WRC2 CHAMPION 2022

Emil Lindholm Emil Lindholm

WRC2 CHAMPION 2022

Emil Lindholm Emil Lindholm

WRC2 CHAMPION 2022

Emil Lindholm Emil Lindholm

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Lindholm heads to FRC Lahti with a podium place in his mind

11 August 2021

The Finnish Rally Championship-series continues this weekend in Lahti with a two-day SM Top Building Rally. Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen, who are second in the SM1-class, will start TGS Worldwide's Škoda Fabia R5 Evo on the route to better their fourth place finish from the FRC Kouvola.

The Finnish Rally Championship-series reaches a place in SM Top Building rally in Lahti where the results of the four best rallies out of the five of the season are taken into account for the final Finnish Championship points. For Team GRX’s Emil Lindholm it means that he must be in the top three if he is going to increase his overall points score. In that case Lindholm's weakest result of the season, the fourth place in Kouvola, will be dropped out of the final points.

This time the Finnish Championship points will be competed exceptionally in connection with the FIA Historic European Championship Rally-series. Drivers driving from Finnish Championship points will drive their own rally after the historic classes.

“After the last Finnish Championship rally, which we won, the hopes are high. Driving conditions are a question mark as we drive the rally behind historic cars. And if it rains the situation is completely new again. We have to drive our own line no matter where the groove is on the road. Anyway, this weekend we have many new factors ahead of us”, Lindholm says.

“Of course we are also trying to improve our weakest result of the season, which was the fourth place in Kouvola. Any extra points are important through this point of the season”, Lindholm reminds.

Lindholm, competing with MRF Tyres' rally tyres, and his co-driver Reeta Hämäläinen will start TGS Worldwide's Škoda Fabia R5 Evo to the route with confident minds. The route of the two-day rally is directed to the areas of Sysmä, Hartola and Lammi where Lindholm has not driven rally before.

“It is a good thing that we can drive special stages purely from the notes. It has been our strength so far. Rally’s opening day, Friday, is an important day as one third of the special stage kilometres are driven then. You have to drive fast straight from the beginning if you are going to make it”, Lindholm says.

The SM Top Building Rally will start in Lahti for the Finnish Championship classes on Friday at 15:34. In the afternoon the route driven in Sysmä and Hartola includes three special stages with a total length of 35.64 km.

The rally continues from Lahti on Saturday morning starting at 10:15. The route, which is driven in Lammi-area, includes six special stages with a total length of 74.81 km. The first competitors are expected to finish line of the rally in Lahti on Saturday night starting from 19:29.