Rallye Breslau 2026 officially came to an end today after six intense days of racing across Poland’s forests, tough terrain and legendary sandy stages, confirming once again its status as one of Europe’s most demanding and respected off-road competitions.
Photography and story by Paolo Baraldi
From the opening Prologue in Drawsko Pomorskie to the final kilometers in Żagań, competitors faced a relentless combination of endurance, navigation, speed and technical challenges across some of the toughest terrain in European rally raid racing.
The 2026 edition introduced a renewed rally structure connecting the forests and technical areas of Drawsko Pomorskie with the deep sandy terrain surrounding Żagań, known worldwide among off-road competitors as the “Polish Sahara.” The result was a dynamic and constantly evolving route capable of testing every aspect of both man and machine.
Throughout the week, competitors from across Europe and beyond tackled hundreds of kilometers of selective stages featuring fast tracks, dense forests, open sand sectors, navigation traps and high-speed sections that demanded total concentration from the first day until the final finish line.
Among the most memorable moments of the rally was the spectacular Night Stage in Drawsko Pomorskie, where competitors raced through forests and demanding terrain in complete darkness guided only by navigation systems and powerful headlights. Once again, the stage delivered one of the most iconic experiences in rally-raid competition.
Another defining moment of Rallye Breslau 2026 was the legendary Hannibal Stage, the marathon section linking Drawsko Pomorskie to Żagań. The demanding transition between forests and deep sand created one of the toughest endurance challenges of the entire event and proved decisive in shaping the overall standings.
The final days in Żagań pushed competitors to their limits with fast sandy tracks, technical navigation sectors and physically exhausting terrain that required precision, reliability and strategic pacing until the final kilometers of competition.
Across all categories and classes Rallye Breslau 2026 once again demonstrated the extraordinary diversity of modern off-road motorsport. Professional teams, private competitors, experienced rally professionals and first-time adventurers shared the same bivouac and the same determination to conquer one of Europe’s toughest rally-raid events.
Beyond the competition itself, Rallye Breslau continues to represent something unique within international off-road racing: a rally built not only on performance, but also on endurance, teamwork, adventure and community spirit. Inside the bivouac, competitors from different countries and backgrounds came together to share the same passion for rally raid and exploration.
As the engines fall silent in Żagań and teams begin their journey home, Rallye Breslau 2026 leaves behind another unforgettable week of racing, stories and challenges that will remain part of the event’s growing legend.
Attention now turns toward the future and the next edition of Rallye Breslau, where competitors will once again return to Poland’s forests in search of adventure and victory.
The 2026 edition crowned winners across every major category. In the Enduro category, Berend de Ruiter (Netherlands) took the overall win ahead of Jeremy Knuiman (Netherlands) and Justin Gerlach (Germany), while Adam Krysiak (Poland) claimed victory in the ATV class, followed by Karol Ślugocki (Poland) and Tomasz Luberda (Poland).In the SSV class, overall victory went to Mitchel van den Brink and Nick van Drie (Netherlands), ahead of Dalius Olechnavicius / Romualdas Karuzis (Lithuania) and Remi Berthelier / Corentin Bon (France). In Car Open, Mindaugas Povilaitis / Slavomir Volkov (Lithuania) claimed the overall win ahead of Remigiusz Wutkowski / Michał Goleniewski (Poland) and Herman Jasper / Mark Laan (Netherlands). Dan Upton and Neil Rogers (Great Britain) secured victory in Car Limited, followed by Bart Voermans / Chris Galler (Netherlands/Belgium). In the EXTREME categories, Haro Mere / Piotr Kujawski (Estonia/Poland) won EXTREME Car Open ahead of Tarvo Klaasimäe / Ats Tsupsman (Estonia) and Matthias Hertwig / Martin Hertwig (Germany); Anja Hertwig / Cathrin Altenbach (Germany) secured victory in EXTREME Car Limited; Patrick Toepfer / Kevin Toepfer / Danny Heyde (Germany) won EXTREME Truck Small; and Heiko Seidel / Frank Uting / Enrico Rattke (Germany) claimed the EXTREME Truck Big category.