After an almost perfect first half of the season with two wins and a second place for Calle Carlberg, the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team is highly motivated going into the Rally di Roma Capitale. Following his recent triumph in Poland, the Swedish Opel junior has a 26-point lead over the second-placed driver in the Junior European Rally Championship (JERC) standings. The 24-year-old and his Norwegian co-driver Jørgen Eriksen (31) could therefore take a big step towards winning the European 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 – fully focused and highly motivated. After the two gravel rounds in Hungary and Poland, I'm now really looking forward to Rome and the upcoming competitions on asphalt. The Corsa Rally4 will also be competitive on hard surfaces, and Manfred Stohl's team is absolutely top-notch, so it's up to us in the cockpit to get the most out of it."
Carlberg's Austrian teammate Luca Pröglhöf is also back on track after missing the Poland event due to health issues. The Rally di Roma Capitale is uncharted territory for last year's ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup “powered by GSE” champion. “I feel fit again and am looking forward to returning to the team,” said the 25-year-old from Sittendorf, who as usual will be listening to the instructions of his co-driver Christina Ettel (38) in the cockpit of the Corsa Rally4. "A hot affair in the truest sense of the word awaits us in Rome. As always, it will be important to stay focused and push to the limit without going over the top. We feel well prepared and will give it our all.“
”We are in a good position at the start of the second half of the season,“ says Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott. ”I think we can also be among the front-runners in the upcoming three asphalt rallies. Calle is in impressive form, and the Corsa Rally4 has proven that it is competitive on any surface. I also expect Luca to put in a very good performance, especially as he feels a little more comfortable on asphalt than on gravel. However, the field in the JERC is far too strong to be able to predict top results. Everyone will have 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 motorsport."
After a one-year hiatus, the Rally di Roma Capitale is back in the Junior European Championship. It combines history and modernity like no other event on the JERC calendar. The short first special stage, “Colosseo Aci Roma,” will take place on Friday at 8:05 p.m., passing directly by the world-famous Colosseum before the rally convoy moves to the service park in Fiuggi, about 80 kilometers from Rome, where six special stages await the European Championship participants the following day. The decision will be made on Sunday with six more stages. The first car is expected to cross the finish line in Fiuggi at around 6 p.m. The teams have a total of 207.8 kilometers of special stages to complete. With 15 Rally4 cars, the JERC field is once again very strong. Rally fans can follow the asphalt spectacle via live timing at www.adac.de/motorsport or www.opel-motorsport.com or via the paid live stream at www.rally.tv.
