Third consecutive rally victory for Hermann Neubauer

During the break from WRC and ERC events, some national rally championships in Europe held their rounds. The most notable was the 43rd Lavanttal Rallye in Austria that counts for the Austrian Rally Championship but also for Mitropa Rally Cup.

The winner of the rally was the 30-year-old Austrian Hermann Neubauer in a Ford Fiesta R5. It’s his second win at Lavanttal after his previous success in 2016, in a year when he won national rally championship. Neubauer’s navigator was Bernhard Ettel.

Neubauer is again on a good way to fight for the championship title because he is showing a fantastic form with two consecutive wins in Austria, and three consecutive wins in total, this year. He previously won Kumrovec Rally in Croatia and Rebenland Rallye in Austria. In January, he had an accident at Jänner Rallye, the first round of the Austrian championship, so he is now second in the championship, behind Julian Wagner, who finished second at Lavanttal Rallye in a Škoda Fabia R5.

The 24-year-old Julian Wagner reached the second spot on the podium on the very last special stage of the 12-stage rally, defeating defending Austrian champion and world’s famous former GT racer Niki Mayr-Melnhof, who is driving Ford Fiesta R5.

Hermann Neubauer at Lavanttal Rallye

Among other rally events in Europe this weekend, there was the 7th Rallye Ciudad de Pozoblanco, the round of the Spanish Gravel Rally Championship, The winner was Xevi Pons in a Škoda Fabia R5, navigated by Rodrigo Sanjuan.

In France, the 24th Rallye Terre des Causses was the first round of the French Gravel Rally Championship. The victory went to Thibaut Durbec in a Citroen DS3 WRC, ahead of Yohan Rossel (Citroen C3 R5) and Lionel Baud (Citroen DS3 WRC).

Photos: Zvonimir Kranjčec,