By competing in the Jänner-Rallye, Luca Pröglhöf and his co-driver Christina Ettel have set another milestone in the development of electric rallying. With their Opel Corsa Rallye Electric, the champions of the 2024 ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup completed a total of 19 special stages covering 180 kilometers in wintry conditions around Freistadt in Upper Austria, finishing seventh out of 14 cars in the 2WD class. With a third and two fourth stage positions on the final day, the Austrians highlighted the potential of the 136-hp compact electric car.
The Corsa's standard 50-kilowatt-hour battery was charged at public fast-charging stations and with a mobile energy storage device. The ambitious project was supported, among others, by the eww Group, which, in addition to providing the charging infrastructure, also helped with the calculations.
“We are very satisfied,” beamed Pröglhöf at the finish. ”Our calculations all worked out, we were able to drive all the stages and had a lot of fun. On the first day, we made the wrong tire choice. On Saturday, a sensor was affected by a puncture, which meant that we were late for the regrouping and incurred a 2:50 min penalty. Otherwise, the Corsa Rally Electric performed very well, even on snow and ice.”
The 25-year-old from Sittendorf was particularly pleased with the fact that “I don't think many people would have believed that we would be able to handle this national rally, which is probably one of the most difficult for an electric car, so well. This was also reflected in the enormous interest shown by the spectators in the service park. We would like to thank our regional project partners and the organizer, who did a great job.”
Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott also applauded Pröglhöf, Ettel and the entire team: “Opel has once again proven that electric rallying works. Thanks to the good preparation and support from Manfred Stohl and his team, Luca and Dina have demonstrated the winter suitability of the Corsa Rally Electric. We have collected a lot of data and gained valuable insights for the further electrification of rallying. This was a good start to the fifth season of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup, which begins in Sulingen at the end of April.”
