Eriksen tips Junior ERC ace Nore for stardom

Eriksen, who claimed the WRC2 co-drivers’ title in 2021 and is currently in his second season competing alongside Andreas Mikkelsen in the FIA World Rally Championship, partnered Nore to an FIA ERC4 and Junior ERC double on Tet Rally Liepāja earlier this month.

It was the first time Eriksen had co-driven for his fellow Norwegian but the alliance brought instant success during another strong driving display by 22-year-old Nore.

“He was in a situation that one week before the rally he didn’t have a co-driver and I wanted to give him the opportunity to drive the rally and therefore I said ‘yes’,” Eriksen explained. “Of course this is my job but I know he’s fast from the Norwegian rallies and therefore I wanted to give it a try, it’s been really enjoyable.”

Eriksen hadn’t competed in a front-wheel-drive rally car since 2017 and admitted the switch took some getting used to. But he made it clear that Nore’s ability shone through.

“It was a new experience to be back in two-wheel drive which is a big difference to the car I am used to,” said Eriksen. “So for me it was about timing the pacenotes, being slower in slow sections but really fast in high-speed sections. But I’m impressed with Ola, he’s driving really well on the pacenotes, he’s good at concentrating, he’s working very well on the video, he’s very serious and this I like a lot.”

Nore is level on points with Roberto Daprà at the top of the provisional ERC4 standings but ahead of Victor Hansen and Norbert Maior in the Hankook-supported Junior ERC category by 15 points prior to next month’s BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia (6 - 8 July).

He’s a big fan of Eriksen and his ability: “He’s the best co-driver you can have from Norway. It’s amazing to have the chance to have Torstein with me, it’s just amazing. Of course I would like to have Torstein more with me but he has a very tight time schedule. I hope so but we will see.”