Rally and Race

Michał Chorbiński and co-driver Adam Chrzanowski hold a five-point advantage in the Class 3 standings of the Polish Rally Championship (KIQ RSMP) with one round remaining. The 26-year-old driver from Żary has won four of five rounds this season in his Renault Clio Rally3, accumulating 140 points ahead of the season finale at Rally Wisła (18–19 September). With 50 points still available, Chorbiński needs only to win the final round to secure the national title regardless of competitors' results. Chorbiński and Chrzanowski opened the season with victories at Rally Świdnica, Rally Nadwiślański, and Valvoline Rally Małopolska, collecting the maximum 35 points at each event—30 for class victory plus five bonus points from the Power Stage. Their streak was interrupted at Rally Poland in July, where Chorbiński crashed on the penultimate stage while competing in the ERC3 category and leading the European standings. He returned to form at August's Marma 35 Rally Rzeszów, winning again and securing full points. Jakub Ulanowski sits second with 135 points, while Marcin Górny is third with 103 points. The final round offers increased point values, with class results multiplied by 1.5—meaning 45 points for a class win plus five from the Power Stage. A fifth victory would guarantee Chorbiński at least 185 points and the championship. Even with a lower finish, his four previous wins give him a tiebreaker advantage over Ulanowski, who has only one victory. Górny mathematically remains in contention despite trailing by 37 points. Chorbiński has prepared extensively for the decisive event, taking time off work and completing two days of testing to optimise his Clio's setup for the Beskid mountain stages. His performance at Rally Poland—where he won seven of twelve completed stages in ERC3 before his crash—impressed three-time Polish champion and 1997 European champion Krzysztof Hołowczyc, who subsequently offered team support. Chorbiński is entered as a Hołowczyc Racing driver for Rally Wisła. The final round comprises 13 asphalt special stages totalling 112.94 km, with six stages on Friday and seven on Saturday. The ORLEN VITAY Partecznik Power Stage (9.24 km) concludes the championship on 19 September at 16:01.

Polish driver Alicja Cyrek has secured a competitive opportunity in the Radical Cup UK after winning the Racing Women Global Competition 2025/2026 programme. The 18-year-old invested her birthday money into the international driver development initiative, which culminated in her selection to compete in a Radical SR3 at Donington Park on 25–27 September 2026. Racing Women Global Competition is a structured talent pathway that evaluates drivers across multiple dimensions beyond lap times. Participants are assessed on driving technique, error analysis, learning speed, coaching receptiveness, concentration, pressure management and teamwork within a racing environment. Cyrek was among four Polish drivers selected for the Assessment Day in the UK and progressed through successive rounds of evaluation to claim the overall title. As part of her preparation, Cyrek has already completed test sessions in a Radical SR3 at Brands Hatch, gaining experience with the lightweight prototype's handling characteristics, aerodynamics and braking demands. She will be supported at Donington Park by Diana Prietz, a racing instructor and Radical SR3 competitor in Poland's national racing championships, who will work as her coach and mentor during the weekend's test and race programme. Prietz emphasised the importance of methodical progression: "When a driver moves into such a fast car, the goal is not to use 100 per cent of its potential from lap one. Understanding the car, drawing conclusions and building pace consistently is what matters. Each session should represent another step forward."

Michael Verhagen of Ferrari Warszawa secured the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe Am class championship at Hungaroring during the penultimate round of the 2026 season. The Dutch driver wrapped up the title with a second-place finish in Sunday's race, extending his record to nine podiums for the year, including seven victories. Verhagen arrived at the Hungarian circuit leading the standings and converted that advantage into continental honours ahead of the season finale in Barcelona. In the main Trofeo Pirelli class, Sergio Paulet of Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM claimed victory from pole position, recording his sixth win of the season and setting the fastest lap in 1:45.569. Paulet had already secured the European title before Sunday's race. Niklas Abrahamsen (Formula Racing) finished second, while Hendrik Viol (Scuderia Praha Racing) took third. The Coppa Shell category remained competitive heading into the finale. Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing) scored his first win of the season, cutting the gap to championship leader Sven Schömer (Penske Sportwagen Hamburg) to six points. Carl Runefelt (Autoropa Racing) claimed second and fastest lap honours in class, with Khaleed Boodai (Rossocorsa) rounding out the podium. In Coppa Shell Am, Shintaru Akatsu (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM) took his maiden Ferrari Challenge victory. The Hungaroring event hosted Ferrari Racing Days across four days, attracting approximately 6,000 clients, fans and Scuderia Ferrari Club members. The programme featured cars from Ferrari's Corse Clienti offerings, including the XX Programme, F1 Clienti, Sport Prototipi Clienti and Club Competizioni GT categories. Ferrari unveiled the new 296 GT Modificata, a track-only model, as part of the Club Competizioni GT programme. The Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe season concludes at the Finali Mondiali on Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from 17–23 November, where Verhagen will contest the final round with his Am class title already secured.

