IOAN LLOYD CELEBRATES VAUXHALL’S FIRST WIN IN ADAC GSE RALLY CUP

• Ioan Lloyd celebrates his first win in the ADAC GSE Rally Cup at Rally Vosges Grand-Est – and Vauxhall’s first since its return to motorsport with the all-electric Mokka GSE Rally
• Tightly fought contest saw Lloyd take the lead on the penultimate stage, winning the rally by just 8.5 seconds
• Victory sees Lloyd move into the championship lead after round two of seven
• The championship moves to Austria for Rallye Weiz from 17^th-18^th July

Vauxhall Mokka GSE rally driver Ioan Lloyd celebrated his first victory in the ADAC GSE Rally Cup at Rally Vosges Grand-Est, putting Vauxhall back on the top step of the podium for the first time since its return to motorsport.

In a challenging rally that saw many crews succumb to accidents and punctures on the treacherous French asphalt roads, Lloyd and co-driver Sion Williams showed consistently strong pace, with a top four finish in every stage and a stage win on SS9.

The thrilling competition between German championship leader Timo Schulz, French talent Tom Dufour, and Welshman Ioan Lloyd was at the centre of the electrifying action around Gérardmer. The three drivers pushed the new Mokka GSE Rally to the limit. They impressively demonstrated the enormous potential of the electric rally car, with a top speed of 109mph recorded on the rally.

No big mistakes (apart from a spin in SS7 – the longest stage of the rally at 16 miles) were the key to victory for Lloyd, as Schulz slid into a ditch on the penultimate special stage. Despite cockpit temperatures reaching 60 degrees, Lloyd kept a cool head and brought home the win.

Ioan Lloyd, Vauxhall GSE Rally Driver, said: “Being able to represent Vauxhall here in France on the top step of the podium, in front of this crowd of fans, is a very special feeling and makes us proud. It was a very intense, challenging weekend. The numerous cuts made life very difficult for everyone, but this is such a special rally with really nice flowing roads. We’re still learning with every mile in the electric Mokka, but that makes us all the happier about this victory.”

Jöerg Schrott, Opel-Vauxhall Motorsport Director, said: “On the one hand, the Rally Vosges Grand-Est is a great event with exciting special stages that demand everything from drivers and vehicles. On the other hand, the level of the talent on display in the Cup this season is unprecedented. It's fun to watch how everybody is fighting for every tenth of a second. Mistakes are part of rallying and are part of the learning process for a young driver. Our Mokka GSE Rally did a great job and demonstrated its competitiveness. And so did Ioan and Sion. They and Vauxhall are an absolute enrichment for the cup. They made it flawlessly through the tricky stages and took a highly deserved win.”

Following his podium finish on round one in the Netherlands, Lloyd’s victory in France sees him move into a two-point championship lead. The ADAC GSE Rally Cup moves to Austria for round three (Rallye Weiz) on 17^th and 18^th July.

Results Rally Vosges Grand-Est/F

1. Ioan Lloyd/Sion Williams (GB)                          1:16:21.1 h

2. Tom Dufour/Alex Dubois (F)                            +8.5 sec

3. Claire Schönborn/Michael Wenzel (D)            +1:43.7 min

4. Dante Johansson/Theo Bergsten (S)             +2:26.6 min

5. Lukas Wilhelm/Christina Ettel (A) +3:01.5 min

6. Fabian Kamermans/Stefan Müller (NL)          +3:17.0 min

7. Thyrsa Eertmans/Els Ons (B)                           +5:24.7 min

8. Alex Español/Enrique Velasco (E)   +8:17.4 min

9. Christian Luif/Maximilian Kugler (A/D)           +8:35.6 min

Standing ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup (after 2 of 7 rounds)

1. Lloyd                   60 points

2. Dufour                58

3. Schulz                35

4. Kamermans       35

5. Johansson         31

6. Schönborn         29

7. Español              28

8. Eertmans           20

9. Wilhelm              16

10. Stütz                14

11. Luif                    13

12. Wittenbeck      12

13. Wlömer             6

ENDS

ABOUT VAUXHALL MOTORS

Vauxhall Motors started making cars in the UK in 1903. Today, as the oldest and most familiar of Britain’s automotive manufacturers, its philosophy is to build vehicles that are relevant to all and offer design, high levels of equipment and technology, and electrification at an attainable level. Vauxhall is one of few automotive brands to produce electric vehicles in Britain at its manufacturing plant in Ellesmere Port – the UK’s first electric-only manufacturing plant where the Combo Electric van is made.  Vauxhall’s Electric Streets of Britain campaign raises the profile of the need for more on-street electric vehicle charging so that everyone can benefit from the switch to electric.  Find out more at www.electricstreets.co.uk 

Vauxhall is proud to be the official automotive partner of Team GB. The partnership sees Britain's most loved sports team and one of Britain’s most recognisable automotive brands joining forces, with Vauxhall supporting athletes as they prepare for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Vauxhall is part of Stellantis NV, a global leader created for the new era of sustainable mobility as a result of the merger between Groupe PSA and FCA Group in January 2021. Vauxhall is a leader in electrification – as of 2021, it was one of the first manufacturers to offer fully electric versions of all its vans. Since the end of 2024, Vauxhall has offered a fully electric version of every model in its car and van line-up. Info: www.vauxhall.co.uk