At the completion of leg one, the 19-year-old from Estonia is 8.8s ahead of Teemu Suninen with Mikko Heikkilä completing the provisional podium after eight stages, just 5.5s behind his fellow Finn.
Competing on round two of the 2026 FIA ERC alongside co-driver Rait Jansen, Vaher headed into Saturday’s opening test as the hunted following his fastest time on Friday evening’s super special.
Despite his lack of Rally2 experience, the first non-Japanese member of the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Challenge Progam talent development initiative excelled by moving 10.0s clear of the chasing pack when he set the pace on SS3.
Counting on a Pirelli-equipped Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, the Junior ERC graduate reached midday service in out-of-town Karlstad leading three-time FIA World Rally Championship podium finisher Suninen by 10.7s.
He then extended his lead to 11.5s before front-right tyre damage nearing the finish of the first run through Colins allowed Suninen to close to within 9.6s.
But Vaher hit back with the fastest time on the day’s penultimate stage for an overall lead of 10.4s, which was trimmed to 8.8s following the repeat of Colins.
“Overall, it’s been a really good day I must say,” Vaher said. “I couldn’t have expected this kind of thing. Let’s say this puncture ruined our plans a little bit but it’s part of the game, nothing to do, and these stages we took more carefully. Overall, it’s okay and we need to make our preparations for tomorrow and continue the same way.”
Behind Heikkila, Karlstad-based Isak Reiersen was fourth in a Hankook-supplied Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 having outpaced Martins Sesks for much of leg one. But Sesks, who is making his ERC comeback for Team MRF Tyres and reckoned he dropped 10 seconds with a high-speed spin and stall on an SS3 left-hander, overtook on today’s final stage. Sesks is 2.7s ahead of Reiersen and 3.2s down on Heikkilä after Saturday’s running.
Frank Tore Larsen, who has won all eight rallies that he’s contested in his native Norway this season, is sixth with Calle Carlberg in seventh. The former Junior ERC driver is just 1.3s in front of fellow Swede Patrik Hallberg, who equalled Mads Ostberg’s record jump of 47 metres over the iconic Colin’s Crest. His prize is a mini digger from event sponsor BAUHAUS.
Freestyle mountain bike star Brandon Semenuk and Simone Tempestini complete the overnight top 10 followed by Fabrizio Zaldivar, ERC champion Miko Marczyk, Tuukka Kauppinen and Takumi Matsushita, Vaher’s Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT NG team-mate.
Eyvind Brynildsen, the winner of BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia in 2025, bemoaned his high start order and a stall on SS7 as he dropped outside the top 15 places behind Jakub Matulka, Philip Allen and Joosep Ralf Nogrene.
Nõgrene reached midday service in sixth place but problems replacing a faulty component meant he was five minutes late heading back to the stages, which incurred a 50s penalty.
Having been hampered by a pop-off valve issue aboard his Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 Integrale on SS2, Andrea Mabellini failed to make it through SS3 after he picked up suspension damage striking a hidden rock in a ditch.
Second quickest on Friday evening’s super special in Karlstad, Kalle Gustafsson was delayed through SS2 when he went off the road into a ditch and inflicted damage to the front-right of his self-run Ford Fiesta Rally2 in the process. A power issue caused more delay on the repeat of the Colins stage.
Benjamin Korhola, who was third fastest on SS1, stopped on SS3 with significant front-end damage after he almost rolled following an off into a ditch. British champion William Creighton overshot a junction 3.2 kilometres into SS4 aboard his Michelin-equipped Citroën before retiring on the first Colins run with broken suspension. Adam Grahn also went no further than Colins 1 due to a fuel pump issue.
Ville Vatanen tops FIA ERC3 ahead of fellow Ford Fiesta Rally3-driving Craig Rahill. Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF driver Aatu Hakalehto heads Timo Schulz (Opel Corsa Rally4) in FIA ERC4 and FIA Junior ERC.
Sunday’s deciding leg of BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia is made up of four stages each run twice for a total timed distance of 99.90 kilometres. The 19.58-kilometre Bäckelid test is up first from 07:40 local time with the Olme Power Stage set to get under way at 17:05.
