WRC 3
Carlberg delivers on debut with dream Junior WRC win
Calle Carlberg completed a dream FIA Junior WRC debut on Sunday, sealing a commanding Rally Sweden victory with a composed drive on home snow.
The 25-year-old Swede, rewarded with a funded campaign after clinching the 2025 FIA Junior ERC title, controlled the rally from early on and returned to Umeå with a 1min 52.5sec advantage over Finland’s Leevi Lassila having won 12 out of 17 stages.
Starting the final leg with a 1min 19.5sec buffer, Carlberg avoided unnecessary risks but showed no sign of backing off completely. After losing SS16 Västervik 1 to Ali Türkkan, he responded by setting the pace on the second pass before topping the timesheets again on the Wolf Power Stage to cap a near-perfect weekend.
“It’s crazy. I could never have imagined this,” said Carlberg. “After winning the Junior ERC last year, I was really looking forward to this. To make my WRC debut at home was magical, and to win it is even better.”
Finland’s Lassila was unable to mount a serious challenge once Carlberg stretched clear on Friday, but he delivered a composed drive to secure strong points on the season opener.
“I was hoping for a little bit more, but on Friday I was struggling with the car,” he explained. “I am looking forward to doing the whole championship and competing against Calle and the others.”
Raúl Hernández completed the podium a further 2min 09.8sec back from Lassila. The Spaniard’s measured approach on unfamiliar snow stages delivered strong returns as he too banked valuable championship points.
Teenager Gil Membrado overcame early setbacks to secure a solid fourth-place finish, but there was late drama on SS17 when Craig Rahill crashed 4.7km into the test while running fifth. That promoted Türkkan, whose victory bid unravelled when he went off the road on Friday, into the top five as Kerem Kazaz completed the finishers in sixth.
The FIA Junior WRC switches to asphalt next time out when Croatia Rally, taking place from 9 – 12 April, hosts round two of the season.
Fontana victorious in WRC3
Matteo Fontana completed a dominant outing in WRC3 - taking victory by almost three minutes from Poland's Tymek Abramowski. Raúl Hernándéz finished third in the category.
