The sealed-surface rally has been ever-present on the Junior ERC schedule since the series began in 2014, except for 2020, when the event was cancelled due to the global health pandemic, and last season, when it wasn’t part of the Junior ERC calendar under the championship’s event rotation policy.
Sesks claimed top Junior ERC honurs in 2018
© FIAERC.com
But the Hankook-supplied series is back for the 2025 Barum Czech Rally Zlín with a 12-car entry, including ADAC Opel Rally Junior’s Calle Carlberg, Peugeot 208 Rally4-powered Ioan Lloyd and Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally4 runner Jaspar Vaher, first, second and third respectively in the provisional standings.
Barum Czech Rally Zlín bosses have described the return of Junior ERC to their event as “very positive information not only for the organisers, but especially for the spectators. The Junior championship has produced a number of top drivers who have become elite in higher categories, Sami Pajari, Martinš Sesks, Grégoire Munster and Nikolay Gryazin. Then there are Chris Ingram, Efrén Llarena, Stéphane Lefebvre, Jari Huttunen, Andrea Crugnola and many others”.
Schulz impressed as he won in 2023
© ERC
The Junior ERC winners in Zlín
2014: Stéphane Lefebre/Thomas Dubois (Peugeot 208 R2)
2015: Emil Bergkvist/Joakim Sjöberg (Opel Adam R2)
2016: Chris Ingram/Elliott Edmondson (Opel Adam R2)
2017: Aleks Zawada/Grzegorz Dachowski (Opel Adam R2)
2018: Mārtiṇš Sesks/Renārs Francis (Opel Adam R2)
2019: Efrén Llarena/Sara Fernández (Peugeot 208 R2)
2020: Barum Czech Rally Zlín not held due to global health pandemic
2021: Jean-Baptiste Franceschi/Anthony Gorguilo (Renault Clio R4)
2022: Laurent Pellier/Marine Pelamourgues (Opel Corsa Rally4)
2023: Timo Schulz/Michael Wenzel (Opel Corsa Rally4)
2024: Barum Czech Rally Zlín not part of Junior ERC schedule