Strong start to the season for Opel

The 2025 European Junior Rally Championship kicked off at the Sierra Morena Rally in Spain. Sweden’s Calle Carlberg just missed out on victory in the Opel Corsa Rally4 by a hair’s breadth. His Austrian teammate Luca Pröglhöf finished his European Championship debut in the top 10.

The ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team started the 2025 Junior European Rally Championship (JERC) with a top result at the Rally Sierra Morena in Spain. Swede Calle Carlberg (24) and his Norwegian co-driver Jørgen Eriksen (31) took a strong second place in the Opel Corsa Rally4 entered by Stohl Racing, behind locals Pérez/Coronado. After a dramatic fight over 13 asphalt special stages and around 210 special stage kilometers, the Scandinavian Opel duo was only 3.4 seconds short of victory. Their Austrian teammates Luca Pröglhöf (25) and Christina Ettel (38) made a solid JERC debut in the sister car and finished in eighth place in the field of 22 Rally4 cars, which included some of the best junior rally drivers in Europe.

After a chaotic Super Special Stage on Friday evening, in which the front-wheel drive cars in particular had a tough time with the winding course and several “donuts”, Carlberg/Eriksen really turned on the heat at the start of the actual rally on Saturday morning. The Opel juniors won seven out of the eleven remaining special stages, but in the end they were narrowly beaten. “At first, second place doesn’t feel that fantastic,” admitted Carlberg at the finish in Córdoba. “I’m really happy to get a second chance in the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team and wanted to give the team the perfect result for their perfect work. At least it was a much better start to the season than last year. It was super close, and we showed that we have the speed to be fighting for the top positions. This is something we can build on.”

Luca Pröglhöf, Carlberg’s successor as champion of the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSe”, did well on his JERC debut. The rookie improved continuously during the rally and hinted at his potential with several top-ten results on the final day. “Our first European Championship rally was a huge challenge, but also a great experience,” said the driver from Sittendorf. “We still lose the most time in the fast sections because I still lack a bit of confidence there. I am grateful to Calle and the whole team for the many tips and the good support. We still need a few more kilometers in the car to be able to fight at the front. But we have learned an enormous amount here. This afternoon, we improved quite a lot, which makes us confident about the next rallies.”

Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott was satisfied with the season opener of his juniors: “Calle showed from the outset that he is capable of winning in this strong field. In the end, he gave it his all without going over the limit. That shows a high level of maturity. With the podium finish, he and Jørgen have got off to a good start. Luca and Dina also deserve praise. Finishing in the top 10 on their JERC debut was a great performance. Both Corsa Rally4s ran without a hitch, and Manfred Stohl’s crew once again did a perfect job. I’m happy with the way the season started.”

The second round of the 2025 Junior European Rally Championship takes place in Hungary from May 9 to 11. The first of two gravel competitions this season awaits the two Opel juniors and their rivals around Veszprém, not far from Lake Balaton.