Co-driver duel at home

Lavanttal help for risky rookie and title hamster

Duel of the co-drivers: Jürgen Rausch (left) challenges Gerald Winter.

(Bild: Gepa, zVg)

The Lavanttal Rally will once again be making a lot of noise in the Wolfsberg area on April 5/6. There is plenty on offer for motorsport enthusiasts. A total of 13 special stages over 157 kilometers are on the agenda. And it looks like there will be a Wolfsberg duel right at the front - in the co-driver's seat!

Watch out rally fans! The duel for victory will be a Lavanttal affair! Because the previous winners of the season, Simon Wagner (Rebenland Rally) and Michael Lengauer (Jänner Rally), have a man from Wolfsberg in the co-driver's seat.

The reigning champion is Gerald Winter. Together with Wagner, the 45-year-old, who will become a father again in June, recently secured three state championship titles in a row and also has two podium finishes in the European Championship to his name.

Simon Wagner (right) and Gerald Winter

(Bild: bmp-motorsportfotos.com)

Reaching the finish line safely is important. The European Championships continue a week later!

Gerald WINTER, Co-Pilot

"We want to win. But our motto is to leave the car whole. Because next week we're already off to Hungary for the European Championship round," emphasizes Winter, who is cool with the pressure from youngster Lengauer. "He has to prove to his sponsors that the money is well invested, has set himself a lot of expectations this year - and will certainly take full risks."

Rausch: "It would be nice to finish on the podium"
That's what happened in Rebenland when the 30-year-old failed to bring his Skoda home safely. A change in the co-driver's seat should ensure that this does not happen again. Jürgen Rausch, who has always driven with Günther Knobloch in recent years, will guide Lengauer through the Lavanttal.

Michael Lengauer won the January rally, then dropped out in Rebenland.

(Bild: Harald Illmer)

"This is my 18th start at my home rally. It would be nice if I could finish on the podium this time," says Rausch, who also helped with the search for sponsors and attracted a number of Lavanttal companies. Which is also necessary. "If you want to be at the front, a rally costs around 30,000 euros," explains Lengauer.

The elite drive Skoda
Who else could be dangerous? Above all the Skoda competition! Simon Wagner's toughest rival in recent years is back. Hermann Neubauer (Sbg) crashed his car in the first special stage in Rebenland and is now back on the attack. Wagner's brother Julian is driving the Fabia Rally2 of rally veteran Raimund Baumschlager.

Luca Waldherr and Martin Roßgatterer want to become party crashers with their Rally2 Citroens.

46th Lavanttal Rally - Timetable

• Friday, April 5
  2.23 pm: SS 1 Arlinggraben 1
  15.06 hrs: SS 2 Vorderlimberg 1
  17.14 hrs: SS 3 Arlinggraben 2
  17.57 hrs: SP 4 Vorderlimberg 2
  20.05 hrs: SP 5 Arlinggraben 3
• Saturday, April 6
  8.29 am: SP 6 GH Remsnegger - Schönweg 1
  9.07 am: SS 7 Eitweg 1 circuit
  10.52 am: SS 8 GH Remsnegger - Schönweg 2
  11.30 am: SS 9 Eitweg 2 circuit
  14.30 hrs: SS 10 Hammer - Prebl 1
  14.53 hrs: SS 11 Prebl - GH Perner 1
  16.51 hrs: SS 12 Hammer - Prebl 2
  17.14 hrs: SS 13 Prebl - GH Perner (Powerstage)

Lots of Carinthians at the start
A total of 36 participants are coming from Carinthia - Andreas Schart, Gerd Koschier, Thomas Traußnig and Andreas Mörtl are driving a Rally4 car and are up for a top 25 finish. Walther Stietka is competing in the Histo group with a VW Beetle.

• The top starters: 1 S. Wagner/Winter (Skoda), 2 Waldherr/Maier (Citroën), 3 Lengauer/Rausch (Skoda), 4 J. Wagner/Ostlender (Skoda), 5 Neubauer/Ettel (Skoda), 7 Geipel/Becker (Skoda), 8 Von Thurn und Taxis/Hain (D/Skoda), 9 Zeiringer/Letz (Ford), 10 Rossgatterer/Heigl (Citroën).

• The Carinthian drivers: 22 Schart/Freidl (Mitsubishi), 31 Mörtl/Ertl (Peugeot), 32 Traußnig/Pilz (Peugeot), 33 Koschier (Opel), 42 P. Hochegger/J. Hochegger (Opel), 48 Hübler/Kienzer (Mitsubishi), 53 S. Hasler/P. Hasler (VW Golf), 55 Th. Klösch/S. Klösch (Opel), 56 Furian/Moitzi (Opel), 61 Michael Penz/Marco Penz (Opel), 62 R. Knauder/E. Knauer (Subaru), 63 Joven/Wastian (Renault), 64 I. Otti/L. Otti (Citroën), 65 Thiede/Scharf (Renault), 67 Schieder/Baumgartner (BMW), 69 Jabornig/Pailer (Peugeot), 72 Stietka/Puff (VW), 74 Rebernig/Six (Suzuki).