Rally and Race

Polish driver Bartłomiej Mirecki claimed his seventh victory of the 2026 Clio Cup Bohemia season at Autodrom Brno, defeating defending champion Tomáš Pekař in the opening race and moving within striking distance of the championship title. Mirecki started from third on the grid but quickly overtook front-row starters Miha Primožič and Matic Preša within the opening corners. Pekař, who qualified seventh, also made rapid progress and ran second by the end of lap one. The race was interrupted twice by safety car periods following incidents involving Pavel Paickr and another competitor. Red flags were displayed eight minutes before the scheduled finish, ending the race prematurely at the completion of lap five. Throughout the shortened contest, Mirecki and Pekař exchanged the lead multiple times, though the Polish driver held the advantage for most of the race and secured the win. Preša completed the podium in third place, matching his best result from the Most round. The result extends Mirecki's championship lead to 49 points; a margin of at least 55 points after the second race of the weekend would secure him the title at Brno. Among other Polish competitors, Rafał Paprota finished seventh, while Filip Dziwok and Paweł Wysmyk scored points. Julian Śmiechowski delivered an impressive performance, climbing from 22nd on the grid to 11th at the finish and securing a front-row starting position for the weekend's second race.

The sixth and penultimate round of the European Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli is underway at Hungaroring from 10–13 September, with 35 drivers competing in Ferrari 296 Challenge machinery. The Hungarian event forms part of the broader Ferrari Racing Days programme and carries significant weight in the championship battle, as only the season finale at Finali Mondiali in Barcelona (17–23 November) remains after this weekend. In the Trofeo Pirelli class, Sergio Paulet (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM) leads the standings, with Max Mugelli (CDP – Eureka Competition) in second and among the main title contenders. Returning drivers include Niklas Abrahamsen (Formula Racing) and Hendrik Viol (Scuderia Praha Racing). The Trofeo Pirelli Am category is headed by Michael Verhagen (Ferrari Warszawa), while the Coppa Shell battle remains tight: Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing) holds 84 points, just two ahead of Sven Schömer (Penske Sportwagen Hamburg). In Coppa Shell Am, Jean Ryu (Kessel Racing) leads with 120 points. Beyond Ferrari Challenge, the weekend includes track sessions for Club Competizioni GT, XX Programme, F1 Clienti, and Sport Prototipi Clienti. Racing began with test sessions on Thursday 10 September, followed by qualifying on Friday. The first races are scheduled for Saturday 12 September at 10:30 (Coppa Shell classes) and 15:50 (Trofeo Pirelli classes), with a Ferrari owner parade at midday. Sunday 13 September features further races at 10:30 and 14:55. Ferrari has also announced significant changes for the 2027 season. An endurance format will be introduced to the European Ferrari Challenge, with 40-minute races plus one lap held at three of seven rounds—Misano, Hockenheim, and Valencia. Each endurance race will include a mandatory pit stop between laps 15 and 25, with driver changes permitted. The remaining rounds will retain the traditional sprint format at Donington, Spa-Francorchamps, Misano, and Finali Mondiali. Endurance rounds will carry increased championship weight to emphasise strategy and pit-stop management. Similar changes are planned for the North American Ferrari Challenge from 2027 onwards.

The 2026 Drift Masters season concludes this weekend at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, with the championship decider accompanied by an expanded entertainment programme. Organisers have arranged a multi-faceted event featuring two Formula 1 cars, a high-powered drift machine, paddock access for spectators, and the finale of a build-and-drive project by Kuba Przygońskiego and Natan Czyżewski. The headline attraction will be two Red Bull RB7 cars from the 2011 F1 season, when Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber combined for 18 pole positions and 12 victories across 19 races. Vettel claimed his second world championship that year, and Red Bull secured their second consecutive constructors' title. On the Warsaw circuit, former F1 driver Christian Klien and long-time Red Bull test driver Patrick Friesacher will pilot the RB7s in a specially prepared show run format. The cars retain their original V8 engines producing approximately 750 horsepower and functional blown diffuser systems. Rather than simple demonstration laps, Klien and Friesacher will compete in a pursuit-style race, starting simultaneously from opposite ends of the circuit and battling for advantage over successive laps. This unusual fusion of Formula 1 machinery and drift series infrastructure will test how the high-downforce cars perform on the tight layout. The programme will also feature a "Donut Show" — a 15-second contest between an F1 car and a drift machine to execute the most spins in place. New Zealand drifter Michael Brandon Whiddett, known as Mad Mike, will bring his Mazda MX-3 Bullet, a machine built for Pikes Peak competition. The car features rear-wheel drive and a twin-turbocharged four-rotor Wankel engine producing around 1,400 horsepower, with the radiator relocated to the boot to accommodate the extreme cooling demands. The Bullet holds the Pikes Peak record for Wankel-engined vehicles and is the fastest Mazda ever to compete there. Whiddett will demonstrate the car's capabilities during track runs and the donut contest. Spectators with appropriate tickets will access the paddock to view both the RB7s and the drift cars up close, alongside partner zones, team merchandise stands, and Red Bull activations on the main promenade. Fans can try sim racing simulators and a Formula 1 pit-stop wheel-change simulator. Saturday will also see the finale of Przygońskiego and Czyżewski's "From Stock Exchange to PGE Narodowy" project, in which a used BMW E46 was purchased, prepared, and driven by Czyżewski under Przygońskiego's tuition throughout the summer. The championship battle itself remains the centrepiece. Five-time Drift Masters champion Piotr Więcek leads the standings with 436 points, holding a 22-point advantage over Paweł Korpuliński, who seeks his first title. Conor Shanahan and James Deane from Ireland remain in contention with 370 and 337 points respectively.

The penultimate round of the 2026 Clio Cup Bohemia season took place at Brno Autodrom this weekend, with Friday qualifying held in persistent rain that kept track and air temperatures below 15°C throughout the morning and into the 20-minute session. Miha Primožič set the pace in the closing stages after a red flag interruption caused by Ivan Prantner's off-track excursion. Series leader Bartłomiej Mirecki, the Polish driver who can clinch the championship this weekend, initially set the benchmark with a 2:34.974 lap. After the session resumed following the brief stoppage, conditions improved noticeably as rain eased. Mirecki improved to 2:34.818, but Matic Preša and Primožič proved faster, with Primožič securing pole position on 2:34.224. Among Polish competitors, Mirecki's third-place finish was the best result. Filip Dziwok claimed the next-best Polish qualifying position inside the top ten, ahead of teammates Rafał Paprotą, Alan Kluza and Paweł Wysmyk. Piotr Ławski qualified 17th, followed by Oskar Marszałkowski and Dawid Babraj, with Krzysztof Dudek 23rd. Last year's champion Tomáš Pekař will start from sixth, while Julian Śmiechowski retains mathematical title chances from 22nd on the grid. Both races of the Brno round are scheduled for Saturday and are expected to take place in dry conditions.

The FIA Central European Zone Rallycross Championship and Polish Rallycross and Autocross Championships will take place at Autodrom Słomczyn on 12–13 September 2026 as a two-day event. The venue offers comprehensive facilities including a restaurant, spectator viewing areas, and restrooms, allowing visitors to attend without bringing supplies. Saturday's schedule begins with the competition office opening at 08:00, followed by a warm-up session from 09:45 to 09:45. Three qualifying heats run across the day: the first from 10:00 to 12:00, the second from 12:20 to 14:20, and the third from 15:00 to 17:00, with technical breaks between sessions. Sunday features a fourth qualifying heat from 09:30 to 11:30, semi-finals in categories A and B from 12:00 to 13:15, and finals beginning at 14:00. Final classifications will be published at 16:00, with prize presentations at 16:10. Spectators can purchase day tickets for 50 PLN per person at the gate, with children under 12 admitted free. Tickets grant access to the Machine Park and all available viewing points. Payment is accepted in cash and by card. Organisers note that the nearby Słomczyn market operates on Sunday and may cause traffic congestion on the shared access road to the circuit.

Słomczyn Autodrome will host the fifth and penultimate round of the Polish Rallycross and Autocross Championships on 12–13 September, drawing over 80 competitors to the circuit. The event will also serve as a qualifying round for the FIA Central European Zone (CEZ) European Championship, adding international significance to the weekend's competition. The SuperCars class alone has attracted nine entries, with multiple championship battles set to reach their decisive phase. In the Seicento Cup, Jakub Kabat holds an eight-point advantage over Maksym Huranowski, while the RWD Cup BMW category promises close racing between young drivers Kacper Sokulski and Krystian Pietraszko, separated by just five points. Łukasz Zoll will attempt to close a seven-point deficit to Czech leader Castorala in another key category. Beyond the Polish championship standings, drivers will also compete for points in the FIA CEZ classification and the Czech Rallycross Cup. Admission is priced at 50 PLN per person per day, with free entry for children under 12. Tickets will be available on-site, with payment accepted in cash or by card.

Polish driver Oskar Marszałkowski faces a demanding month ahead, with back-to-back commitments in both the Clio Cup Bohemia domestic series and the international Clio Cup Series. The 18-year-old will contest this weekend's Brno round before heading directly to Spa-Francorchamps for his first outing with JTS Racing Team in the European championship. Marszałkowski arrives at Autodrom Brno seeking to recover from a difficult Slovakia Ring round, where contact with a rival and a mechanical failure left him pointless. Despite that setback, he remains in contention for fourth place in the Clio Cup Bohemia standings and a junior podium finish. His previous visit to the Czech circuit yielded second place, a result that has boosted his confidence heading into the weekend. "After Slovakia, there's frustration because we had the pace for a strong result, but we came away empty-handed," Marszałkowski said. "Now the priority is to run a clean weekend in Brno and make the most of the car's potential. I feel comfortable in the Czech Republic, which my Most result proved, so I'm targeting a strong performance and a return to the fight for top positions." The Brno round will adopt a compressed format, with both races held on the same day rather than spread across the weekend. Immediately after, Marszałkowski and his team will travel to Belgium for the Spa-Francorchamps round of the Clio Cup Series—one of Europe's most demanding circuits. The driver has previous experience in the European series through guest appearances last season. A second international outing is scheduled for November in Portimão, Portugal, after the Clio Cup Bohemia season concludes.

Polish driver Fabian Dybionka marked his maiden appearance in the ADAC GT Masters with an immediate podium finish at Salzburg. The 17-year-old claimed second place in the opening race of the weekend, finishing just under half a second behind the winner. Dybionka joined Haupt Racing Team for the penultimate round of the season, making his first start in a Ford Mustang GT3. He shared the car with 19-year-old Norwegian Emil Gjerdrum. The pairing started from ninth on the grid, but Gjerdrum moved into third position early in the race. After the driver change, Dybionka continued climbing the order, reaching second place and challenging for the lead before crossing the line in runner-up position. The second race at Salzburg ended in sixth place for the Dybionka–Gjerdrum pairing. The result could have been significantly stronger, as the team lost over 20 seconds due to a penalty stemming from a mechanic error during the pit stop. Dybionka demonstrated strong pace throughout his stint and was the fastest driver on track during his time in the car. The Salzburg weekend served as a significant test for Dybionka in a new environment. ADAC GT Masters functions as a direct stepping stone to DTM and represents the highest level of the "Road to DTM" programme. At 17, Dybionka was the second-youngest driver in the field and showed pace competitive with more experienced rivals. "It was almost a dream debut for me in ADAC GT Masters," Dybionka reflected. "Both the new car and the new team made a strong impression, and from the first practice sessions I had very competitive pace and knew we could fight for top positions." Dybionka acknowledged that his crew also assisted the second HRT entry in its championship fight during the opening race, yet still managed to secure second place. In the second race, he demonstrated pace that suggested another podium was possible before the penalty ended those hopes. "I'm pleased to have shown competitive pace in every car I've driven this year, and I hope this will pay dividends and allow me to take the next step in my career in the 2027 season," the Poznań-based driver added.

