The Rallye Breslau 2026 has reached the second and final part of the event, around Żagań in southern Poland. Following the move from Drawsko Pomorskie, the so-called “Polish Sahara” awaits the competitors here, the closing section of the rally. In this challenging terrain, the field once again tackled a demanding special stage today.
On the official but still provisional classification of SS5, no fewer than three Dutch names topped their respective classes. In the Enduro category, Berend de Ruiter (Road To Rally, Husqvarna FE 450) was by far the fastest, ahead of compatriot Jeremy Knuiman (Team Knuiman, KTM EXC 450) in second. Further down the Enduro field, Michael Schuttel, Dyon van Wieringen, Hille Dalstra, Michel Langmuur, Harry Korte, Julian den Haan, Floris Cuperus, Maarten Fikke and Ruben van der Vlis also finished with a valid time on SS5.
The SSV class was just as much a Dutch affair. Jan van Gerven and Rudolf Meijer (Triple G Racing, Can-Am Maverick R) won the stage, with Mitchel van den Brink and Nick van Drie (Eurol Rallysport) less than four seconds behind. Arjan Ruitenbeek/Dirk-Jan Hooijer (Eurol Rallysport), Harrie Renders/Theo van de Looy (Renders Racing), Ruud Bellemakers/Martijn Daas (Triple G) and Rik Meeuwsen/Simon Hikspoors (ARS Racing) also recorded a time in the SSV class.
The Truck class was likewise a Dutch matter: the Dust Warriors, the trio of William, Wesley and Jacco van Groningen (Iveco Powerstar), won the stage ahead of Germany’s Sueptitz Motorsport, with the FVDS Rally Team crew of Jasper Fiers, Giel de Backer and Sjors van Nunen (Ginaf X 2223) in third.
In the Car Open class, the stage win went to the Polish pairing of Wutkowski/Goleniewski, but with Herman Jasper/Mark Laan (Dutch Off Road Rally Team, third), Stijn van Erp/Lucas van Geest (ORC / Oeste Racing Competition, fourth), Jenne Jasper/Marijn Verbeek (Dutch Off Road Rally Team, fifth) and Stefan Goverts/Stefan Plaggenmarsch (Stego Offroad Racing, seventh), the Netherlands was well represented near the top here too. Among the ATVs, Mark Plat (JMP Racing) and Jordy Verkleij (VVK Racing) posted a time.
Van den Brink and Van Drie fastest in final stage
For SS6, only the provisional, not yet final times are known at the time of writing. In these, Van den Brink and Van Drie were once again the quickest in the SSV class, with Jeremy Knuiman the fastest Enduro rider. The Dust Warriors confirmed their form with the best truck time once more. In the Car Open class, Wutkowski/Goleniewski were again the fastest, while among the ATVs the honours went to Poland’s Tomasz Luberda.
In the provisional overall standings after SS6, Lithuania’s Dalius Olechnavicius (Specialist Racing Team, SSV) leads the rally. Van den Brink and Van Drie sit in a strong second place overall, just over four minutes behind the leader. Berend de Ruiter is by far the best-placed Enduro rider in fifth overall, ahead of Knuiman in eighth. Stijn van Erp and Lucas van Geest are the best Dutch Car Open crew in seventh, ahead of Herman Jasper and Mark Laan in thirteenth. The Dust Warriors are twelfth overall, making them the best-classified truck.
Setback for Van Gerven and Van Kasteren
Not everything went smoothly that day. SS5 stage winners Jan van Gerven and Rudolf Meijer ran into trouble on SS6 and had to settle for maximum time, dropping them to seventeenth in the overall standings. Jeroen van Kasteren and Rik Vaessen (Shiver Offroad) also had a difficult stage and lost a lot of time to the competition.
Truck Team Müller, with Ralph Müller, Geert Bekkering and Roy Korenromp, failed to complete either of today’s stages due to an electrical problem and the resulting loss of power. The team indicated it wants to give it everything again on the final day: “Everything is ready for the rally truck’s return. Whatever is broken will be repaired, so that tomorrow, the final day, we can go all out again.”
Mitchel van den Brink meanwhile said he still wants to win the rally, even though for him and Van Drie the focus this weekend is mainly on the fun.
Looking ahead
Friday 3 July brings the final day of the Rallye Breslau 2026, with the finish under the famous Breslau arch in Żagań. With Van den Brink and Van Drie in a strong second place overall, De Ruiter leading the Enduro and the Dust Warriors on course for the truck class win, it promises to be an exciting conclusion for the Dutch crews. Rallytracks.nl continues to follow the Dutch competitors closely.
Please note: at the time of writing, the SS6 times are still provisional and do not account for penalties; the final result may differ.
A remarkable detail of the day: at one point during the rally, an actual battalion of tanks crossed the course, a reminder that a large part of the terrain in Poland is still in military use.
