ERC
Junior ERC round-up: Young stars shine in Sweden
The 13th FIA Junior ERC Championship season got under way on BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia last weekend. Here’s a pick of some of the highlights from the Hankook-equipped category.
Dünker’s determination rewarded: Colin Dünker bounced back from a car-wrecking crash to complete the Junior ERC top five on this championship debut. The German, 24, needed a replacement Ford Fiesta Rally4 following a crash on the Swedish championship-counting Rally Nyköping the previous weekend, which required a hasty return trip to his homeland. “The second day was definitely better than the first day, we found our rhythm back and the car feels great with some better stage times,” Dünker said. “We are looking forward to the next rally.”
Reis Suliman
© ERC
Suliman scores with Østberg on hand: Reis Suliman made his Junior ERC debut with ERC event winner and expert driver coach Mads Østberg a guiding light. After radiator issues halted his progress on leg one, the 23-year-old Romanian returned to the action on Sunday and finished 12th. “We were still working on the set-up and I was starting to get into it, trust the car and slowly, slowly find the rhythm,” Suliman said. “Yesterday the radiator failed, and we had to stop. It was frustrating but we were back today and didn’t lose too much, I was glad we could continue today. Mads is doing coaching, that’s been a big help to me.”
Martin Stenberg
© ERC
Stenberg powers down but will power back soon: Even though Martin Stenberg’s Junior ERC debut didn’t go entirely to plan, the Norwegian is already looking ahead to round two, July’s Rally di Roma Capitale. “Yesterday we found out we were driving with half the turbo pressure we needed so the car was slow,” Stenberg, 23, said. “Stellantis fixed it and then on the second stage today we lost powersteering and the alternator, so it was better to stop rather than run out of power in the middle of the stage. It’s a shame after all the effort to be here, so we’ll just have to go back home, take some time and prepare for Rome.”
Tommaso Sandrin
© ERC
Sandrin advances in Sweden: Tommaso Sandrin began his second Junior ERC campaign with sixth place in Sweden, where he was competing for the first time. “We were in a tight fight with Dünker but I struggled a lot with the grip, especially on the rear,” the Lancia-powered driver explained. “There is still a lot of work to do but I learned a lot and it was definitely a good experience. Now we lead ERC4, so definitely some good news.”
Markas Buteikis
© ERC
Out-of-luck Buteikis shows his pace: After tyre damage dropped him out of the podium fight Lithuanian Rally4 Trophy winner and Junior ERC rookie Markas Buteikis fought back with five stage wins to finish in eighth place. “Our pace has been quite okay,” the 20-year-old said. “From the start we just gained more confidence because of yesterday and we were just gaining, gaining, gaining. We started to push a little bit and saw it was going quite okay so we really enjoyed it, gained experience, won some points and I’m really happy to be here. I have zeo Tarmac experience so it will be interesting in Rome, but I am very looking forward to it, and we put a lot of work to be good also there.”
Rally di Roma Capitale hosts round three of the 2026 FIA Junior ERC Championship from 3 - 5 July.
