Junior ERC
Pérez edges Carlberg in thrilling battle for Junior ERC glory
Sergi Pérez leads FIA Junior ERC rival Calle Carlberg by less than a second in a thrilling battle for Rally Sierra Morena - Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad category honours.
Rallye Team Spain-supported Peugeot 208 Rally4 driver Pérez will start Sunday’s decisive leg of the all-Tarmac event just 0.7sec ahead of ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team driver Carlberg with Carlberg’s team-mate Timo Schulz in third place.
Estonian Jaspar Vaher is fourth for MS Munaretto, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy’s Craig Rahill fifth and fellow Junior ERC newcomer Tommaso Sandrin, from Italy, sixth.
“It’s been a good day, the feeling was okay, the pace was there but it needs to be better tomorrow,” Pérez said. “It’s my debut in the championship but not my first time here so I know the rally and this is important.”
Calle Carlberg is a close second
© ERC
Swede Carlberg, who finished runner-up in the Hankook-supplied Junior ERC last season, said: “A lot happened. We pushed a little too hard on the first one this afternoon but the second one was super-great. The last one was tricky with so many cuts. I tried to be safe.”
Schulz had led after five stages but slipped to third on stage six as Carlberg moved into second having been sixth after SS2.
“The morning was quite good,” said the German driver. “I wasn’t confident on the middle stage this afternoon but, overall, it’s quite okay, we’re third and everything is fine. I was a little bit cautious with all the cuts, not to risk a puncture or go off. It’s a long day to go tomorrow.”
Timo Schulz had led Junior ERC early on
© ERC
Francesco Dei Ceci is seventh, one place ahead of Poland’s Hubert Laskowski, who was fastest through Friday’s Córdoba super special stage despite his Peugeot suffering front-left driveshaft failure.
“The last stage was the hardest of my life,” said Laskowski, who is using English pacenotes for the first time. “We had everything on this stage, the mud, it was crazy, and also I lose my brakes in half of the stage so that was not good because I lose my confidence.”
Simon Andersson and Italian Junior champion Matteo Doretto complete the top 10 with Victor Hansen 11th and Luca Pröglhöf 12th on his Junior ERC debut, the Austrian’s prize for winning the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup in 2024.
Ioan Lloyd, last season’s Stellantis Motorsport Cup UK/IRE winner, is 13th on his first Tarmac outing since JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion last September followed by Portugal’s Kevin Saraiva, Keelan Grogan and Maxim Decock fom Belgium.
Grogan, part of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver, was delayed leaving service this morning while a faulty sensor was replaced.
Mark-Egert Tiits crashed out of his Tarmac debut on SS7, Tuukka Kauppinen went off on SS2 with Leevi Lassila leaving the road on SS3.
Catherine Radulescu, who is making her ERC debut and first appearance in a Renault Clio Rally4, is 19th in ERC4, two places behind another ERC newcomer, Tom Kässer, who reported an issue with the air intake system on his Peugeot. Jordi San Andrés is 18th on his first ERC start. Wheelchair user Cipian Lupu is next up in a Renault Clio Rally5.
Aoife Raftery restarted this morning following her retirement on Friday night’s super special stage after her Peugeot 208 Rally4 wouldn’t restart due to a mechanical issue.
The 42nd Rally Sierra Morena - Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad concludes tomorrow (Sunday) with six stages over a competitive distance of 115.08 kilometres. The 19.89 kilometres of Cerrobejuelas is up first from 08:20 local time.
