The 2025 FIA Junior WRC season gets underway this week, with rallying’s rising stars ready to face the ultimate test in the frozen forests of northern Sweden.
All 12 crews will be put through their paces on the spectacular roads surrounding the city of Umeå, Rally Sweden’s home since 2022, with the event marking stop one on the five-round 2025 FIA Junior WRC calendar.
Ice-covered roads, hard-packed snowbanks and freezing temperatures are all hallmarks of Rally Sweden – and long-range weather forecasts suggest these conditions will be in full force for the 13 – 16 February event.
Topping the entry list is Ali Türkkan from Türkiye, who finished third in last year’s championship and returns with high hopes. He’s joined by 11 other drivers, all competing in identical M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evos. They will rely on Hankook’s Winter i*Pike SR10W tyres, fitted with tungsten-tipped studs to ensure optimum grip on the frozen surfaces.
Türkkan is joined by a number of familiar faces including Sweden’s Mille Johansson, who claimed victory at this event last year. Johansson returns for 2025 with a full-season Junior WRC campaign after securing the FIA Junior ERC title. Diego Domínguez, runner-up in 2023, is back for his third season, with other returnees including Max Smart, Taylor Gill and Eamonn Kelly also entered.
2025 also sees a host of new talent entering the series. Among them are Tristan Charpentier, Joosep Ralf Nõgene, Thomas Martens and Kerem Kazaz. But the spotlight will also be on Claire Schönborn and Lyssia Baudet, who earned their places at round one through the WRC Promoter’s Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme. The two will compete against each other for a seat for the remaining rounds of the season.
Following Shakedown on Thursday morning, the competitive action begins that evening with the first pass of the Umeå Sprint stage. Three full days of competition follow, with crews facing 18 stages totalling 300km before Sunday afternoon’s finish.
FIA Junior WRC Championship Manager Maciej Woda said: “There’s always a unique buzz of excitement when a new season kicks off, and Rally Sweden provides the perfect backdrop for what promises to be an incredible year in the FIA Junior WRC. I’m excited to see our crews tackle the challenges ahead, not just here in Sweden but across the entire season. A warm welcome also goes to Hankook as our tyre supplier for 2025 – we look forward to working together. Best of luck to all the crews as they prepare to take on the frozen forests this week!”