another Opel Corsa Rally4.

The outcome of the title battle was effectively decided on Saturday morning. During the third special stage, a stone thrown up by the tyres caused damage to the oil cooler and engine of the Corsa Rally4 driven by Tom Heindrichs and his co-driver Jonas Schmitz. Nevertheless, the winners of the 2025 ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup were once again able to demonstrate their enormous potential with five fastest times across Sunday’s eight special stages, though ultimately they were no longer in contention for the JERC title. The 22-year-old brother of former World Rally Champion Thierry Neuville took a pragmatic view: “As always, we gave it our all. It was clear from the outset that it would be tough going in the title battle against Timo. Huge congratulations to him and Maresa! We wanted to prove once again on Sunday that we could have been in the running for victory here. I think we managed to do that. We’ve had a strong season, won two rallies and can be satisfied with ourselves and our performance. Our thanks go to Opel Motorsport and Stohl Racing for their excellent work. They made Sunday’s restart possible in the first place. We’re looking forward to seeing what comes next.”

There is hardly a moment’s rest for the crews of the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team. This coming weekend, Schulz/Lade, Schönborn/Wenzel and Heindrichs/Schmitz will be competing in the sixth round of the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup as part of the ADAC Saarland-Palatinate Rally.

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