21 September 2025

Marczyk wins the Silesia Rally for the third time – leg 3 summary

Mikołaj Marczyk and Szymon Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) made it back-to-back wins in the Polish Rally Championship. After triumphing on Marma 34th Rally Rzeszów (7 – 9 August), they collected the winners’ trophies at Superauto.pl Silesian Stadium on Sunday, 21 September, for victory in the Rally Silesia. Jakub Matulka and Damian Syty (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, +28.8s) finished second to seal their first Polish championship title. Meanwhile Maciej Lubiak and Grzegorz Dachowski (Porsche 911) took a commanding win in historic championship.

Run on 19 – 21 September, Rally Silesia counted for the FIA European Rally Trophy (round 10) and the Polish Rally Championship (RSMP, round 6 – penultimate). The event also hosted the Millers Oils HRSMP (penultimate round) and the South Rally Championship (RMP), which still has three rounds to go in 2025.

Organisers prepared a 777.5 km route with 150.65 km of competition across 14 asphalt special stages. Twelve stages ran in the south of the region; two city-centre superspecials – GZM Katowice (1.85 km) and Superauto.pl Silesian Stadium (1.5 km) – completed the itinerary.

Ninety-four crews entered across all categories, with 29 in RSMP/FIA ERT, 22 in historic championship (HRSMP) and 41 in RMP.

MARCZYK UNBEATABLE IN KATOWICE

As in 2024, the rally began with a ceremonial start on Dworcowa Street before the Friday-evening dash through Katowice. Marczyk/Gospodarczyk were untouchable and led outright. The Szeja brothers – Jarosław and Marcin – were next at +1.3s, with Matulka/Syty third (+1.5s). Grzegorz Grzyb/Adam Binięda (+1.9s) and Łukasz Byśkiniewicz/Daniel Siatkowski (+2.1s) completed the top five.

In Class 3 (Rally3), Adrian Łabuda/Michał Kuśnierz (Ford Fiesta Rally3) were the first leaders, while Janowski/Grzenia headed 2WD.

“We couldn’t miss Rally Silesia. Great to entertain the fans – see you on the stages Saturday and Sunday,” said Jarosław Szeja at the SS GZM Katowice finish.

“We’ll do everything to seal the title here. Two tough days ahead – stay focused, fast and mistake-free,” noted Matulka.

“My standards are high, so I’m not fully happy. I was a bit stiff at the start – untidy through the barrel chicanes. I want to leave Silesia knowing we’re sharp before Croatia and the ERC title fight,” explained Marczyk.

SPECIAL-STAGE MILESTONE FOR THE TWO-TIME CHAMPION

Saturday’s longest leg featured Jastrzębie-Zdrój (11.9 km), Hażlach (14.4 km) and Gmina Jasienica (15.5 km) twice each, plus the evening run by the Superauto.pl Silesian Stadium (1.5 km).

In the morning loop, Grzyb/Binięda edged Jastrzębie-Zdrój, but Marczyk/Gospodarczyk hit back on Hażlach and Jasienica to keep the overall lead. Matulka/Syty reached service in third, 10.2s behind Grzyb and 17.8s off the lead. Before Jasienica, Byśkiniewicz/Siatkowski were delayed by a technical issue; they restarted but a late check-in penalty dropped them to P24.

Łabuda/Kuśnierz led Class 3 by 7.4s over Jakub Ulanowski/Patryk Kielar. In 2WD, local favourites Dariusz Poloński/Łukasz Sitek (Lancia Ypsilon Rally4) built a 15.0s cushion over FIA ERT chasers Filip Sipos/Marcel Hranka (Peugeot 208 Rally4).

In the afternoon Marczyk/Gospodarczyk swept all four stages, steadily pulling clear to end the day 25.6s ahead of Grzyb/Binięda. Their win on SS6 (Hażlach) marked Marczyk’s 140th RSMP stage win. Matulka/Syty lifted their pace with three second-fastest times, trimming their gap to Grzyb from 9.7s to 3.4s before the final day.

After eight stages and 87 km, the top five were: Marczyk/Gospodarczyk; Grzyb/Binięda (+25.6s); Matulka/Syty (+29.0s); the Szeja brothers (+45.4s); and Jarosław Kołtun/Ireneusz Pleskot (+48.0s). Byśkiniewicz/Siatkowski clawed back to P10.

In 2WD, Poloński/Sitek dictated the afternoon pace, conceding only one of the four tests to Sipos/Hranka. In Class 3, Łabuda/Kuśnierz swept the loop to open out nearly half a minute on Ulanowski/Kielar; Butyński/Jastrzębski were already more than three minutes back in third.

MIKO THIRD TIME WITH A FULL SET

Sunday comprised Marklowice Górne (11.45 km), Kiczyce (9.7 km) and “Silesian Voivodeship” (10.5 km around Ochaby and Wiślica), each run twice.

The leaders’ morning was mixed: Marczyk/Gospodarczyk won SS9 but dropped time on the next two, their overall margin shrinking by 6.8s.

