20 August 2024

14 special stages in Rally Silesia – 2024 FIA ERC season finale

Rally Silesia makes its debut in the FIA European Rally Championship
Three days of rally battle in Silesian voivodeship (11-13 October)
Spectacular superspecials in the heart of Katowice and around Silesian Stadium
Kajetan Kajetanowicz among the stars
FIA ERC frontrunners, Polish champions and WRC-experienced crews expected

The best rally teams from all over Europe will come to the Silesian Voivodeship to compete in the Rally Silesia, the final round of the 2024 FIA ERC season. This sporting and motoring spectacle, which has never been held in this region before, is scheduled for 11-13 October. The detailed programme of the event has been revealed. Where and when will the contenders for the FIA ERC and Polish championship titles compete?

The event’s itinerary includes fourteen spectacular special stages, two of which are spectator-friendly superspecials held in the centre of Katowice and on the meadows of the Silesian Stadium.

This year’s edition, the first to be held as the FIA ERC round, means three action-packed days full of rallying emotions. The promotion to the European championship means that the total distance of the special stages will be the longest in the event’s history at over 180 kilometres. What’s more, the entire three-day competition will be broadcast live by TV stations from all over the world and on the Rally.TV platform, thus providing the region with global promotion. The main partner of the Silesian Rally is the Silesian Voivodeship and the event is held under the honorary patronage of Wojciech Saługa, Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship.

Friday, 11th of October – shakedown in Zabrze, opening ceremony in Katowice

Each FIA ERC round starts with free practice followed by qualifying. The results of the qualifying stage determine the order of the first leg of the rally, which can be decisive, for example, in wet conditions.

The strategic partner of the Silesia Rally is Metropolis GZM and the qualifying stage is named after the first metropolitan unit in Poland. The 3,05 kilometres long special stage will be held in Zabrze-Mikulczyce. Practice runs are scheduled for Friday, 11 October, from 8:30, while the qualifying starts at 11:31 Then, from 13.00, a GZM test will be held as a shakedown for the crews that did not take part in the qualifying.

The opening ceremony of the rally will take place on Dworcowa Street in Katowice. It will be a great opportunity to see all the rally cars and to talk to the competitors. This part of the rally is scheduled for Friday at 18.00.

The City of Katowice is a partner of the event. Thanks to this, the rally crews will take over the streets in the heart of the city. Two hours after the ceremonial start, the Katowice Super Special Stage (1.85 km) will start near the Spodek – a multipurpose arena in Katowice and one of the symbols of the city. From 20:05 spectators will be able to enjoy an exciting evening show on a closed course.

*Spectacular evening super special stage will take place in Katowice*

Saturday, 12th of October – demanding challenge in the southern part of the region

On Saturday, the competition will move to the southern part of the voivodeship, where stages proven and appreciated by the drivers are located. After the morning service in the Silesian Stadium, the crews will head to Jastrzębie-Zdrój for a 17.04 km special stage (starting at 9:00). Next in the itinerary is SS Ochaby in Skoczów gmina (10.8km, from 10:00). The final stage of the loop is the longest test of the rally (19.78km, from 11:00). Nearly 20 kilometres long test has been set in Jasienica gmina. After the three stages, the riders will return to Chorzów for a 30-minute break. After the break, the second runs of the three stages are scheduled. The afternoon tests will start at 15:15, 16:15 and 17:15 respectively.

The Silesia Rally is co-organised by the Silesian Stadium, so this multi-purpose venue will host not only the rally base and service park but also one of the special stages. Saturday’s test will be concluded with a spectacle on the meadows of the stadium, where a 1.5 km long stage will be held. Popular with the fans superspecial is scheduled for 19:30.

Sunday, 13th of October – new and well-proven stages

The itinerary of the final leg of the Silesia Rally consists of three special stages. Each of them will be covered twice. Sunday’s battle will be opened with SS Marklowice Górne (11.46 km, from 8:55 and 13:10) – a special stage never used before in the Rally Silesia. Then, the competitors will prove their pace on the Hażlach test (17.45 km, from 9:55 and 14:10). The loop will end with the SS Silesian Voivodship (11,87 km, from 11:05 and 16:05) located in Kiczyce. The second pass of this test will run as a Power Stage, where the five fastest crews earn extra points towards the national and European championship standings.

The closing ceremony and prize-giving will take place at 18:30 in the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów.

Rally Silesia in the oldest rally series in the world

Seven years after its first edition, the Rally Silesia was promoted to the European Rally Championship – the oldest rally series in the world. The first FIA ERC season took place in 1953. Many Polish rallies have been a round of the series since its establishment, including Rally Poland, which was a part of the FIA ERC calendar more than 50 times.

The trophies for winning the European rally champion title also went to drivers from the Silesian Voivodeship. Both Sobieslaw Zasada, born in Dabrowa Gornicza, and Kajetan Kajetanowicz from Ustron, have three FIA ERC titles under their belts. The latter will take on responsible task during Rally Silesia.

