Casey Jay Coleman continues European Championship battle in Sweden
Picture from Red Bull Content Pool
The 2026 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) returned for its second round of the season, with the high speed gravel lanes of Sweden playing host to the BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia, and it was a great weekend for Casey Jay Coleman as he set strong times right across what was an unfamiliar terrain to leave himself firmly in the battle to claim the 2026 ERC3 Title.
Facing an unfamiliar event, having not competed here in his debut season at European level, and the daunting gravel roads of the Karlstad region, Coleman, guided once more by Killian McArdle in the RLA-Autosport prepared Ford Fiesta Rally3, took little time getting up to speed on the loose surface for the first time this year.
Speaking to ERC TV at the end of the opening stage on Friday evening, Casey Jay noted "Not so bad. I found the stage very rough; I was quite surprised. I did nothing heroic in there."
Saturday saw seven stages and over 80km of high-speed stages twisting through the Swedish countryside, including two passes over the legendary Colin’s Crest in the afternoon. A steady start in the morning, getting comfortable with the Fiesta on Gravel again and playing with setup, was followed by a blistering afternoon loop would see Casey Jay rise back up to 5th place overnight in ERC3 and 4th in the M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3 Trophy.
Speaking at the end of the first day, Coleman said “It was a good day all round. Bit steady starting this morning, but the pace got a lot better in the later loop especially. I’m a lot happier with my driving and feeling a lot more comfortable in the car.”
The pace that was evident on Saturday evening in Sweden was clear to see right from the off on Sunday morning, as Casey Jay Coleman & Killian McArdle began to set a number of top-3 times amongst the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy crews, including on the Ölme Powerstage, which would see the pair claim fourth in both the M-Sport & Pirelli backed Trophy series as well as in the highly competitive ERC3 class.
The result on Royal Rally of Scandinavia coupled with an incredible result on the season opening Rally Andalucía - Sierra Morena sees Casey Jay Coleman now sit second in the ERC3 standings, just two points off the Championship lead as he continues his hunt for European Glory. Supported by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy in 2026, their background in fitness & mental preparation, nutrition and event support have given Casey Jay the tools to push for further success this season.
Picture from Red Bull Content Pool
The result in Sweden has also seen Casey Jay retain his lead in the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy with just three rounds to go in that series. With support from Pirelli and Warter Fuels, the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy will be contested over five rounds once again in 2026. The winner gets a fully funded drive in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 on JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigon, the penultimate round of the ERC season.
Arriving at the end of the event, Coleman was happy with how things had gone in Sweden “Job done! Happy enough with the result, it’s been a good weekend! The Pace improved massively from the first stage on Friday through to Sunday which is great. Massive thanks to all my sponsors, the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and RLA for a great car once again. Onwards now to Rome!”
And it is indeed onwards to Rome, with the Italian capital playing host to the third round of the FIA European Rally Championship, Rally di Roma Capitale, on July 3rd to 5th. This is a familiar event to Coleman, as it was here that he tasted his first ERC podium success in 2025, and its sure to be an exciting battle on the twisty Roman Tarmac roads as Casey Jay Coleman continues his dual bid for success in both the ERC3 Championship as well as the M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3 Trophy.