The fact that the title in the 2024 Junior European Rally Championship (JERC) has already been awarded to Opel driver Mille Johansson does not detract from the motivation of the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team ahead of the season finale at the Rally Silesia in Poland. On the contrary. Opel junior Calle Carlberg is not only fighting for his first victory of the season in the asphalt event around the Silesian industrial city of Katowice, but also for the vice-championship in the Opel Corsa Rally4, which is run by Stohl Racing. His main rival is the Scotsman Max McRae.

The situation is not entirely clear, because in the JERC only the best five of the six individual results count towards the overall ranking. McRae is currently slightly ahead here with 93 points, but because Carlberg (89) already has a zero as a strike result, the 24-year-old Opel junior is one point ahead of the nephew of the unforgettable Colin McRae.

However, Carlberg, who as always relies on the instructions of his Norwegian co-driver Jørgen Eriksen, does not get involved in such arithmetic games: “I'm ready for the Polish tracks! Our motto for the season finale is: full attack! We have nothing to lose. I'm looking forward to the duel with Max. We want to go for the win. We have been close several times during the season, and now that the pressure of the title fight is off, it's easier for us to just enjoy these great stages and let the Corsa Rally4 fly.”

Rally Silesia, in which the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team is competing with only one car, is new to the ERC calendar and includes 15 special stages covering 180.15 kilometers. It starts on Friday at 20h05 with a short 1.8 km “Super Special Stage” in Katowice. The actual rally starts the next day at 9 a.m. with seven stages. The decision will be made on Sunday at 4:10 p.m. with the “Power Stage”. Rally fans can follow the finale in the paid stream on www.rally.tv or via live timing on www.opel-motorsport.com.