The key twist came on SS10 Kiczyce, where Matulka was second-fastest – just 0.1s off Jarosław Szeja – and moved past Grzyb for P2. He then won the next test, stretching his advantage in their title duel from 0.5s to 6.1s. For Grzyb to keep the championship alive to the finale, he had to finish ahead of Matulka; P2 would clinch the crown for the Gliwice driver.

Marczyk/Gospodarczyk then dominated the final loop, winning all three stages to take their joint tally of RSMP stage wins to 146. Matulka outpaced Grzyb on SS12 and again on SS13, the gap growing to 9.3s.

Power Stage points: Marczyk (5), Jarosław Kołtun/Ireneusz Pleskot (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, 4), Grzyb (3), Matulka (2) and Szeja (1).

Marczyk/Gospodarczyk left Chorzów with maximum points (30+5). In three RSMP starts this year, the ERC leaders have taken three full houses. Matulka/Syty finished 28.8s behind for 26 points; Grzyb/Binięda were third at +38.3s for 24. That pushed Matulka’s lead over Grzyb to 54 points with 50 available on Rajd Nyski (11 – 12 October), confirming Matulka/Syty as Polish champions.

Just off the podium were the Szeja brothers (+50.1s); Kołtun/Pleskot completed the top five (+54.0s).

POLISH CHAMPION – THAT SOUNDS GREAT

“I’m happy with the win. Saturday was pretty good; Sunday average – we had some car issues and I made a couple of mistakes. Hopefully this weekend pays off in Croatia where we’ll fight for the ERC title. For now, huge congratulations to Kuba, Damian and their team – new members of the Polish champions’ club. Kuba deserves it – great rally, great season,” said Rally Silesia record-holder Marczyk, who now has three victories and 29 Rally Silesia SS wins.

“Yes – ‘Polish champion’ sounds and feels fantastic. We worked very hard for this and it’s down to many people. It was a tough rally mentally. I’ve fulfilled a dream and now we should keep pushing in international series,” said an emotional Jakub Matulka.

“It wasn’t our day. Credit to Kuba – he’s been faster across the season. We’ve shown strong pace too, but today I overshot a junction and he got away. I’m pleased with another RSMP podium, and we’ll fight for vice-champion on Rajd Nyski,” added Grzegorz Grzyb. It’s the Wroclaw driver’s 59th RSMP podium.

THE FIGHT FOR THE TITLES CONTINUES

2WD (two-wheel drive): Home heroes Poloński/Sitek (Lancia Ypsilon Rally4) controlled Sunday to win the category. Sipos/Hranka (Peugeot 208 Rally4) clung to second under heavy pressure from Kacper Potyra/Piotr Sieliło in an older-spec Peugeot 208 R2; after SS13 Potyra was just 0.3s back, but the 24-year-old Bratislava driver held on. Potyra’s consolation was a clear NAT4 class win.

RSMP 2WD points went to category leaders Marcin Górny/Mateusz Martynek (Peugeot 208 Rally4), who drove tactically – knowing the top three on the road (Poloński, Sipos, Potyra) were not registered for RSMP points. The 2WD title will be decided on Rajd Nyski.

Class 3 (Rally3): Łabuda/Kuśnierz (Ford Fiesta Rally3) won the Silesian round and added 34 points, taking a 27-point lead to Nysa over Ulanowski/Kielar, second among the Rally3 crews.

MILLERS OILS HRSMP: LUBIAK’S KNOCKOUT

Maciej Lubiak and Grzegorz Dachowski pulled more than a minute clear during Saturday’s leg and then added nearly 80 seconds to their advantage on Sunday, winning the Millers Oils HRSMP round by 2:25.7 with seven stage wins from 14.

Marcin Kwaśny/Michał Trela (Subaru Impreza GT) took second overall – and first in Historic Open +2000 – after a final-stage push that moved them ahead of Marcin Majcher/Mateusz Adamski (Subaru Legacy 4WD Turbo).

Filip Stopa/Piotr Szadkowski (BMW M3 E36) finished fourth overall, the best among crews in FIA historic-class cars; Michał Łusiak/Michał Jurgała (Ford Escort Cosworth) completed the top five.

Class winners: B1 (1970 – 1992, >2000 cm³) Lubiak/Dachowski; B2 (1970 – 1992, ≤2000 cm³) Piotr Gadomski/Bartłomiej Męka (Opel Kadett GSi 16V); C1 (1991 – 2000, >2000 cm³) Stopa/Szadkowski; C2 (1991 – 2000, ≤2000 cm³) Jan Sikorski/Marek Kaczmarek (Citroën Saxo VTS). In Historic Open – 2000, points leaders Krzysztof Święcicki/Jarosław Ciesielski (Peugeot 106) retired with alternator failure; Roman Wyszogrodzki/Michał Maicher (Peugeot 306 GTI) were the only finishers.

