Junior ERC
Courageous Carlberg doubles up with ERC4 title gold
Calle Carlberg charged through the Croatian rain to add the FIA ERC4 title* to the FIA Junior ERC4 crown he secured earlier this season.
Needing to finish ahead of Ioan Lloyd to become a double ERC champion – a feat achieved by his fellow Swede Mille Johansson in 2024 – Carlberg led the Rally4-based category from start to finish aboard his Hankook-equipped Opel Corsa.
With Norwegian Jørgen Eriksen co-driving, Carlberg took victory by 48.9sec for his fourth triumph of the campaign – his final outing with the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team after two memorable seasons.
Lloyd completed leg one in third for the TRT Rally Team after he was delayed by brake issues and tyre damage. But his hopes of denying Carlberg an ERC title double ended on Sunday’s first stage when he skated off the road in treacherous conditions and got stuck in a ditch.
It left Norwegian Karl Peder Nordstrand unchallenged in second place driving a Peugeot 208 Rally4 as Austrian Luca Pröglhöf banked his maiden podium on his final prize drive for winning the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup in 2024.
Keelan Grogan looked set to complete the podium for the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy following a determined effort, only to slide off the road and get stuck 11.8 kilometres into SS9.
For Nordstrand, meanwhile, the result meant the 18-year-old has now finished second twice in as many events following his debut podium on Barum Czech Rally Zlín in August.
Luca Pröglhöf celebrated his first podium with third place
© ERC
Tuukka Kauppinen, driving a Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF, took fourth having held second prior to Saturday’s final stage when a deflated tyre and a spin dropped him down the order.
ERC4 contenders Catherine Rǎdulescu and Norman Kreuter finished fifth and sixth respectively.
Craig Rahill, who started Croatia Rally seven points behind Lloyd in the battle to finish runner-up to Carlberg in the final Junior ERC standings, crashed out five kilometres from the finish of SS3 and was a non-starter on day two.
Making his debut in a Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF, Francesco Dei Ceci crashed at the same corner as Rahill and also went no further on Croatia Rally.
Leevi Lassila retired with left-rear suspension damage on SS2, while Croatian Dario Merlić stopped on SS5.
*Subject to FIA confirmation
