Rüsselsheim.  The title battle in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup ‘powered by GSE’ 2025 gained further momentum at the ADAC Saarland-Pfalz Rallye over the weekend. With his second victory of the season, Belgian driver Tom Heindrichs moved to within eight points of current championship leader Alex ‘Sito’ Español. The Spaniard finished fourth in the asphalt race around St. Wendel. German driver Kilian Nierenz and Dutchman Fabian Kamermans were once again strong performers, taking the further podium places in the fourth race of the season.

Tom Heindrichs and co-driver Jonas Schmitz took the lead right from the start. Unlike at the recent Rallye Vosges Grand-Est, however, the brother of World Rally Champion Thierry Neuville did not have an easy ride, but had to fight hard for the win. “We focused primarily on the Spaniards and tried not to risk any punctures or other damage to the car. That worked out well. We are very happy about the victory and that we were able to close the gap to the top of the standings. Overall, we are on the right track,” said Heindrichs.

Kilian Nierenz and his co-driver Milena Raithel once again delivered a flawless performance. With consistently fast driving and three stage wins, the Bavarians celebrated their third podium finish of the current season and their best result in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup with second place. “It couldn't have gone much better. Our goal was to get closer and closer over the course of the season and increase the pressure on the leaders. We are very happy that it is going so well,” said Nierenz, who is currently third in the standings, 14 points behind Español.

Fabian Kamermans and Stefan Müller finished third. “It was a tough rally. We lost a bit of speed today. So it's all the more satisfying that we still made it onto the podium,” said Kamermans after crossing the finish line on Saturday. In the end, it was a really close call for the Dutch duo. With fastest times in the last two stages, including the ‘Power Stage’, Alex Español and co-driver Borja Odriozola closed in on them again and ultimately missed the podium by just 0.8 seconds. Finishing sixth behind experienced Christian Lemke/Pascal Raabe, brothers Arwed and Aaron Jungnickel achieved their best result to date in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup.