Driving a rally car once in your life – a dream not only for motorsport fans. It came true for eight lucky readers of newspapers and magazines: they experienced top-class Opel performance training at the test center in Rodgau-Dudenhofen.
Led by former racing driver and Opel racing legend Volker Strycek, the day started with classic driving training in the sporty GSe models. The Astra GSe and the Grandland GSe in particular, with 225 hp and 300 hp system output respectively, made eyes shine. After various braking and evasive maneuvers, the winners circled through a slalom course with plenty of driving fun.
“What a great day with Opel!”
– Silke Rehak – winner of Main Echo
Performance training combines safety and the joy of sporty driving.
Silke Rehak, winner of the Main Echo, was absolutely thrilled with the day.
Thumbs up for the varied program.
A highlight of the site is the circular track with an incline of up to 40 percent.
Volker Strycek was a popular conversation partner.
Even more dynamism was on the agenda in the second part of the day: the readers danced on the ideal line on a winding handling course at the Test Center and found the right braking points. The agility and stability of the sporty Opel models were impressive.
The highlight awaited in the performance area of the normally strictly isolated area. Volker Strycek, the first DTM champion in history, took over the introduction to the Opel Corsa Rally Electric. The participants then climbed one by one into the 136 hp Corsa and hunted for fast laps.
“For me there were two highlights: Corsa Rally and racing legend Volker Strycek.”
– Sebastian Schneider – Winner of Electric Drive magazine
The Corsa Rally has been competing in the successful racing series launched by ADAC and Opel since 2021.
Two highlights for winner Sebastian Schneider – racing legend Volker Strycek and the Rally Corsa.
The winners were able to experience electromobility and improve their own skills behind the wheel.
The Opel GSe models demonstrate the sporty side of electromobility.
“Electric driving is really fun – not just in a rally car!” says Simone Buettner.
The extremely agile Corsa Rally Electric has not only fascinated participants in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup since 2021 – the eight winners were also blown away. “The demanding, very instructive driving training in the sporty Opel models was a great prelude to the big finale in the rally car,” enthused Michael Stockkamp. Winner Simone Buettner sums it up like this: “I was impressed by how brutally the Opel Corsa Rally Electric moved forward – a great experience! Electric driving is really fun – not just in rally cars!”
This shouldn’t be missed either: winners and instructors come together for a group photo.
May 2024
Text and photos: Dani Heyne