Nearly 60 crews, including 21 competing in historic cars, have entered the 70th Wisła Rally (18–19 September), the season finale of Poland's KIQ Rally Car Championship. The championship battle will go down to the wire, with all four drivers still mathematically capable of claiming the title. Adrian Rzeźnik and Kamil Kozdroń lead the standings on 138 points, just one point ahead of Jarosław Szeja and Marcin Szeja on 137. The outcome will be decided across 13 asphalt special stages totalling 112.94 km in the Beskid Mountains. The championship fight is tightly bunched. Łukasz Byśkiniewicz and Łukasz Jastrzębski sit third with 124 points, while Jarosław Kołtun and Ireneusz Pleskot are fourth on 111 points—a 27-point gap to the leaders. The final round carries a 1.5 multiplier on championship points, meaning victory is worth 45 points plus a bonus five for the Power Stage, totalling 50 points available. Both Rzeźnik and Szeja can secure the title with an outright win regardless of Power Stage results. For Byśkiniewicz to win the championship, both drivers ahead must finish outside the top two, while Kołtun faces the steepest climb, needing to overhaul more than 27 points. The Rally3 class features eight cars split evenly between Renault Clio Rally3 and Ford Fiesta Rally3 machinery. Michał Chorbiński and Adam Chrzanowski lead on 140 points, with Jakub Ulanowski five points behind on 135. In the 2WD category, Dariusz Poloński and Łukasz Sitek in a Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 hold a commanding 47-point advantage over Sergiusz Janowski and Krzysztof Grzenia, needing just three points to secure the title. The historic championship will also conclude at Wisła, with 17 of 21 registered crews competing for points. Paweł Molgo and Michał Jucewicz lead in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V on 120 points, ahead of Janusz Suś and Marek Jarosz in a BMW M3 E30 on 104 points. The rally begins Friday with a test stage and opening ceremony at 15:00 in Wisła's amphitheatre, followed by six special stages. Saturday features seven stages culminating in the Power Stage at 16:01, with the awards ceremony at 20:00.

The 2026 Polish Touring Car Championship and Polish Endurance Championship seasons will conclude this weekend at Tor Poznań, with organisers reporting over 250 entries across all supporting series—a record turnout for the event. The finale combines the domestic championship rounds with the final event of the Baltic Touring Car Championship (BaTCC), a collaboration that has been running for several years. Many Polish drivers recently competed abroad in the BaTCC round at Pärnu in Estonia and will now return home to contest the Poznań finale. More than two-thirds of all entries are from Poland, with strong grids expected across the fastest GT and prototype classes as well as the touring car divisions. The LMP3 Ligier battle between Tomasz Dyszkiewicz and Filip Sterczewski has dominated recent rounds, and will intensify with the arrival of Maciej Marcinkiewicz in a third identical prototype. Close behind will be Jacek Zielonka in a Radical SR3 and GT3 competitors including Mariusz Nierychlewski, who returns to his Audi R8 LMS after rebuilding it following a serious accident in June, and Przemysław Bieńkowski in a Mercedes-AMG GT3. Drivers from Lithuania and Latvia will also contest the GT3 and Lamborghini Huracán classes, with international competition expected throughout the lower categories. The RN2 class is experiencing a resurgence after losing entries to the rival R-Sport Cup earlier in the season. Over 10 cars are now entered, including a Toyota Yaris RN2 driven by Szymon Horodeński, marking the first appearance of that model in circuit racing. The supporting series are equally well-supported: nine Porsche 911s in the Porsche 4F Cup, 18 MINI Coopers in the R-Sport Cup, and 20 cars across the 3 Series Cup, where Wojciech Smorawiński returns to contest the race named after his grandfather Adam. With total entries exceeding the circuit's homologation limit, race director Sebastian Urbaniak confirmed that organisers are exploring solutions to avoid qualifying drivers out of the championship-deciding races. The most likely scenario involves running separate races for the Polish Endurance Championship and BaTCC, though a final decision has not yet been made. The schedule is expected to begin on Friday to accommodate the separate BMW Cup round.

