This weekend’s Spanish World Rally Championship round, driven on asphalt roads in Catalonia, is one of Emil Lindholm’s favourite rallies. Team GRX’s Lindholm has driven the rally once in 2019 finishing 13th in the overall standings and second in the WRC2-class.

 

“Although I don't have much asphalt rally experience yet, this is still one of my favourite rallies. I drove here a couple of years ago for the first time and then one driving day was driven on gravel. Now the whole rally is on an asphalt platform. The asphalt parts of that previous rally stayed on my mind in a positive way. I like to drive on asphalt and these roads are right fit for me”, Lindholm says.

 

Lindholm is driving on the third place in the WRC3-class’ World Championships standings. He has driven seven rounds qualifying for the World Championship points in his class, so in Spain Lindholm is no longer eligible to collect World Championship points.

 

“We are not driving for points but for experience for the future and of course for a good result. Our goal is not to start pushing like crazy. Once again we will try to do our best. We have two good results below us and that is what we are aiming for here also”, Lindholm says.

 

“Friday's route is mainly new. Pretty technical road and similar what the route here in general is. There are some quite fast sections on the route. The weather should be sunny all weekend and that would be nice, because if it rains here, like two years ago, then a lot of mud and dirt will rise on the road from the bends of the turns”, Lindholm says.

 

Lindholm points out that the WRC Rally de España is not the easiest in the World Series.

 

“The level is tough, everyone drives fast here and the differences are small and the mistakes will backfire on you. Big differences are hard to catch. Yes, this rally is more of a speed than an endurance competition”, Lindholm reminds.

 

The centre of the Spanish World Rally Championship is the Port Aventura event park in Tarragona. The total length of the rally is 1,129.83 km. The route has seventeen special stages with a total length of 280.46 km. The rally starts on Friday morning at 9:00 EEST. The program of the first day of the competition includes six special stages with a total length of 112.02 km.

 

The rally will continue on Saturday morning at 8:15. The program has seven special stages with a total length of 117.54 km. There are four special stages (50.90 km) in the closing day’s (Sunday) program. The rally ends with a 16.35 km long Power Stage, for which the first competitor will start at 13:18 EEST.