The 2026 Rallye Breslau saw two eventful stages around Drawsko Pomorskie. Last night brought the well-known night stage, with a Dutch win in the SSV class for Mitchel van den Brink. Today’s following day stage, one of the tougher of the week, was however halted early after a serious accident. A promising day thus came to an abrupt and dramatic end.
The area around Drawsko once again confirmed its reputation as one of the most demanding offroad environments in Europe. Forest tracks, hidden sand sectors and technical pistes continually tested the motorcycles and quads as well as the cars, SSVs and heavy trucks.
The night stage
Racing in complete darkness through forest and sand, guided only by lights and your navigator, is one of Breslau’s most iconic challenges. Dust clouds lit up by powerful spotlights, narrow forest tracks and hidden obstacles made it a spectacular element.
In the Enduro class, the night stage win went to German Justin Gerlach (KTM, JG Racing), ahead of Lithuanian Ignas Daunoravicius. The best-placed Dutchman was Jeremy Knuiman (Team Knuiman), who finished third, just ahead of compatriot and day-stage winner Berend de Ruiter (Road to Rally) in fourth. Further down the Dutch order: Imar Verdouw (fifth), Michel Langmuur (eighth), Dyon van Wieringen (eleventh), Hille Dalstra (thirteenth), Michael Schuttel (fifteenth) and Ruben van der Vlis (sixteenth). Floris Cuperus, Julian den Haan, Maarten Fikke and Harry Korte also reached the finish.
In the SSV class, Mitchel van den Brink delivered the Dutch victory. Together with navigator Nick van Drie (Can-Am Maverick R, Eurol Rally Sport), he was the fastest of the entire SSV field in the night stage, with a seventeen-second margin over Lithuanian prologue winner Arūnas Lekavičius. For Van den Brink, contesting his first Breslau, it was a strong calling card in the dark. Other Dutch SSV crews in the night stage included Max and Sem van Empel (seventh), Jeroen van Kasteren and Rik Vaessen (tenth), Joey van den Eng and Andy van den Broek, Jan van Gerven and Rudolf Meijer, Rik Meeuwsen and Simon Hikspoors, Rob van Horssen and Carlo Spreeuwenberg, Berry Swinkels and Stefan van Ras, Arjan Ruitenbeek and Dirk-Jan Hooijer, Ruud Bellemakers and Martijn Daas, Harrie van Empel and Nick van Geloven, Harrie Renders and Theo van de Looy, Arjan Donders and Edwin Vloemans, and Alexander Lantink and Alexander Gouw.
In the Car Open class, the Polish pairing of Remigiusz Wutkowski and Michał Goleniewski (Nissan Patrol) won the night stage. The best-placed Dutchmen were Stijn van Erp and Lucas van Geest (Fiat Fullback Proto) in third, followed by prologue winners Herman Jasper and Mark Laan (Red-Lined VK50) in seventh and Jenne Jasper and Marijn Verbeek (Bowler Nemesis) in eighth. Stefan Goverts and Stefan Plaggenmarsch, Harry Oosting and Mika Kreeft, Twan van den Langenberg and Paige Timmerman, Richard Timmerman and Johan Senders, Remco and Wesley de Jong, Ton Stoker and Jan van den Elzen, Kala and Yvet Senders, Sander and Irma Goudbeek, and Casper van den Bogaert and Mark van den Hoek also finished.
In the ATV class, Pole Adam Krysiak was fastest, with Mark Plat (JMP Racing) seventh and Jordy Verkleij (VVK Racing) eleventh as the best-placed Dutchmen. In the truck class, the Dutch trio of William, Wesley and Jacco van Groningen (Iveco Powerstar, Dust Warriors) won the night stage, ahead of the German Tatra team. Behind them came the Dutch trucks of FVDS (Jasper Fiers, Giel de Backer and Sjors van Nunen, third), Rally Team Van de Krol (fourth), the FVDS-Mercedes of Hans van der Sanden, Luc Jansen and Johan Theuws (fifth) and Team Müller with Ralph Müller, Geert Bekkering and Roy Korenromp (sixth). In the Car Limited class, Bart Voermans (with Belgian navigator Chris Galler) was recorded in second.
Day stage halted early
Today’s day stage was not run to completion. A neutralisation had been imposed on the route over a long, straight section of public road, where competitors were limited to 50 km/h, at a point where higher speeds would normally be possible. Just afterwards, competitors turned left back into the forest. According to the available information, a local delivery van tried to overtake at that point while an SSV was turning off. The van struck the front wheel of the SSV and ended up heavily damaged among the trees. A trauma helicopter attended the scene. The exact circumstances and the consequences for those involved were not yet fully clear at the time of writing.
