Junior ERC
Hakalehto’s Junior heartbreak leaves Schulz on top
Timo Schulz returned to the top step of the FIA Junior ERC podium for the first time since August 2023 after Aatu Hakalehto suffered BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia heartbreak.
Hakalehto completed the opening leg 1min 08.3sec in front after he took a clean sweep of stage bests. But his hopes of winning the Hankook-supplied category turned to despair when his Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF was hit by a mechanical failure 2.9 kilometres into stage 13, forcing his retirement.
Aatu Hakalehto's had been on track for a dominant victory
© At World
“We had dome issues before service,” said Finn Hakalehto, who picked up front-right tyre damage hitting a rock on SS12. “We tried to repair as much as we could but just couldn’t get it done [in time] and a driveshaft broke, that’s why it ended. It’s very disappointing, it was going quite well, just driving very easy, trying to stay out of trouble. Still we couldn’t reach the finish, but it is what it is.”
The Finn’s misfortune left Schulz to win ahead of ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team team-mate Tom Heindrichs, who was making his Junior ERC debut this weekend. Davide Pesavento marked his Junior ERC return by completing the podium for Lancia Corse HF.
Davide Pesavento was the first Lancia home in third
© At World
While Schulz’s win was somewhat fortuitous, he was a worthy winner on his least-favoured surface. After claiming victory alongside co-driver Maresa Lade by 16.7sec, German Schulz said: “It’s so great to win here. Sweden was a worst rally in the last years so I’m super-happy, I can’t get my words together. I just want to say thanks to Opel and all my partners who made it possible to get us back here. I think we’ve done our best to show them what we can do.”
Behind impressive rookie Heindrichs, the brother of FIA World Rally Championship star Thierry Neuville, Italian Pesavento reckoned his choice of soft-compound tyres during the morning loop had hampered his ultimate pace and allowed Heindrichs – on hard-compound tyres – to overtake on Sunday’s first stage.
Sixteen-year-old Swede Arvid Carlsson held third at one stage but dropped back following a trip into a ditch on SS8. Tyre damage caused more delay on Sunday morning but, the Junior ERC rookie impressed by finishing fourth.
Tom Heindrichs completed a fine debut in second
© At World
Junior ERC newcomer Colin Dünker overtook Tommaso Sandrin on the Power Stage to finish fifth. But Sandrin moves to the top of the ERC4 standings after he finished the season opener in Spain last month in second place behind Hakalehto.
Marcel Neulinger, another Junior ERC newcomer, finished seventh with Lithuanian Rally4 Trophy champion Markas Buteikis fighting back to eighth after tyre damage dropped him out of second place on SS5. He claimed four stage wins on his Junior ERC debut.
Sebastian Dellapiccola and Claire Schönborn, who were also competing in Junior ERC for the first time, finished ninth and 10th respectively as Francesco Dei Ceci and Reis Sulminen completed the event in 11th and 12th.
Martin Stenberg retired with mechanical issues on SS11, Kyle McBride was excluded for a rule infringement, while Norway’s Karl Peder Nordstrand was a non-starter after he crashed heavily in Friday’s shakedown and damaged his car beyond repair.
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Rally di Roma Capitale is up next on the 2026 ERC4 and Junior ERC schedules from 3 - 5 July. The Italian round is the first of four consecutive asphalt events.
