It’s Junior ERC go-go for Jo-hansson

The 17-year-old from Sweden is gearing up to contest the 2023 Junior ERC schedule in a Ford Fiesta Rally4 run by IKSport with Johan Grönvall recruited to co-drive his younger compatriot.

“It will be really fun and challenging to start in Junior ERC,” said Johansson, who will also be eligible for ERC4 points. “The goal for this season is to build experience from these rallies and, of course, to try to get some good results.”

Johansson steps up to the ERC on the back of a season in the Slovenian championship where he claimed three podiums, plus a stage win on his first outing on asphalt.

“I’m coming from a year on only Tarmac in Slovenia, which was the whole idea of that venture because half of the Junior ERC is run on asphalt and we don't have the same opportunity in Sweden,” said Johansson, who will turn 18 three weeks before ORLEN 79 Rally Poland opens the 10th Junior ERC season from 19 - 21 May. “I also had a first year with my own pacenotes, which was incredibly educational.”

Former karter Johansson continued: “The pace will be incredibly high [in Junior ERC] with a lot of fast crews from all over Europe. It will be tough to keep up, but we will do our best, and constantly develop.”

Co-driver Grönvall added: “It will be great to get into the car with Mille this season. Mille is a young talent who has already gathered a lot of experience and has a high goal with his career, so it will be really fun to follow this journey. His investment and ambition in rallying is absolutely incredible. Getting into the ERC feels very big to me. This has been both a dream and a goal when I started my career. So now that I get the chance to do it, I will give everything to make it a successful season.”

Johansson will also contest selected events in Sweden and abroad with GN Motorsport, which runs his mentor Pontus Tidemand in the ERC under the MRF Tyres Dealer Team banner.

Photos: Modlic