The organisers of the Silesia Rally – a competition organised with the strategic support of the Silesian Voivodeship – have earned the honour of including the event in the calendar of the FIA ERC, the second most important series in the world. This year, the Rally Silesia joined the elite group of the eight most important rallies in Europe as the final, decisive round.

*Hayden Paddon/John Kennard – reigning European champions are expected to compete in Rally Silesia*

Star-studded entry list and three-time European champion

High-speed rally action on special stages is the main, but not the only attraction for spectators. The organisers of the Silesia Rally – the Automobilist Foundation – are also preparing a number of additional attractions for the fans. As in previous years, there will be no tickets for the event – all special stages will be free of charge.

The high level of the spectacle will be guaranteed by the best rally crews in Europe. Among the FIA ERC participants are drivers known for their World Championship exploits, such as Oliver Solberg, Hayden Paddon (reigning champion) and Mads Ostberg, while Polish fans will be keeping their fingers crossed for Mikołaj Marczyk, two-time Polish champion and winner of the Silesia Rally. As always at the Silesia Rally, fans can expect an interesting and varied line-up of competitors and rally cars, as the event is also a round of the Polish Championship (RSMP), including the historic (Millers Oils HRSMP) and the Southern Rally Championship – a series of regional rallies.

A real highlight for fans will be the appearance of Kajetan Kajetanowicz – four-time Polish Champion, three-time European Champion and winner of the WRC2 Challenger category in the World Championship. However, Kajetanowicz and his co-driver Maciej Szczepaniak will not be competing against a European Championship field. Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak have accepted the organiser’s invitation and will be driving a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 – the same car they use in the WRC – as the crew of a course car. Their responsible task will be to drive in front of the competitors to confirm that the special stages are ready for the fierce competition that – all signs point to – will decide who will be the European Rally Champion in 2024. Moreover, we already know that, like last year, the results of the Silesia Rally will decide who will be this season’s Polish champion.

Rally Silesia 2024 itinerary

Friday, 11 October (1 special stage, 1,85 km in total)

8:30 – 11:00 – free practice: GZM (Zabrze Mikulczyce, 3,05 km)
11:31 – qualifying stage GZM (Zabrze Mikulczyce, 3,05 km)
13:00 – shakedown GZM (Zabrze Mikulczyce, 3,05 km)
18:00 – ceremonial start (ul. Dworcowa, Katowice)
20:05 – SSS 1: Katowice (1,85 km)

Saturday, 12 October (7 special stages, 96,74 km in total)

7:20 – service A: 15 min (Silesian Stadium, Chorzów)
9:00 – SS 2: Jastrzębie Zdrój (17,04 km)
10:00 – SS 3: Ochaby (10,8 km)
11:00 – SS 4: Gmina Jasienica (19,78 km)
13:20 – service B: 30 min (Silesian Stadium, Chorzów)
15:15 – SS 5: Jastrzębie Zdrój (17,04 km)
16:15 – SS 6: Ochaby (10,8 km)
17:15 – SS 7: Gmina Jasienica (19,78 km)
19:30 – SS 8: Silesian Stadium (1,5 km)
19:50 – service C: 45 min (Silesian Stadium, Chorzów)

Sunday, 13 October (7 special stages, 81,56 km in total)

7:20 – service D: 15 min (Silesian Stadium, Chorzów)
8:55 – SS 9: Marklowice Górne (11,46 km)
9:55 – SS 10: Hażlach (17,45 km)
11:05 – SS 11: Silesian Voivodeship (Kiczyce, 11,87 km)
12:40 – tyre fitting zone: 15 min (Carbonarium Moszczenica)
13:10 – SS 12: Marklowice Górne (11,46 km)
14:10 – SS 13: Hażlach (17,45 km)
16:05 – SS 14: Silesian Voivodeship – Power Stage (Kiczyce, 11,87 km)
18:30 – finish ceremony (Silesian Stadium, Chorzów)

Rally Silesia– information:

The first edition of the Rally Silesia took place in 2017, immediately as a round of the Polish Championship – the most important rally series in our country. In the following years, the event was gradually developed – competitors in historic rally cars joined the participants, the Rally Silesia emerged new Polish champions and a spectacular show was organized – a special stage in the center of Katowice. In 2023, the competition gained international rank, becoming part of the European Rally Trophy (FIA ERT). It also gained recognition from the World Automobile Federation (FIA) and the promoter of the European Championship, which resulted in the promotion of the Rally Silesia to the FIA European Rally Championship (FIA ERC) – the second most important series in the world.

The honorary patronage over the competition was assumed by Wojciech Saługa, Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship.

The main partner of the Rally Silesia is the Silesian Voivodeship.

The strategic partner of the Rally Silesia is the GZM Metropolis.

The city of Katowice is a co-host of the event, and the MOYA brand is a partner of the Rally Silesia. The Silesian Stadium in Chorzów is a co-organizer of the competition.

The event’s partner is also the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, and the task was co-financed from the state budget from the part administered by the Minister of Sport and Tourism.

All information about the Rally Silesia can be found on the website www.rallysilesia.com Facebook @rajdslaska, Instagram @rajd_slaska and Twitter @RajdSlaska.