The championship comprises six challenging rallies, three on asphalt and three on gravel. The season gets underway for the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team with two Atlantic-island rallies on the Azores (gravel) and Gran Canaria (asphalt). They are followed by the east European gravel events in Latvia and Poland, and the final rounds on asphalt in Italy and the Czech Republic. The four best results count towards the final classification, two results can be dropped.
As each rally has its own characteristics and specialities, all-round talent is required. And it is all-round talent that has made the 190hp ADAM R2 and the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team the ones to beat in the last four years of the FIA ERC3 junior championship. “Our car has repeatedly shown that it works well under all conditions and on all surfaces”, said Opel Motorsport Director, Jörg Schrott. “Our team is well prepared. Ultimately, it is the drivers who have to deliver on the special stages. We have done well the last four years, but that is no guarantee for success – the competition is stronger and more closely matched than anywhere else. At this high level, errors are costly.”
The tricky, narrow roads of the opening round on the Azores are a tough challenge for man and machine. Above all, the 20 kilometres around the Sete Cidades dormant volcano form the special stage every driver wants to win. Thousands of spectators line the route and the stage delivers spectacular images. As in past years, Eurosport will broadcast daily the highlights of each rally.
Two more Opel ADAM R2 cars from the Austrian Team Stengg Motorsport will also be chasing points and trophies in this year’s FIA ERC3 junior championship. They will be piloted by Simon Wagner (25) and Roland Stengg (24), two top talents from the Austrian rally scene.
Dates FIA ERC3 Junior Championship 2019
21-23 March Azores Rallye, Portugal
02-04 May Rally Islas Canarias, Spain
24-26 May Rallye Liepāja, Latvia
28-30 June Rallye Poland, Poland
19-21 July Rallye di Roma Capitale, Italy
16-18 August Barum Czech Rallye Zlín, Czech Republic