ERC
ERC’s next generation ready for Swedish speedfest
The race to win the 2026 FIA Junior ERC Championship – and the accompanying 2027 FIA Junior WRC prize drive – is go on BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia this week.
Sixteen young prospects from across the continent will battle for glory in the Hankook-supplied championship’s season opener in Sweden, the first of six events scheduled this year, and one of two rounds run on gravel.
Developing FIA World Rally Championship stars of the future since 2014, Junior ERC remains a huge success story with the format holding great appeal. Depending on budget, drivers can compete for professional teams or as privateers, relying on friends and family to run their cars, but on an equal footing.
The status of the series as a vital training ground is underlined by motorsport federation-backed talent development programmes providing support, financial or otherwise. They include ACI Team Italia, Lithuania Automobile Sport Federation and Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.
Ahead of the high-speed loose-surface contest, the latest Junior ERC intake reveal their aims and objectives – and why they chose the renowned young driver category for 2026.
Sebastian Dallapiccola
© Greg Roslon Photography
Markas Buteikis (Lithuania) Co-driver: Titas Čapkauskas (Lithuania) Team: MS Munaretto Car: Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF Tyres: Hankook
“My dream has always been to compete at the highest level of rallying, from the ERC all the way to the WRC. Everything changed when the Lithuanian Rally4 Trophy was introduced in Lithuania. The winner of the championship receives an €80,000 scholarship to compete in the ERC. We did everything possible to become part of it. The competition was incredibly intense. There were four young drivers fighting for every second and the battles lasted until the very last kilometres of each rally. This was not only my dream, but also the dream of my co-driver, Titas. Together, we gave everything we had to make it a reality. And this is only the beginning of our journey – we do not want to stop at Junior ERC. Our goal is to keep climbing higher and one day compete in the WRC.”
Arvid Carlsson (Sweden) Co-driver: David Arhusiander (Sweden) Car: Opel Corsa Rally4 Tyres: Hankook
“We are only doing Royal Rally, so I want to learn more for the future, and I am very excited. My target is to be a faster driver. I’m hoping to get experience against good competition.”
Sebastian Dallapiccola (Italy) Co-driver: Niccolò Lazzarini (Italy) Team: Baldon Rally Car: Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF Tyres: Hankook
“I chose this path because I believe it’s the best opportunity to gain international experience and build a strong foundation for the future at the highest level. My main goal is to gain as much experience as possible without pushing too hard, but, at the same time, I’d like to deliver some strong performances whenever the opportunity comes. I hope to learn a lot from the car, which is completely new to me, and, above all, to understand how to be fast on European rally surfaces.”
Francesco Dei Ceci
© Greg Roslon Photography
Francesco Dei Ceci (Italy) Co-driver: Danilo Fappani (Italy) Team: Lancia Corsa HF Car: Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF Tyres: Hankook
“I chose the ERC because it is a very competitive championship and the perfect environment to grow as a driver. It gives me the chance to measure myself against strong competition, gain experience at a high level and take an important step forward in my career. My main target for this season is to improve event after event, build experience on different rallies and surfaces, and become more consistent throughout the year. Of course, I also want to achieve strong results and show my potential. I hope to learn as much as possible in every area: pace, consistency, strategy, preparation and how to manage different conditions during a rally. Competing in the ERC is a great opportunity to grow both as a driver and as a person.”
Colin Dünker (Germany) Co-driver: Jonas Decker (Germany) Car: Ford Fiesta Rally4 Tyres: Hankook
“After winning the 2WD German Rally Championship last year, this is the next step for us in achieving our goals. We want to learn as much as we can so that we can fight for the Junior ERC title in 2027. We hope to learn consistency and speed against Europe’s fastest competitors.”
Aatu Hakalehto (Finland) Co-driver: Niclas Heino (Finland) Team: MS Munaretto Car: Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF Tyres: Hankook
“The ERC acts as a gateway for me to the WRC. I get to compete in a lot of different competitions that I am not that familiar with. I get to learn different surfaces and a lot of new things that are important for the future. Obviously, my target is to improve as a driver and learn as much as I can about surfaces, car set-ups etc. I really want to win, and my goal is to win the Junior ERC Championship. We think that’s a realistic goal and we will go for it.”
Tom Heindrichs (Belgium) Co-driver: Jonas Schmitz (Luxembourg) Team: ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team Car: Opel Corsa Rally4 Tyres: Hankook
“Well, the great thing about the Junior ERC is that you can be rewarded at the end of the championship (if you win it) and it helps you further in your career. The target is quite clear for me, to get a better version of myself, day by day, weekend by weekend, race by race. As it is an international championship, we will see many different types of road surfaces. I hope to improve over each rally and to get a good feeling everywhere.”
