The crew of Mikołaj Marczyk and Szymon Gospodarczyk, driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, delivered an impressive performance at Rally Poland, reclaiming the lead in the 2025 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) standings. However, the rally win itself went to Mārtiņš Sesks, who made a one-off return to the ERC after nearly a year.
M. Sesks, the 2023 ERC runner-up, returned to the European stage for the first time since July last year. While the Latvian driver currently competes in the top tier of the World Rally Championship (WRC) with a different car manufacturer, he lined up in Poland behind the wheel of a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 – with every intention of repeating his 2023 victory.
And he succeeded in dominant fashion. Although local favourite M. Marczyk won the opening Friday super special stage and M. Sesks only managed third, the Latvian quickly found his rhythm on Saturday. He pulled ahead early on, though not without drama – under pressure from then-championship leader Roope Korhonen, Sesks made a mistake in SS3, briefly brushing the roadside vegetation. Still, he maintained the lead and finished Saturday with a solid 21.4-second advantage.
Another small mistake followed in Sunday’s first stage, including an off-track moment through a field. Yet Sesks held his nerve and began to rebuild his lead. He was helped by Korhonen’s crash and subsequent retirement from second place, relieving some of the competitive pressure. This promoted the home duo of M. Marczyk/ s. Gospodarczyk to second overall – though they had just a 6.1-second lead over their closest rival. Staying composed, M. Marczyk eventually edged out third-placed Jon Armstrong of Ireland by 9.5 seconds.
With this result, M. Marczyk regained the lead in the ERC standings, replacing the now-retired R. Korhonen. The Polish rally also highlighted the strong form of Škoda crews across the board: not only did M. Sesks and M. Marczyk take first and second, but six other Fabia RS Rally2 crews also finished in the top ten. Swedish pair Isak Reiersen/Stefan Gustavsson secured fourth, while Simone Tempestini, Mille Johansson, Andrea Mabellini, and Polish drivers Jakub Matulka and Krzysztof Bubik filled sixth through tenth place.
Despite being a strong result overall, Andrea Mabellini left Poland disappointed. The Italian had shown early promise with the second-fastest time in the opening stage but struggled to find consistent pace throughout the rally. His final result hampered his title ambitions, though he remains within striking distance of the championship leaders. Mabellini currently shares fifth place in the standings with I. Reiersen and R. Korhonen at 60 points. Mads Østberg holds second with 65, and new leader M. Marczyk sits on 81 points.
