Suninen Wary of Barum Czech Rally Zlin Challenge

Teemu Suninen is bracing for one of the toughest challenges on the ERC calendar this season. The Finn will tackle the Barum Czech Rally Zlin this weekend, an event renowned for its demanding asphalt stages. “I’ve heard a lot of stories about it,” he said, underlining the rally’s fearsome reputation.

This will be Suninen’s fifth international start in just over six weeks. His busy spell began at Rally di Roma Capitale in early July, where he finished second. Since then, he has competed at Rally Estonia (second in WRC2), Rally Poland (ERC victory), and Rally Finland (second in WRC2).

That victory on the asphalt roads of Poland extended his ERC championship lead to 23 points. Despite being among the favourites for the prestigious event, Suninen is not putting extra pressure on himself. “I wanted to make sure I could win in Poland to get a good position in the championship and drive a bit more carefully in Czech,” he told the ERC website.

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Zlin is known for its super-tricky roads: a mix of fast, bumpy, and narrow sections that punish the slightest mistake. The level of local drivers is incredible, making a podium fight far from easy. “Those roads are super-tricky and the level of the local drivers is incredible, so it’s not going to be easy to fight for a podium,” he added.

Suninen will once again switch cars. Less than two weeks ago he was driving a Toyota Rally2 car in Finland, but in the Czech Republic he returns to The Racing Factory’s Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. Quick adaptation will be key to staying competitive.

Since 1984, the asphalt rally around the city of Zlin has been part of the European Rally Championship and has traditionally been dominated by Czech drivers. The last winner from outside the Czech Republic was Suninen’s fellow Finn Juho Hanninen, who triumphed in 2012. The event’s most successful driver is Czech veteran Jan Kopecky, who has won an incredible 11 times and will compete again this year.

Strong performances can also be expected from fellow Czech drivers Filip Mares, Vaclav Pech, Erik Cais, and Adam Brezik. They will be major obstacles for Suninen’s title ambitions. The rally begins on Friday evening with a short spectator stage and concludes on Sunday after 13 special stages.