Timo Schulz is the 2026 Junior European Rally Champion. The 27-year-old German, alongside co-driver Maresa Lade, prevailed in the Junior European Rally Championship (JERC) showdown in Portugal in an all-Opel duel against his team-mate Tom Heindrichs, though he also benefited from the Belgian’s misfortune. Even before the season finale at the “Rally Six Cities North of Portugal” around Fafe, only one of the two drivers from the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team was still in contention for the JERC title. It was the seventh Junior European Championship title for the team led by Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott in ten years of participation.

“To have consistently been among the frontrunners in this fiercely contested championship over such a long period is testament to the strong performance of everyone involved and the effectiveness of the unique development programme run by Opel and the ADAC,” said Jörg Schrott. He thanked the drivers and co-drivers as well as Manfred Stohl and his team.

The newly crowned European Champion, Timo Schulz, was “absolutely happy” at the finish line. “I’m a bit lost for words when it comes to describing how I feel. We’ve worked so hard for this success over the past years. And now, having won the European Junior Championship, it’s a fantastic feeling.”

The rally itself was a nerve-wracking affair for two-time season winner Schulz: “It was a tough rally. I feel really sorry for Tom and Jonas. It would have been nicer to see the title battle through with them. As it was, on Sunday we just had to coast through and get the car to the finish. But even that was difficult enough. In the end, we managed it and we’re just happy!”