RMP: GOOD JOB BY KAWALEC

Kamil Kawalec/Sebastian Krzyżowski (Peugeot 208 GTI) dominated Saturday’s RMP round within Rally Silesia, winning four of six stages. They were quickest on the first-loop runs of Jastrzębie-Zdrój (12.2 km) and Hażlach (9.35 km) – only just pipped by a second on Gmina Jasienica by Szymon Gańczarczyk/Sławomir Parzyk (Citroën DS3 THP). At halfway the order was Kawalec ahead of Gańczarczyk (+10.2s), with Jacek Bieszczad/Paweł Piczak (Honda Civic Type-R, +39.2s) third.

The decisive blow came on the second pass of Jastrzębie-Zdrój, where Kawalec found 14.5s over Gańczarczyk/Parzyk, then set fastest time again on SS5 Hażlach. The closing Superauto.pl Silesian Stadium test didn’t change the top ten: overall and RN1 went to Kawalec/Krzyżowski, ahead of Gańczarczyk/Parzyk (+26.7s) and Bieszczad/Piczak – best in Class A.

Marcin/Alicja Biernat (Citroën DS3 VTi) topped RN2; Łukasz Godula/Daniel Nowak (Peugeot 208 1.2 PureTech) won RN3; Michał Tochowicz/Piotr Białowąs (Citroën C3 Rally2) took Open.

Gańczarczyk/Parzyk lead the RMP standings on 120 points, with their advantage over Kawalec/Krzyżowski (110 points) reduced by seven.

RALLY SILESIA 2025 OVERALL STANDINGS:

  1. Marczyk/Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) 1:26:56.3 s
  2. Matulka/Syty (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) +28.8 s
  3. Grzyb/Binięda (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) +38.3 s
  4. Szeja/Szeja (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) +50.1 s
  5. Kołtun/Pleskot (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) +54 s
  6. Gabryś/Dymurski (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) +2:53.2 s
  7. Byśkiniewicz/Siatkowski (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) +5:27.4 s
  8. Łabuda/Kuśnierz (Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evo) +5:56.6 s
  9. Ulanowski/Kielar (Ford Fiesta Rally3) +6:34.2 s
  10. Poloński/Sitek (Lancia Ypsilon Rally4) +8:34.8 s

RALLY SILESIA 2025 – 2WD CATEGORY STANDINGS:

  1. Poloński/Sitek (Lancia Ypsilon Rally4) 1:35:31.1 s
  2. Šipoš/Hranka (Peugeot 208 Rally4) +36.0 s
  3. Potyra/Sieliło (Peugeot 208 NAT4) +42.7 s
  4. Górny/Martynek (Peugeot 208 Rally4) +1:49.1 s
  5. Nowak/Poradzisz (Lancia Ypsilon Rally4) +1:55.5 s

RALLY SILESIA 2025 – MILLERS OILS HRSMP STANDINGS:

  1. Lubiak/Dachowski (Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0) 1:37:33.4 s
  2. Kwaśny/Trela (Subaru Impreza GT) +2:25.7 s
  3. Majcher/Adamski (Subaru Legacy 4WD Turbo) +2:31.4 s
  4. Stopa/Szadkowski (BMW M3 E36) +4:54.0 s
  5. Łusiak/Jurgała (Ford Escort RS Cosworth) +9:57.6 s
  6. Olchawski/Bosek (Audi Quattro Sport E2) +10:55.8 s
  7. Sikorski/Kaczmarek (Citroen Saxo VTS) +22:07.5 s
  8. Gadomski/Męka (Opel Kadett GSI 16V) +23:50.6 s
  9. Skrzypek/Pogoda (Fiat Ritmo Abarth 125 TC) +30:16.6 s
  10. Wyszogrodzki/Maicher (Peugeot 306 GTI) +31:19.2 s

RSMP STANDINGS AFTER RALLY SILESIA 2025:

  1. Matulka/Syty 180 pkt
  2. Grzyb/Binięda 126 pkt
  3. Marczyk/Gospodarczyk 105 pkt
  4. Kołtun/Pleskot 104 pkt
  5. Brzeziński/Gerber 82 pkt
  6. Byśkiniewicz/Siatkowski 77 pkt
  7. Szeja/Szeja 73 pkt
  8. Ulanowski/Kielar 51 pkt
  9. Gabryś/Dymurski 47 pkt
  10. Górny/Martynek 43 pkt

RSMP 2WD STANDINGS AFTER RALLY SILESIA 2025:

  1. Górny/Martynek 165 pkt
  2. Mularczyk/Marczewski 148 pkt
  3. Janowski/Grzenia 98 pkt
  4. Prus/Lisicki 94 pkt
  5. Hurko/Janasz 81 pkt
  6. Rachfał/Mroszczyk 63 pkt
  7. Januchta/Matuszczyk 62 pkt
  8. Michalak/Piekarska 51 pkt

RSMP CLASS 3 STANDINGS AFTER RALLY SILESIA 2025:

  1. Łabuda/Kuśnierz 152 pkt
  2. Ulanowski/Kielar 125 pkt
  3. Kowal/Lenkowski 101 pkt
  4. Kowalczyk/Potępa 55 pkt
  5. Król/Olejniczak 47 pkt