Kunos Simulazioni and Supernova have detailed the upcoming 0.6 update for Assetto Corsa Rally, introducing private multiplayer lobbies, a photo mode, three new vehicles spanning different rally eras, and significant physics refinements. The headline feature is private lobby creation, allowing players to organise sessions with friends and establish custom leagues without relying on public matchmaking. A new photography mode will be accessible from special stages, replays, the service park, and the main menu. The update also enables custom liveries with full documentation and templates provided to the community, which developers describe as a first step toward broader mod support. Three historically significant rally cars join the roster: the Audi Quattro Gr. 4 (1980), Peugeot 206 WRC (1999), and Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 (2018). Each receives AI times across all available stages. The physics model gains tyre temperature simulation with adjusted car setups, while gravel surfaces in Greece and Wales have been reworked to better utilise the revised off-road tyre model. Optimal tyre pressures are now set at 28 psi for asphalt and 32 psi for gravel and ice. Online rankings will reset due to these changes, though single-player progress and medals remain intact. Single-player content expands with three new event groups totalling 18 competitions featuring the new vehicles. Event objectives have been refined, particularly for rain and snow conditions, while time trial and challenge modes will lock weather, time of day, and temperature for consistent comparison across players. Multiplayer sessions now start once 70 per cent of players are ready before the countdown expires, eliminating waits for disconnected drivers. Replay framerate limits have been removed, and audio middleware has been updated to FMOD 2.03.14 with new vehicle sound handling and damage-dependent cabin vibration in development. Technical improvements include updated racing lines on stages in Wales, Alsace, Monte Carlo, and Livigno with improved accuracy and turn-width representation. Signage corrections have been applied to the Bollène stage in Monte Carlo, and a static sign issue in Loutraki, Greece has been resolved.

Jan Antoszewski has secured the Porsche Sprint Challenge Deutschland GT3 championship with one round remaining after winning both races at the fifth event of the Porsche Sports Cup Deutschland at Spa-Francorchamps. The Polish driver's double victory, combined with strong performances from fellow countrymen, underlined a dominant weekend for the contingent at the 7,004-metre Belgian circuit. Antoszewski set the pace throughout qualifying, posting the fastest time overall at 2:22.039 seconds and backing it up with 2:22.799 seconds to claim pole position in GT3 for both sprints. In the first race, he built an immediate advantage and set the fastest lap of the day—2:24.254 seconds—on lap two, eventually crossing the line 9.171 seconds clear of Joel Hohmann. The second sprint proved similarly commanding; despite light drizzle and 17-degree conditions, Antoszewski led from start to finish, winning by 8.894 seconds over Hohmann. The seventh victory of his season in ten races mathematically confirmed his title with the season finale still to come at Hockenheimring on 3–4 October. Nikodem Sobczyk maintained his championship hopes in GT4, though he finished second in both races behind Rasmus Vendelbo. A first-lap error in race one cost Sobczyk the lead, and despite setting the fastest lap in class and closing to within 1.414 seconds, he could not find a way past the Dane. In the second sprint, Sobczyk briefly led after Vendelbo made an early mistake, but the Danish driver regained the position on the Kemmel Straight and held on by 4.332 seconds. Sobczyk's consistency—ten podiums in ten races, comprising one win, six second places and three thirds—keeps him in contention for the title heading into the finale, though he trails Vendelbo by 32.4 points in the overall standings. Michał Perel claimed both GT3 ProAm victories. Starting from second in each race, he quickly moved ahead of Josef Hrdlička in the opening sprint and controlled the class battle to finish fifth overall and 18.872 seconds clear in category. The second race saw a tighter contest; Perel led for most of the distance but Hrdlička moved ahead late on. Perel responded decisively in the final chicane, making contact as he reclaimed the position, and crossed the line just 0.177 seconds ahead—a margin that grew to 5.177 seconds after Hrdlička received a five-second penalty for track-limit violations. Piotr Szukalski scored two further podiums in GT4 ProAm, finishing third in race one (after receiving 45 seconds in penalties for track-limit breaches and a missed pit-lane pass) and second in race two, 0.527 seconds ahead of Daniel Reiter. From 2027, the Porsche Sports Cup Deutschland and Porsche Sprint Challenge Benelux will merge into a new international series, Porsche Sprint Challenge Germany, organised by Belgian outfit Prospeed. The new calendar will comprise five rounds at Nürburgring, Hockenheimring, Red Bull Ring, Spa-Francorchamps and Circuit Zandvoort, mostly within ADAC Racing Weekend packages. Each weekend will feature two 30-minute sprints plus an optional one-hour endurance race with mandatory pit stops and driver changes. The series will be open to Porsche 911 Cup cars (992.2 and earlier generations), all Porsche GT4 generations, and the new Porsche 911 Challenge. The 2026 season will be the final year of the current Porsche Sports Cup Deutschland format.

