No more tears for Polášek: Czech charger Daniel Polášek (above and below) said he “was almost crying” when he made his Rally Islas Canarias debut in 2022 “because I didn’t know how to drive here”. However, there wasn’t even a hint of tears for the Peugeot 208 Rally4 driver on his return, which netted a fine fifth place at the finish.
Wed 08 May 2024
No crying, no giving up but no luck for some as Junior ERC stars take on Canarias
The Hankook-supplied FIA Junior ERC Championship continued to shine a spotlight on the sport’s bright future during Rally Islas Canarias last weekend. This is what happened to just some of them.
Herzig keeps believing: Sixth after nine stages, Patrik Herczig (below) slipped down the order when a fuel pump issue struck on SS10. But the Hungarian hope didn’t give up and battled to the finish in ninth position. Reigning Junior ERC champion Norbert Maior was part of HRT Racing’s support crew along with his co-driving sister Francesca.
Sei’s first time on Tarmac: With only 40 kilometres of testing on Tarmac under his belt prior to the start, Karl-Markus Sei (below) was in experience catch-up mode throughout the event. But he didn’t disappoint in seventh position. “Yesterday we were far off the others but today we got closer to them,” the Estonian driver said during leg two.”
Italian trio out of luck: Geronimo Nerobutto (below), Davide Pesavento and Mattia Zanin all showed promise for ACI Team Italia but all three drivers were unable to go the distance on Rally Islas Canarias. Nerobutto crashed out on Friday. Pesavento also crashed on day one but returned on day two only to go off for a second time as he attempted to make up lost ground. Zanin was fastest on the opening super special stage but his hopes of a first Junior ERC win were dashed by driveshaft failure at the start of SS2.
From the rough to the smooth for Müller: After restarting the all-gravel V-Híd Rally Hungary to finish in eighth position last month, Junior ERC rookie Liam Müller (below) stepped up another level with sixth place on Rally Islas Canarias. “It’s the first time I’ve done a Tarmac rally that’s really smooth,” the German talent said. “We have to learn before we can keep pushing.”
BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia is up next on the Junior ERC schedule from 13 - 15 June. Keep visiting FIAERC.com for more Junior ERC driver news.
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