Junior ERC
Graduates on show as Junior ERC class of 2025 gets to work on gravel
The FIA Junior ERC Championship stars competing in Hungary this week will have no shortage of inspiration when they swap asphalt for gravel for round two of the season.
After impressing on the Spanish Tarmac of the 42nd Rally Sierra Morena - Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad last month, the loose-surface ERC Staff House Rally Hungary provides the next challenge for some of international rallying’s most promising young talents.
They will share the stages around event base Veszprém from Friday until Sunday with two notable Junior ERC graduates: Max McRae, a two-time event winner in 2024, and Norbert Maior, who won the Hankook-supplied championship in 2023.
Maior, from Romania, and Scot McRae, are stepping up to the ERC’s top tier for the first time in Hungary with McRae aiming to capitalise on his 2024 event knowledge.
“We won Juniors [in Hungary] last year and we can take some good experience, confidence and knowledge of what’s needed to go well,” said McRae, the nephew of rallying icon Colin McRae who will compete for Team MRF Tyres. “Stepping up from Juniors to the [overall] ERC is something I really feel ready for. This is a huge opportunity and we want to make the most of it. It’s all about gaining experience and understanding where we are against one of the strongest fields in recent ERC history.”
Stepping up from Juniors to the [overall] ERC is something I really feel ready for
Max McRae won Junior ERC in Hungary in 2024 and returns in a Rally2 car
© ERC
Following his debut Junior ERC victory at the wheel of a Peugeot 208 Rally4 in Spain, Sergi Pérez heads the Junior ERC standings ahead of 2024 runner-up Calle Carlberg (Opel Corsa Rally4) and Jaspar Vahar, who is set to give the Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF its international debut in Hungary.
After finishing fourth on the season opener, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy’s Craig Rahill is getting set to swap asphalt for gravel. “We were delighted with our result in Spain, but it’s back to a clean slate now as we switch to gravel,” Rahill said. “We don’t have much experience in the Peugeot 208 Rally4 on gravel, but we have very little seat time on gravel this year.
“The stages look very challenging and demanding, it is like the Safari Rally in places, so our aim is to find a comfortable pace and try to stay out of trouble. If we make it to the end of the weekend mistake- and trouble-free, we should end up with a solid result and more points on the board.”
Ioan Lloyd, Tommaso Sandrin, Matteo Doretto, Luca Pröglhöf, Victor Hansen, Maxim Decock, Keelan Grogan, Mark-Egert Tiits, Aoife Raftery and newcomer Kevin Lempu follow Rahill on the entry list, which also includes Francesco Dei Ceci, Leevi Lassila, Tuukka Kauppinen and Romanian rookies Artu Luca, Cristian Sugár and Mihnea Hanea.
Timo Schulz, an event winner in Junior ERC in 2023, is entered for the event but is set to be a non-starter due to illness.
The Junior ERC Class of 2025
© ERC
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.
ERC Staff House Rally Hungary 2025: the key numbers
Stages: 13
Stage distance: 193.06 kilometres
Total distance: 828.32 kilometres