STEAM Racing Future, a new educational initiative from Racing Future—an organisation already running a karting school and supporting young motorsport talent in Poland—has begun operations. Co-created by Marcin Budkowski, the programme aims to demonstrate to children and teenagers that mathematics, physics and engineering extend far beyond classroom theory and can lead directly to the racetrack. The course targets participants aged 10 to 16. Sessions began on 26 September and continue every Saturday for 35 weeks, with enrolment still open. The programme is available in three formats: fully online, in-person at Tor Modlin circuit, or hybrid. Bridging theory and practice The STEAM Racing Future curriculum uses motorsport as an engaging context to develop problem-solving, creativity and engineering thinking. Rather than treating mathematics and physics as abstract concepts, participants apply them directly—calculating go-kart dimensions, understanding vehicle dynamics and making informed decisions on track. The seven-module structure guides learners through go-kart construction step by step, exploring how design choices affect on-track behaviour. Mathematics covers measurement and comparison; physics addresses motion, forces and braking; engineering bridges concept to working solution; and art develops design sensitivity. Instruction is delivered by a mathematics and physics teacher who contextualises theory within the project, supported by video content featuring Budkowski, an experienced Formula 1 engineer and manager. His contributions offer insight into how motorsport success depends on specialists across design, data analysis, technology, mechanics, strategy and continuous refinement—demonstrating that racing involves far more than driving. Learning through iteration The STEAM methodology encourages learners to combine knowledge across disciplines, seek solutions independently and learn from experience. Participants observe, design, build, test and refine—treating mistakes as information rather than failure. This approach mirrors established international motorsport education programmes such as STEM Racing and Britain's STEM On Track, which emphasise problem-solving, communication, collaboration and resilience alongside technical content.

The 2026 Clio Cup Bohemia season reached a critical phase at Brno Autodrom, where Polish driver Oskar Marszałkowski of JTS Racing Team scored eight points across the penultimate round. His performance in the second race proved particularly impressive, as he climbed from 16th on the grid to finish sixth—a gain of ten positions. Marszałkowski's weekend began with challenging conditions during Saturday's qualifying session, held in wet weather. The 18-year-old, who celebrated his birthday before the Czech round, initially showed strong pace on the slippery surface and ran near the top ten for JTS Racing Team. However, a red flag caused by a rival's accident cut short his final qualifying attempt. With only one lap remaining and 29 cars on track simultaneously, changeable conditions and heavy traffic worked against him; he was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and qualified 18th. The first race offered little opportunity to demonstrate his pace. Real racing lasted only two and a half laps before the safety car deployed, and a serious accident shortly after the restart brought out the red flag again. Marszałkowski managed one overtake and lined up 16th for the second start. Race two told a different story. Marszałkowski made an excellent start and gained five positions on the opening lap alone, breaking into the points-scoring top ten by lap two. He continued climbing the order consistently thereafter. However, another incident approximately five minutes from the finish brought out the safety car again, neutralising the field to the chequered flag and preventing further attacks. He crossed the line sixth, securing eight points and maintaining sixth place in the championship standings ahead of the season finale. "I'm genuinely proud of my performance in the second race," Marszałkowski said. "Starting from a distant position, I had good pace from the beginning and managed to gain a lot of ground. Five positions on the first lap gave me an excellent foundation, and then I could focus on further attacks. It's a shame about the neutralisation at the end, because I felt we still had a chance to fight for a higher position. Sixth place after starting 17th is definitely a result I can be proud of." The Clio Cup Bohemia season concludes in Budapest on the final weekend of October. Marszałkowski's next outing comes much sooner, however—this week at Spa-Francorchamps, where he will join the Clio Cup Series grid in his first appearance for JTS Racing Team in the European cup. He plans two Clio Cup Series starts this year: after Belgium, he will compete in the November round at Portimão.