As a result of the incident, the stage was shortened and neutralised. For the Enduro riders the race was stopped at around kilometre 57; for the cars the neutralisation was at 54.94 kilometres. The recorded results relate to the shortened part of the stage and are provisional and unofficial.
The Dutch crews in the abandoned day stage
Despite the interruption, the Dutch were very much in the spotlight. In the Enduro class, Berend de Ruiter (Road to Rally) won again, this time ahead of Lithuanian Ignas Daunoravicius. Floris Cuperus (FF070) drove a fine race to third, with Michael Schuttel (Rally Team Schuttel) fourth. “Lots of dust, difficult navigation, lots of tall grass and too little confidence, so I drove sensibly and safe,” said Jeremy Knuiman, who finished fifteenth in the shortened section and confirmed that the race was stopped at kilometre 57. Further down the Dutch order: Imar Verdouw (twelfth), Hille Dalstra (fourteenth), Dyon van Wieringen, Julian den Haan, Michel Langmuur, Ruben van der Vlis, Harry Korte and Maarten Fikke.
In the Car Open class, Stijn van Erp and Lucas van Geest (Fiat Fullback Proto) were the best-placed Dutchmen with second place, behind winners Wutkowski and Goleniewski. Behind them, Herman Jasper and Mark Laan (Red-Lined VK50) completed the top three. The pair, who had won the prologue as fastest overall, started today seventh in class, in entirely new terrain. “A completely new area gives everyone equal chances, and it takes knowledge from both driver and navigator,” said Laan. According to his navigator, Herman Jasper was in good form and the pace was high, aside from a few tricky roadbook points. The stage was interrupted by the accident. DaklaPack Rallysport supports the team with a Light Service Package and mechanic Dion Komen, who travels along with a fully equipped Mercedes Sprinter and spare parts. Jenne Jasper and Marijn Verbeek (fifth), Richard Timmerman and Johan Senders (sixth), Stefan Goverts and Stefan Plaggenmarsch (seventh), Harry Oosting and Mika Kreeft (ninth), Twan van den Langenberg and Paige Timmerman (tenth), Kala and Yvet Senders, Remco and Wesley de Jong, Casper van den Bogaert and Mark van den Hoek, and Sander and Irma Goudbeek also reached the finish.
In the SSV class, Jan van Gerven with navigator Rudolf Meijer (Triple G Racing) set the fastest time in the abandoned stage, with a margin of just five seconds over the chasing Lithuanians. He was thus the best-placed Dutchman of the day in his class. Harrie Renders and Theo van de Looy (Renders Racing) drove to fourth, with Rik Meeuwsen and Simon Hikspoors (ARS Racing) sixth and Mitchel van den Brink and Nick van Drie ninth. Also featuring were Arjan Donders and Edwin Vloemans, Joey van den Eng and Andy van den Broek, Jeroen van Kasteren and Rik Vaessen, Max and Sem van Empel, Harrie van Empel and Nick van Geloven, Ruud Bellemakers and Martijn Daas, Berry Swinkels and Stefan van Ras, Arjan Ruitenbeek and Dirk-Jan Hooijer, and Alexander Lantink and Alexander Gouw. Rob van Horssen and Carlo Spreeuwenberg retired with a DNF.
In the ATV class, Pole Tomasz Luberda was fastest, with Jordy Verkleij (VVK Racing) impressing in second and Mark Plat (JMP Racing) sixth. In the truck class, the day win went to the Dutch FVDS-GINAF of Jasper Fiers, Giel de Backer and Sjors van Nunen, ahead of the German Tatra team and the Van Groningen trio. Rally Team Van de Krol (fourth) and Team Müller (sixth) were also present. The FVDS-Mercedes of Van der Sanden, Jansen and Theuws retired with a DNF. In Car Limited, Briton Dan Upton with Neil Rogers set the fastest time.
Looking ahead: the Hannibal
Attention now turns to the Hannibal marathon stage on Wednesday 1 July, the toughest and longest day of the rally. It takes competitors from Drawsko Pomorskie south to the second bivouac in Żagań, and marks the transition to the sand sectors of the so-called “Polish Sahara.” There the rally concludes on Friday 3 July beneath the Breslau arch.
The results mentioned are provisional and unofficial. Rallytracks.nl will continue to follow the performances of the Dutch competitors in the coming days.
