- ecoDolomitesGT Rally concludes the 2023 all-electric regular rally season with a spectacular two-day event covered in snow
- There was a four-point difference between the top three drivers in points, with two-time champion Eneko Conde of Spain holding the lead overnight.
- Circuit racer Beitzke Visser aims for a top finish in the second race of the series
The grand finale of the all-electric 2023 Bridgestone FIA Eco Rally Cup season kicked off on the first day of the breathtaking Eco Dolomites GT, based in Fiera di Primiero, Italy. Just two weeks after the extravagant E-Rally Monte Carlo, competitors took his short and sharp two-day mountain rally from the Alpes-Maritimes to the Dolomites with snow underfoot.
Three teams could overtake Italy as this year’s champions, with just four points separating them, and their three cars were at the top of the starting order before the race. Czech driver Michal Zdarski and co-driver Jakub Nebrek led the points standings and left the start line first in their Hyundai Kona.
They were followed by two Kia E-Niro cars, including defending series champion Eneko Conde of Spain and his co-driver Lucas Sergnese and local hero Guido Guerini (the Italian was joined by Poland’s Artur・Prusak was co-driving).
The Bridgestone FIA Eco Rally Cup is a fully amateur series of regular rallies where the crew’s ability to maintain a target average speed within local traffic laws and speed limits is key, and is the fastest ever devised. One of the most accessible international motorsport series. No changes are allowed to the vehicle from its showroom specifications, and the challenge is not only to match target times, but also to minimize energy consumption.
It sounds easy, but famous circuit racer Beitzke Visser is one driver who knows exactly how big the challenge is. The Dutch former W Series vice-champion and endurance racer made her Eco Rally Cup debut at Slovenia’s Male Eco Rally in September, where she took time to adapt to her new discipline. It took.
However, by the end of the final day, her scores for each regular were well within the top half of the field, and she arrived in Italy as the dark horse for honors in the event. “I went in with a blank slate, no preparation,” she said of her first event.
“But the community for this series is so great, and by talking to and learning from our experienced staff, we feel like we can present something a little better this time around.”
That optimism was well-founded, as Visser and her German co-driver Arthur Kammerer rose to fifth overall in the opening test in a Volvo Polestar 2. Meanwhile, at the front, a three-way battle for the championship title was unfolding. They fought for the top three positions throughout the rally, but only Visser and home event winner, the Kia e Niro of Slovenian star Franco Spacapan, could challenge him.
Nevertheless, snow conditions began to change the shape of the convoy as the crew navigated the afternoon’s mountainous section, including the famous summit of Passo Rolle. Conde, the 2021 and 2022 series champion, led the way ahead of Spacapan, with Zdarski and Guerrini close behind.
Romanian series regulars Mircea Mester and Socariciu Cornel moved up to fifth place in their Hyundai Ioniq 5, with fellow veterans Didier Marga and Anne-Valerie Bourne close behind in their Kia E Niro, ahead of Visser. exceeded.
The second and final day will see us reach the Austrian border in South Tyrol before returning to the rally headquarters in Fiera di Primiero.
Once the regularity scores are complete, the bigger task will be to download all the data from the FIA’s measurement equipment in order to determine the most energy efficient competitors in the field. Only then will the overall score of regularity and consumption be confirmed to determine the final standings of the event and the championship itself.