Ferrari has unveiled the 296 GT Modificata, a track-focused machine developed without the constraints of racing regulations, during Ferrari Racing Days at the Hungaroring in Budapest. Built on experience gained from the 296 GT3 Evo, the new model will be produced in strictly limited numbers and offered exclusively to clients in Ferrari's Club Competizioni GT programme. The 296 GT Modificata carries forward Ferrari's "Modificata" naming convention, which denotes specially engineered versions of existing models where performance takes absolute priority. The mid-mounted, turbocharged 2992 cc V6 engine—shared architecture with the 296 GT3 Evo but extensively modified—produces 730 hp at 7500 rpm and 800 Nm of torque at 5000 rpm, representing a 130 hp increase over the GT3 Evo unit. Power is transmitted via a six-speed sequential gearbox with a carbon clutch, with new ratios calibrated for track driving. Aerodynamic enhancements include a redesigned front splitter for improved airflow and downforce, a new bonnet with enlarged primary intake and refined hot-air extraction, and a completely reworked rear wing featuring a single central support, a 5 mm Gurney flap, and endplate designs inspired by the Ferrari 499P. Ferrari claims these modifications deliver approximately three seconds per lap improvement over the 296 GT3 Evo at Fiorano, partly because the Modificata operates free from Balance of Performance restrictions. Unlike single-seat track cars, the 296 GT Modificata seats two occupants, allowing owners to share driving duties with a passenger or instructor. Standard equipment includes data acquisition systems with additional sensors, onboard cameras, tyre pressure and temperature monitoring, professional safety harnesses, and enhanced cabin cooling. The car weighs 1330 kg (dry), measures 5033 mm long, 2230 mm wide (with mirrors), and 1082 mm tall, and features upgraded ventilated steel brake discs. Purchase of the 296 GT Modificata includes two years of participation in Club Competizioni GT, comprising 12 rounds across 2027 venues: Jerez de la Frontera, Misano, Fuji, Indianapolis, Paul Ricard, Spa-Francorchamps, and the Finali Mondiali finale. The model extends Ferrari's family of client-focused cars drawing on motorsport technology, following the 488 GT Modificata and 499P Modificata.

Zbigniew Staniszewski secured his seventh consecutive Polish rallycross championship in the supercars class at a combined FIA Central European Zone and Polish national round held at Słomczyn on 13 September 2026. The Olsztyn-based driver recovered from a difficult qualifying session to claim victory in the final, edging out Slovakia's Bruno Beckert in a competitive battle. Staniszewski piloted a Ford Fiesta R5 throughout the event, a power disadvantage against rivals running engines exceeding 500 horsepower. After a strong opening qualification win, his strategy faltered in subsequent heats, culminating in a fourth-place finish in the fourth qualifying race. However, a decisive start in the final proved decisive. Staniszewski gained the upper hand within 50 metres and controlled the opening corner, maintaining his lead through to the chequered flag with a time of 4:39.227, ahead of Beckert's 4:48.731. In the FIA CEZ supercars standings, Staniszewski leads with 136 points, followed by Czech driver Ales Fucik on 76 points and Austrian Gerald Eder on 44 points. Within the Polish championship, Staniszewski's tally of 77 points puts him well clear of Beckert (51 points) and his brother Norbert Beckert (48 points). Staniszewski will contest the next round of the Central European Zone championship in Nyírád, Hungary, the following weekend, where 18 supercars are expected to compete.

