Having won back-to-back ERC3 and ERC1 Junior titles, Marijan Griebel will chase more success in the European Rally Championship in 2020, armed with a Saintéloc Junior Team Citroën C3 R5.
Griebel, 30, is joining the winner of the 2019 European Rally Championship for Teams for what is initially a five-event campaign but could be extended to include more rounds depending on budget.
A serving police officer, Griebel is one of Germany’s best rally drivers having taken the national title in 2018 and scored world championship points in the same year, when he finished eighth overall on ADAC Rallye Deutschland in a Citroën DS3 WRC.
“Saintéloc has massive ERC experience, working together with stars like Craig Breen and Alexey Lukyanuk in the past, and I’m convinced they will give me a fast car,” said Griebel, who will be co-driven by Stefan Kopczyk for the first two events before Pirmin Winklhofer takes over. “In contrast to my programme last year, I’ll have a test before each round and will be much better prepared than in 2019. So, it should be a great opportunity.”
Griebel made his European championship debut in 2014 for a three-event campaign. After winning the ERC3 Junior title in 2016, he stepped up to R5 (now Rally2) level and promptly won the 2017 ERC1 Junior crown, having finished second on his debut in the category on the ERC-counting Cyprus Rally the previous October. He’s a big fan of the championship and the competition on offer.
“The ERC has totally cool rallies with demanding stages on some of the most beautiful places of our continent,” Griebel said. “I guess the competition will be even higher than the years before with a lot of fast drivers having already published their full-season campaigns. So, every rally will be a unique challenge again and I can’t wait to get started.”
Griebel will start his ERC attack on the Azores Rallye (26-28 March) – where he finished second overall in 2017 – before contesting Rally Islas Canarias from 7-9 May. With funding in place for three additional events, which he’ll announce in due course, the German concedes a title bid will be a tall order.
“If I drive, I want to win. But to fight for the championship will be a huge task. On one hand, there are a lot of fast drivers, and on the other hand, five events are for sure not enough to win this championship. But if the start of the season should be good, I really hope to find some more money for one or two additional events.”
By signing Marijan Griebel for the 2020 ERC, Saintéloc Junior Team’s Vincent Ducher will finally get the opportunity to work with a driver he has admired from afar for several seasons. “We watched him win the ERC3 Junior title in 2016 so we know he is a good driver. He has very good knowledge of the ERC and we know he will show his speed and good results with the C3.”