The fourth round of the 2025 Junior European Rally Championship (JERC) is in Italy. Opel junior driver Calle Carlberg aims to extend his lead in the standings in the Corsa Rally4. Teammate Luca Pröglhöf is back in the Rally di Roma Capitale.
After a near-perfect first half of the season, with two wins and a second-place finish for Calle Carlberg, the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team is highly motivated for the Rally di Roma Capitale. Following his latest triumph in Poland, the Swedish Opel junior driver has a 26-point lead over the second-placed team in the interim standings of the Junior European Rally Championship (JERC). The 24-year-old and his Norwegian co-driver Jørgen Eriksen (31) could therefore take a big step toward winning the European Championship title at the asphalt event around the Italian capital.
But Carlberg doesn’t want to think about that: “We approach every rally with the same attitude – with full focus and the highest motivation. After the two gravel rallies in Hungary and Poland, I’m now really looking forward to Rome and the upcoming competitions on asphalt. The Corsa Rally4 will also be capable of winning on hard surface, and Manfred Stohl’s team is absolutely first-class, so it’s up to us in the cockpit to get the most out of it.”
Relieved of an appendix, Carlberg’s Austrian teammate Luca Pröglhöf is also back in action after his health-related retirement in Poland. For the champion of last year’s ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSE,” the Rally di Roma Capitale represents new territory. “I feel fit again and am looking forward to returning to the team,” says the 25-year-old from Sittendorf, who, as always, is listening to the instructions of his co-driver Christina Ettel (38) in the cockpit of the Corsa Rally4. “A truly heated affair awaits us in Rome. As always, it will be all about maintaining concentration and pushing ourselves to the limit without overstepping. We feel well prepared and will give it our all.”
“We’re in a good position to start the second half of the season,” says Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott. “I think we can also compete at the front in the three upcoming asphalt rallies. Calle is in impressive form, and the Corsa Rally4 has proven that it’s competitive on any surface. I also expect a very good performance from Luca, especially since he feels a bit more comfortable on asphalt than on gravel. However, the field in the JERC is far too strong to expect top placings. Everyone has to push themselves to their personal limits to get the most out of the team. And a bit of racing luck is always part of the mix in motorsport.”
After a one-year break, the Rally di Roma Capitale is back as part of the Junior European Championship. It combines history and modernity like few other events on the JERC calendar. The short first special stage, “Colosseo Aci Roma,” runs directly past the world-famous Colosseum on Friday from 8:05 p.m., before the rally convoy moves to the service park in Fiuggi, around 80 kilometers from Rome, where six special stages await the European Championship participants the following day. The decisive stage will be decided on Sunday with six more stages. The first vehicle is expected at the finish in Fiuggi around 6:00 p.m. The teams have a total of 207.8 kilometers of special stages to cover. With 15 Rally4 vehicles, the JERC field is once again well-populated. Rally fans can follow the asphalt spectacle via live timing at www.adac.de/motorsport or www.opel-motorsport.com, or via a paid live stream at www.rally.tv.
Source: Opel-Junioren starten vor historischer Kulisse | Opel Motorsport
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