The 85th round of Prime Drift Open will conclude the 2026 season at Autodrom Słomczyn from October 2–4, with championship titles and final standings still to be decided across multiple classes. The Polish drifting series, now in its 18th year, has established itself as one of Europe's longest-running drift competitions and a launching pad for drivers who have gone on to compete at the highest international levels. In the Masters class, Łukasz Pijar leads with 292 points in his BMW E46 Touring, holding a 30-point advantage over Mateusz Suski (Toyota Supra MK5, 262 points) and Fabian Hała (BMW E46, 232 points). The PRO category presents an even tighter battle: Rafał Biej (BMW E36) sits atop the standings with 242 points, but Kordian Trela-Muchewicz (Nissan S15A) trails by only 26 points. The PROAM class is the most competitive, with Adam Jung (BMW 1) leading on 57 points—just eight ahead of a three-way tie between Borys Piotrowski, Nikodem Pałasz, and Paweł Nawara, each with 49 points. Slomczyn, a 1,200-metre circuit with a history dating to 1994, offers spectators natural earthen banking and grandstand seating that provide excellent sightlines across most of the track. The venue has hosted previous Prime Drift Open finals and is known for its technical layout and demanding conditions. The event will feature a Petrolheads.Unite zone showcasing vehicles and drivers from multiple motorsport disciplines, including hill climb competitor Maciej Serafin with his Pikes Peak machine, Polish Hill Climb Championship leader Bartłomiej Madziara in a Lamborghini Huracán ST Evo2, rally drivers Michał Skrzypczyk (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI) and Krzysztof Czechak (Subaru Impreza GT), 2024 Polish Autocross Champion Oskar Maciejewski, and flat-track racer Kuba Święch in a Mini Cooper. Ticket prices are 40 PLN (Friday), 60 PLN (Saturday), 80 PLN (Sunday), and 120 PLN for a two-day pass (Saturday–Sunday). Live coverage will be available on YouTube.

The Master of Champions Cup (MOCC) season reaches its penultimate round with the Richard Burns 2001 Rally, where the championship battle could be decided before the final event. After six rounds, Novak Sedej of Slovenia leads the standings on 175 points, followed by Jurek Bogdanowicz on 155 points and Michał Walkowski on 147 points. With only two rounds remaining, the margins are tight enough that a single mistake could prove costly in the fight for the title. The rally itself presents a demanding challenge: competitors will face 15 special stages totalling approximately 130 kilometres across mixed surfaces, combining gravel and asphalt sections. Variable grip and difficult conditions will demand both raw pace and careful vehicle setup. The final stage, stretching over 18 kilometres, is expected to be the decisive moment where the championship battle may be settled. Sedej will attempt to defend his lead, while Bogdanowicz—fresh from a recent victory—looks to mount another attack on the top spot. Walkowski, meanwhile, remains within striking distance and could yet emerge as a contender. The winner of the Richard Burns 2001 Rally will also secure a professional co-drive with Miko Marczyk, the 2025 European Rally Champion, as the event's top prize.

Julian Śmiechowski claimed his third victory of the 2026 Clio Cup Bohemia season at Brno, extending Polish representation at the front of the grid. The third-placed driver in the championship standings won the second race of the weekend, ahead of Rafał Paprota and Alan Kluza, with Polish drivers occupying five of the top six positions. The race began with Dawid Babraj, a series debutant this year, starting from pole position after his first-race result was revised to 12th place. Babraj led from the start, but Śmiechowski moved into second immediately and passed his JTS Racing Team teammate on the opening lap to take control. Babraj's early pace attracted pressure from title contenders Bartłomiej Mirecki and Tomáš Pekař. Mirecki gained four positions on lap one, which would have moved him ahead in the championship standings, but the two collided on lap two when Mirecki suddenly slowed and changed line, putting himself directly in Pekař's path. Both drivers ran off track, triggering a safety car period. Mirecki rejoined with a lap penalty, while Pekař retired to the pits. After the restart, Śmiechowski maintained his lead over Babraj, who came under sustained pressure from rivals. Paprota, Kluza and Filip Dziwok all passed the debutant in quick succession, allowing Śmiechowski to build a gap. Paprota eventually broke free from the chasing group and began closing on the leader, but a second collision—between Matej Preša and Valter Nežič—brought out another safety car. With both cars stranded in the gravel, the race ended under yellow flags. Śmiechowski crossed the line first, securing his third win and keeping alive his mathematical chances of finishing second in the championship. However, only Mirecki and Pekař can now fight for the title, separated by 49 points with 55 still available at the season finale on the Hungaroring.