Kyle McBride
© Greg Roslon Photography
Kyle McBride (Ireland) Co-driver: Liam Callaghan (Ireland) Team: Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy (Tagai Racing Technology) Car: Peugeot 208 Rally4 Tyres: Hankook
“The ERC is the next step in my career. I won the Stellantis Cup IRE/UK last year and the prize fund is free entries and free tyres for the ERC, so yes, basically it’s the next step in my career. This season will be a big step up for me, getting to do all new events I have never done before. So my main focus will be trying to learn and adapt to the events as quickly as possible. I want to start the season off steady with some good pace shown and hopefully we can get solid results. There are lots of things I want to learn, firstly competing at a much higher level and also the complete challenge of the complete event, from the test to the recce days and the tight schedules, I’m looking forward to that.”
Marcel Neulinger (Austria) Co-driver: Jürgen Heigl (Austria) Team: Baumschlager Rallye & Racing Car: Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF Tyres: Hankook
“I chose the ERC because I want to gain international experience and compete against the best drivers from all over Europe. My target for this season is to collect as many kilometres as possible and improve from rally to rally. I hope to improve my driving on gravel and, of course, also become stronger on asphalt.”
Marcel Neulinger
© Greg Roslon Photography
Karl Peder Nordstrand (Norway) Co-driver: Sunniva Rudi (Norway) Team: IK Sport Racing Car: Opel Corsa Rally4 Tyres: Hankook
“The atmosphere at the ERC events looks amazing. It’s a championship with such a god quality, and it’s the perfect step for us to reach an even bigger step. The prize of winning the Junior ERC and to get driving the Junior WRC is also a really good initiative to get young talents up and forward. The target is to develop, be the bravest driver and show the real potential I have on an international level. It would not be fair to not tell you that we also are aiming for the top step of the championship as well. And with the right amount of work laid down I believe hand on heart that we have a chance. I hope to learn and understand the different rallies and the unique and hard parts of the different rallies. As well to be competing in a full season where you have to calculate risk based on what’s the smartest for the championship.”
Davide Pesavento (Italy) Co-driver: Alessio Angeli (Italy) Team: Lancia Corse HF Car: Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF Tyres: Hankook
“I’m doing the ERC because it’s the prize from the 2025 Trofeo Lancia. My target is to do my best, to be faster and more precise.’
Tommaso Sandrin (Italy) Co-driver: Andrea Dal Maso (Italy) Team: Frûilmotor Car: Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF Tyres: Hankook
“It’s an awesome championship with a very high level, measured across all the types of roads and conditions this sport has to offer. I want to enjoy myself, improve and gain as much experience as possible. I’m hoping to learn how to find the right balance between being too cautious and too aggressive.”
Claire Schönborn (Germany) Co-driver: Michael Wenzel (Germany) Team: ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team Car: Opel Corsa Rally4 Tyres: Hankook
“The ERC is a great platform for young drivers. The championship includes many very demanding rallies and the level of international competition is extremely high. For me, it’s the perfect environment to continue developing as a driver and gain more experience at the international level. My main goal this season is to gain as many kilometres and as much experience as possible. I’m still a beginner with only 11 rallies completed so far. At the same time, I definitely want to show that we can be competitive, just like we proved at the WRC events in Finland and CER last year. We want to build on those performances and achieve strong results throughout the season.”
Timo Schulz (Germany) Co-driver: Maresa Lade (Germany) Team: ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team Car: Opel Corsa Rally4 Tyres: Hankook
“The ERC is one of the most competitive championships in the world and the perfect place to develop as a driver. Competing against strong international competition on different surfaces and in different countries is a huge challenge and a great opportunity for me. I think the Junior ERC has always felt like unfinished business for me. That’s one of the main reasons why we decided to come back this season. Our target is quite simple: we want to fight for the title. I want to improve in every area – pacenote work, tyre management, adapting quickly to new conditions and becoming more consistent under pressure. The ERC is the ideal environment to grow as a complete rally driver.”
Timo Schulz
© Greg Roslon Photography
Martin Stenberg (Norway) Co-driver: Øyvind Rødsjø Beckstrøm (Norway) Car: Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF Tyres: Hankook
“We chose ERC to test ourselves against some of the best drivers in Europe and see what the level is like. It also suited us perfectly that the season opener is in Sweden, since it is not too far to travel. The goal for the season is mainly to get as much seat time as possible, drive a lot, and learn both the car and the different surfaces better. I hope to learn what the pace is like among the top drivers and understand what it really takes to compete at that level.”
Reis Suliman (Romania) Co-driver: Lorcan Moore (Ireland) Car: Peugeot 208 Rally4 Tyres: Hankook
“I chose the ERC for 2026 because it is the highest level of rallying in Europe outside the World Rally Championship, and I felt it was the right next step for my development. The competition is extremely strong, the rallies are very demanding, and it gives me the opportunity to learn from and compete against some of the best young drivers in Europe. My main target this season is to gain experience, improve rally by rally, and become more competitive throughout the year. Of course, I also want to achieve strong results, but the focus is on development and building a solid foundation for the future.”
How to watch?
Fans across the globe can experience the excitement and drama of the ERC with every stage of every rally broadcast Rally.TV platform. In addition, the ERC is broadcast in a number of countries around the world and fans are advised to check local listings for details.
BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia 2026: the key numbers
Stages: 16
Competitive distance: 185.94 kilometres
Total distance: 982.89 kilometres
