Calle Carlberg clinched his first victory in the FIA Junior ERC Championship at the season-finale Rally Silesia, securing the runner-up position in the championship standings. In a thrilling close to the season, Carlberg showcased resilience and skill, overcoming challenges to emerge victorious.
The rally began with Carlberg and his closest rival, Max McRae, locked in a tight battle for second place in the championship. McRae, the double event winner, had led Carlberg by four points prior to the rally. However, Carlberg, driving for the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team, managed to turn the tables as he entered the rally with a slender lead after adjustments for dropped scores.
From the onset, Carlberg was in formidable form, setting the fastest times on the second and third stages, which extended his lead over McRae. Despite a turbo issue on SS4 that caused a significant delay, Carlberg’s quick recovery and subsequent pace on SS5 and SS6 saw him widen the gap. By the time SS7 was canceled for Junior ERC crews following an accident in the main ERC category, Carlberg had built a 7.5-second advantage.
“Unfortunately, we had a technical issue on SS4 and we dropped 18 seconds,” Carlberg explained. “It was turbo related and in the last five kilometers we dropped all power. We managed to get through but it was a long road section back to service so I was a little bit nervous. But the car kept together and the guys could fix it in service.”
Reflecting on his aspirations, Carlberg expressed a shift in focus after his championship hopes altered, stating, “I only had my sights on one thing, [to be champion], but when that’s over you have to rethink. I owe it also to Opel to do the best job I can and to myself to be able to win an event and grab the vice championship. It could be very helpful for next year.”
McRae, on the other hand, encountered handling issues with his Peugeot 208 Rally4, particularly understeer during the opening stages. Despite the challenges, McRae was cautious about pushing too hard, prioritizing a secure finish over risky maneuvers. “Of course, we’ll push to get runner-up in the championship but if we’re risking too much to do it it’s not a massive thing if we’re third although of course we’d like to get second,” he commented, highlighting the unpredictable grip levels as a concern.
The rally concluded with Carlberg securing his maiden win and affirming his status as a top contender in the junior category. “It feels really good,” said a jubilant Carlberg. “After Wales I had to refocus because the focus had been on only one thing this year, which was to win the title. I tried to do as good as I could at the end of the season to earn myself a seat for next year so I’m super-thankful for everything and super-happy. With four out of six podiums we’ve shown we can be very consistent.”
McRae finished second in the rally and third in the championship, reflecting on a season of mixed fortunes, “Obviously we wanted to win but we wanted to use our brain as well, we wanted to finish the rally and finish the year on a high. I’m happy for Calle he was second in the championship and I’m third after a tough year with two wins on different surfaces.”
Daniel Polášek claimed his first Junior ERC podium, finishing third. He described the experience as thrilling yet challenging, especially due to a mismatched tyre strategy. “It’s a good feeling to finish first time on the podium. Many times I was close but this time is a really good feeling. We started really bad this afternoon because we didn’t have enough tyres to go full-wet, so we went with two wets and two softs. We were expecting it to be more dry so we put the softs in the front and wets in the rear and it was horrible, I couldn’t steer, I couldn’t accelerate and we lost quite a lot of time compared to [Davide] Pesavento so the result was a worry but luckily we could push on the next two and we are here.”
The event was not only a test of skill and endurance for the young drivers but also a significant career milestone for Carlberg, marking his ascent in the world of rallying as he looks forward to future challenges and opportunities in the sport.
Overall Results
01: C. Calleberg / J. Eriksen (Opel Corsa Rally4) – 1h 53m 12.8s
02: M. McRae / C. Fair (Peugeot 208 Rally4) + 27.5s
03: D. Polasek / Z. Omelka (Peugeot 208 Rally4) + 3m 40.2s
04: D. Pesavento / F. Zanella (Peugeot 208 Rally4) + 3m 59.9s