With Jørgen Eriksen co-driving his Hankook-equipped Opel Corsa Rally4, Swede Carlberg headed into Sunday’s final leg 7.8sec in front of Peugeot-driving Sergi Pérez.
Although the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team driver’s path to Rally di Roma Capitale glory was eased when Pérez hit a rock in the road on SS9 and dropped out of contention, Carlberg revealed that his strategy was vital to his success on the Italian asphalt fixture.
“The plan has always been to really try to be fast on the first loop of the first day to try to decide [the result] on the first day,” Carlberg said. “Here we took a bit longer but when you can manage for sure it’s much easier than having to push for the whole rally.
Jasper Vaher in Junior ERC action at ERC Rally di Roma Capitale
© At World
“After Sergi had a problem sure it was very difficult [with a big lead] but we’ve been through this two times already, having to go slowly to make it to the finish. We were counting on how much time we could lose without being at risk and we did exactly that.
“Exactly after the finish my brother sent me a calculation he’d done with AI to know what I need to do on the Barum Rally and it’s looking really good [for the championship] but we still have a job to do.”
“Exactly after the finish my brother sent me a calculation he’d done with AI to know what I need to do on the Barum Rally and it’s looking really good [for the championship] but we still have a job to do.”
After slipping back from second to ninth, Pérez was forced to retire prior to SS11 due to the damage sustained earlier in the day.
“It was going well but in the second stage we hit a rock in the middle of the road,” Pérez said. “There was nothing to do, only bad luck, just unbelievable. We had a puncture, we damaged the rim as well and the suspension on the front left.”
With Pérez out of luck, a thrilling battle for the final two podium places raged for much of the final day with less than 10 seconds covering positions two to five across several stages.
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy’s Craig Rahill at Rally di Roma Capitale
© At World
Jaspar Vaher, driving a Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF, eventually bagged the runner-up spot, just 3.1sec ahead of Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy’s Craig Rahill. Ioan Lloyd was a further 1.2sec back with Junior ERC rookie Yohan Surroca 4.3sec adrift of Lloyd despite a spin on the penultimate stage.
While Vaher has been a podium visitor before in the Hankook-supplied category, it was a first top-three finish for Rahill. “I’m absolutely over the moon,” said Rahill. “It’s mad after 200 kilometres there’s only four or five seconds between third and fifth. It just shows you how tight the racing is.”
ACI Team Italia-supported Francesco Dei Ceci finished sixth and was followed home by Tuukka Kauppinen, Keelan Grogan, Leevi Lassila, Aoife Raftery and Kevin Sariva.
Barum Czech Rally Zlín hosts the fifth round of the Junior ERC season from 15 – 17 August. Visit FIAERC.com on Wednesday for the Junior ERC round-up.