Unrelated weekend for Simone Tempestini national champion (31 years old), who had to abandon Barum Czech Rally Zlín, the sixth stage of the European Rally Championship (ERC), at a time when he was fighting for the top of the Continental standings.
Pilot Napoca Rally Academy, behind the wheel of a Škoda Fabia RLLY2, could not continue after the car suspension gave up on the second special test and hit a tree with the back. After the first special test, the crew made up of Tempestini and Sergiu Itu was on 7th.
The start in the Czech Republic was regarded as an important opportunity for Tempestini to bring points to Team Mrf Tyres, leader in team ranking and favorite to win the European title of 2025, but premature abandonment prevents him from taking the decisive step.
The bad luck did not stop here for MRF Tyres. The other two colleagues, Miklós Csomós and Chris Ingram, had problems and had to withdraw from the first part of the rally.
“Unfortunately, this is motorsport. Any detail can decisively affect the plan from a rally. It is not the best year for us in the European, we started the season with great confidence, but now we have to focus on the last two stages. We need the score for MRF to take the title to teams ”said the absolute champion of Romania.
This year, Tempestini managed to finish only two of the six European stages, having several technical problems, although each time it was at the top of the standings.
The Indian team, which bet on a powerful trio to defend their supremacy in ERC, is seen in a difficult situation before the last two stages of the season, which will take place in the UK and Croatia.
Barum Czech Rally Zlín continues today with the last of the competition, the authoritarian leader of the stage being the local favorite Jan Kopacky, followed by the Irish Jon Armstrong and the Italian Andrea Mabelini.
The beginning of September will be a provocative one for Simone Tempestini, who must choose between the European stage in the UK and the Iasi. If in the first case, you have to gather the score for MRF to become team champion, on the other hand, in the internal level, he needs to participate to be sure that he can win the 10th title of Absolute Champion in his career. Although it is a clear favorite and authoritarian leader, the regulation forces him to participate in as many stages in the season.
