The World Awaits As Junior ERC Prize Drive Confirmed

This season’s FIA Junior ERC champion will get a gilt-edged opportunity to showcase their talent at global level following confirmation of the championship’s standout prize drive for 2025.

Whoever comes out on top of the Hankook-equipped category for Rally4 or Rally5 category cars in 2024 will secure a season in the FIA Junior WRC Championship next year. The JWRC consists of five world-level events with all drivers competing in identical Ford Fiesta Rally3s run by M-Sport Poland and using Hankook tyres from the 2025 season. If the Junior ERC champion for 2024 takes the title driving a Ford Fiesta Rally4 they will also undertake a course at the world-renowned John Haugland Winter Rally School in Norway.

Iain Campbell, the ERC championship manager, said: “Junior ERC is not just about giving young talents, in their first or second season of international competition, the opportunity to learn and develop in a highly competitive environment. But it’s also about providing a clear incentive to choose Junior ERC in the first place and the Junior WRC prize drive is that and more. We are very pleased to be partnering with the FIA, M-Sport Poland and Hankook in providing this fantastic career boost.”

M-Sport Poland director Maciej Woda said: “It’s very unique in the rally world that you win something that lets you step up in your career, but the Junior ERC prize drive gives you that opportunity. In 2023 we had Laurent Pellier who won the Junior ERC in 2022 and was straight away very competitive in JWRC, despite not having any experience with the Fiesta Rally3. The prize drive is an amazing opportunity for a young driver.”

Norbert Maior, who is preparing to tackle this year’s Junior WRC Championship as his prize for winning the 2023 Junior ERC title alongside his co-driving sister Francesca Maior, said: “It’s unbelievable, a dream for sure. It’s an incredible opportunity we have.”  

The 2024 Junior ERC Championship, which is promoted by WRC Promoter GmbH, is contested over six events starting with the all-gravel Rally Hungary from 12 - 14 April. That’s followed by the asphalt-based Rally Islas Canarias (2 - 4 May), ahead of BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia and a return to gravel from 13 - 15 June. The loose-surface Rally Estonia is next (5 - 7 July) before the Tarmac-only Rali Ceredigion in Wales (30 August - 1 September) and Poland’s Rally Silesia (11 - 13 October) form the deciding events of the season.

Drivers planning to contest the 2024 Junior ERC Championship must be younger than 27 on 1 January, compete in a Rally4 or Rally5 category car, register for the FIA ERC4 Championship, and also complete the WRC Promoter GmbH Junior Driver Agreement, which is available here: https://bit.ly/JuniorERC-Commercial-Licence-2024

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