Hauzenberg, Germany – The season finale of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup, held as part of the WRC Central European Rally in Lower Bavaria, could hardly have been more intense. Fans and teams alike witnessed a weekend full of emotion, drama, and unexpected twists. For the Infypower chargebyte e-Rally Team Wittenbeck/Kugler, the rally marked a fitting conclusion to an intense season. The service park was located in Hauzenberg, where the team competed consistently and reliably throughout all three days – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. From the very beginning, Wittenbeck and Kugler were able to confidently defend their championship position. Moving up in the standings was out of reach unless their rivals faltered, so the focus was on keeping the French team behind them at bay.
The spotlight of the weekend was on the thrilling title fight between the Spanish duo Álex Español/Borja Odriozola and their Belgian challengers Tom Heindrichs/Jonas Schmitz. The Spaniards entered the rally with a 12-point lead, but by Saturday the situation had changed dramatically: a broken damper dropped the Opel España crew to fifth place, while the Austrians Marcel Neulinger/Jakob Ruhsam surprisingly took over the lead. Heindrichs and Schmitz held steady in second place, raising the tension to a boiling point. On Sunday, the rally concluded with two runs of the “Beyond Borders” stage, the second of which served as the Power Stage offering additional championship points. The scenario was clear: if Heindrichs wins the Power Stage, Español would need at least the third-fastest time to secure the championship. “We already had the feeling that one of the guys might go off on Sunday. It was all or nothing for them,” Wittenbeck later commented.
But before the grand finale could even begin, drama struck — caused by none other than reigning World Rally Champion Thierry Neuville, brother of Tom Heindrichs. A heavy crash into a bridge during the first pass of the stage forced organizers to cancel it, meaning no driver could complete the route before the decisive Power Stage run. Two hours later, it was finally time for the showdown. For Wittenbeck and Kugler, it was also a special moment: their final rally with the Opel Corsa Rally Electric, as the new and significantly more powerful second-generation Opel Mokka GSE Rally Electric will be introduced next season. But just as they lined up at the start – only five seconds from launch – the stage was suddenly stopped. A major accident had occurred involving the Spanish title contenders. In a high-speed left-hand corner at around 130 km/h, Español’s Corsa rolled multiple times. Both crew members fortunately escaped unharmed, but it marked their retirement and the end of their championship hopes. With that dramatic twist, the championship title went to the Belgian duo Tom Heindrichs and Jonas Schmitz, who also secured the coveted factory drive with Opel in the Junior European Rally Championship 2026.
For Wittenbeck and Kugler, the weekend ended with a strong 6th place overall in the rally and the successful defense of 7th position in the championship standings. Co-driver Maximilian Kugler summed it up positively: “Of course, we had different goals for this year, but we’re very happy with our progress. We dropped two positions in the standings compared to 2024, but the overall pace in the championship has increased so much that our improvement isn’t directly visible in the results.”