The 2026 Polish Rallycross and Autocross Championships are entering their final stretch, with the penultimate round taking place at Autodrom Słomczyn near Warsaw on 12–13 September. The venue will host competitors from both the domestic championship and the FIA Central European Zone Rallycross series. Following recent rounds in the Czech Republic and Latvia, drivers return to Polish soil for what could be a decisive weekend in several categories. In the SuperCars class, Zbyszek Staniszewski holds a commanding lead and may secure the national title this weekend. However, competition remains fierce in the lower categories, with several battles likely to extend to the final round in Poznań. In the Seicento Cup, Jakub Kabat leads by eight points over Maksym Guranowski, while the RWD Cup features a tight contest between young drivers Kacper Sokulski and Krystian Pietraszko, separated by just five points. Łukasz Zoll continues his bid to break the dominance of Czech competitor Castorala, who currently holds a seven-point advantage. Beyond the Polish championship battles, the weekend will also feature races counting towards the FIA CEZ classification and the Czech Rallycross Cup, promising a competitive programme across multiple series.

Kris Meeke has taken a commanding lead at Rally Ceredigion, the penultimate round of the FIA European Rally Championship, after a strong Saturday performance. The Toyota driver capitalised on a mistake by Teemu Suninen on the opening stage of the day to build a 20.5-second advantage heading into Sunday's final four stages. Miko Marczyk holds third place, with fellow Polish driver Jakub Matulka in fourth. Meeke's breakthrough came on the opening stage of Saturday morning, the 12.02 km Aberffrwd test. The Irishman set the fastest time while Suninen, driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, spun on the exit of a tight right-hand corner and lost over 10 seconds. The incident handed Meeke an 11.9-second gain. Suninen fought back on the 20.71 km Cwm Elan stage, posting a time 5.7 seconds faster than Meeke to reduce the deficit to seven seconds before the midday service in Aberystwyth. However, Meeke regained the initiative over the remaining stages, winning three consecutive tests to extend his lead to 19.4 seconds before the final double pass through the Aberystwyth street stage, where he finished 20.5 seconds clear. Despite losing the lead, Suninen remains in a strong position to secure his first ERC title. The Finn can clinch the championship on Sunday if he finishes second or higher, provided that Andrea Mabellini—his only remaining rival for the crown—finishes no higher than seventh and scores no more than one point on the Power Stage. Mabellini currently sits seventh, over a minute behind the leader. Marczyk trails Meeke by 41.5 seconds, holding a 27.5-second buffer over Matulka. Max McRae occupies fifth place in a Fabia RS Rally2, eight seconds behind Matulka and on course for his best ERC result to date. In the ERC3 category, Ville Vatanen leads in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 and needs only to finish the rally to secure the title. The FIA ERC4 and Junior ERC battle remains tight, with Timo Schulz holding a 0.8-second advantage over Tom Heindrichs after the Aberystwyth street stage repeats. Sunday's finale comprises four stages totalling 63.80 km, beginning with the 20.64 km Gorsgoch test at 08:15 local time, followed by Ty Glyn, a repeat of Gorsgoch, and a final pass through Ty Glyn as the Power Stage.