Toyota prospect Jasper Vaher made a dream start to the ERC round in Värmland by setting the fastest times in both qualifying and Friday’s opening stage. On Saturday, the 19-year-old Estonian showed no intention of slowing down. After eight special stages, he and co-driver Rait Jansen hold an 8.8-second advantage at the top of the leaderboard.

“Overall, it has gone really well. We’ve followed our rhythm and driven according to our feeling throughout the day. On the second loop we had a puncture, but luckily we didn’t lose too much time. Apart from that, it has been a very good day,” said Vaher.

Behind them, a quartet of drivers is locked in a fierce battle for the remaining podium places.

Finnish driver Teemu Suninen claimed several stage victories throughout Saturday and holds second place overnight, 5.5 seconds ahead of fellow Finn Mikko Heikkilä, with both crews driving Škodas. Just outside the podium positions are Mārtiņš Sesks, only 3.2 seconds behind third place, and local favourite Isak Reiersen, who sits 5.9 seconds off the podium.

All signs point to an intense fight on Sunday.

Reigning Junior ERC champion Calle Carlberg enjoyed a solid day in his Toyota and set the third-fastest time on SS3 Stensjön. He ends Saturday in seventh overall.

Much of Saturday’s attention was focused on the legendary Colin’s Crest near Sunne. This year, title sponsor BAUHAUS had raised the stakes by offering an extraordinary prize to the driver who jumped the furthest: a mini excavator. On the first pass through the stage, Canadian driver Brandon Semenuk laid down the benchmark with a 42-metre leap.

However, it was on the second and final pass that the limits were truly pushed. Last year’s winner Eyvind Brynildsen jumped 43 metres before being surpassed by Philip Allen with a 45-metre effort. None could match Patrik Hallberg, who equalled Mads Østberg’s long-standing record with a remarkable 47-metre jump. Hallberg and co-driver John Stigh therefore claimed both the excavator and the prestigious 2026 Colin’s Crest Award.

“I thought about it before the stage and said to John that if I got a good line before the jump, I would go flat out – and I did. So it was a really great feeling,” said Hallberg.

In ERC3, Ville Vaatanen leads the category after Saturday’s stages, while Aatu Hakalehto tops both Junior ERC and ERC4.

The BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia concludes on Sunday with eight stages east of Karlstad around Väse and Ölme. The rally finishes with SS16 Ölme, this year’s Power Stage, at 17:05, followed by the prize-giving ceremony in Karlstad city centre at 19:00.