Leading the Katowice-based event by 8.4s at the start of Sunday’s seven-stage deciding leg, the Pirelli-equipped Finn edged closer to his first ERC win when he went fastest on the opening Przegibek test, which was back on the Rally Poland itinerary after a 27-year break.

Although Matulka trimmed his fellow Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver’s advantage to 9.3s by winning the next stage, Suninen stood firm, even when Matulka moved to within 9.2s of top spot with the fastest time on the penultimate stage.

By making it through the Silesian Voivodeship Power Stage unscathed and with the fourth fastest time, Suninen won for Portuguese squad The Racing Factory by 9.7s.

“Rally Poland was quite tricky with lots of changes on the grip level,” said Suninen, who was co-driven by compatriot Antti Haapala and leads the provisional ERC standings by 23 points. “On the paper one of the trickiest rallies for me, but I was enjoying the car all the time and my driving so big, big thanks to the team. They have managed to make an excellent car for me and big thanks to Antti also. My schedule has been quite busy, and I haven’t been able to prepare as I want but co-drivers and teams have been helping me a lot.”

For Michelin-supplied Matulka, second place marked the Polish champion’s breakthrough ERC podium, while third position – 3.8s behind Matulka – ended a frustrating run of results for Marczyk, the 2025 ERC title winner. 

“It feels amazing, we did a really good job,” said ORLEN LOTTO Rally Team driver Matulka. “Teemu was untouchable here, okay the difference was not big, but he was too consistent and too fast. It’s a very big confidence boost for me after not the best last two rallies. I’m really, really happy.”

Andrea Mabellini began leg two in second place, 8.4s off the lead, after a back-to-form showing on Saturday. But with the Przegibek test proving a “disaster” for the Italian driver as he slipped to fourth overall, his wait for a first ERC podium in Lancia Corse HF colours goes on after he missed out on third place by 2.6s, despite going quickest on the Power Stage.

Having claimed second from Mabellini on SS9, Matulka cemented the position by winning SS10. He was quickest again on SS12 and SS14 as Rally Poland returned to asphalt-only stages for the first time since 2004 following its move south from Mikołajki for 2026.

Starting his first ERC rally since 2017, three-time European champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz spurned Marco Bulacia’s Sunday morning advances to secure fifth place, much to the delighted of the thousands of fans lining the stages of Poland’s Silesian region.

Bulacia settled for sixth, his best performance on asphalt to date, with 19-year-old ERC3 category graduate Adrian Rzeżnik a career-best seventh. Polish championship leader Jarosław Szeja hit back from a fifth-gear spin on SS9 to finish eighth.

Having run fifth at one stage, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver William Creighton demoted Erik Cais (Team MRF Tyres) for ninth on the Power Stage – albeit equal on time – with Hankook-supplied Isak Reiersen taking advantage of Philip Allen’s overshoot and spin on SS14 to finish 11th, the Swede’s first ERC points on asphalt.

Adam Sroka finished behind Allen in 13th, Jarosław Kołtun took 14th, while Simone Tempestini beat Tristan Charpentier to the final point in 15th.

Tempestini was firmly in the fight for fifth on Saturday evening, but the Team MRF Tyres-entered driver was 12 minutes late starting SS9 after he was delayed on the road section heading to the stage. The resulting two-minute penalty dropped outside the top 15 before his late fightback.

Charpentier, meanwhile, should have finished higher up the order but was delayed by tyre damage. Hungarian champion Gábor Német was on course for a points finish but technical issues slowed him down in the closing stages.

Ville Vatanen won FIA ERC3 after overnight leader Michał Chorbiński crashed out on the penultimate stage. Tom Heindrichs claimed his first FIA ERC4/FIA Junior ERC victory ahead of Aatu Hakalehto.

Dominik Stříteský, the Qualifying Stage winner on Friday, is expected to make a fully recovery from injuries sustained in a high-speed crash on Saturday morning. The Czech took to social media to thank Marczyk and Szymon Gospodardarczyk for providing assistance to he and co-driver Ondřej Krajča until rescue crews arrived at the scene of their accident.

The ERC’s high-speed asphalt adventure continues with the 55th Barum Czech Rally Zlín from 14-16 August. Meanwhile, Suninen will contest his third rally in as many weeks when he takes part on the WRC-counting Secto Rally Finland from 30 July-2 August. Click HERE for 82nd Rally Poland results and updates and re-live all the action on Rally.TV.