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 opens the route in Riihimäki

01 February 2022

Team GRX's Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen will open the route, competing with starting number 1, in the second round of the Finnish Rally Championship in Riihimäki. TGS Worldwide’s Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo driving duo are entering the second event of the winter season with confident minds.

Team TGS Worldwide’s Emil Lindholm, 25, is heading to the snowy roads of Riihimäki and Loppi area with a great trust for his own driving. The second Finnish Rally Championship event of the season will have perfect winter rally driving conditions after a snowstorm Valtteri, which blasted through southern Finland this past weekend. The roads are icy and the bends that line the roads have gained more height in recent days.

”There has been a lot of snow here in southern Finland and the forecast predicts even more snow for the night before the rally. There may be good conditions to drive fast. Everything depends on whether the roads are plowed before the start. Our starting number 1 isn’t the best place to start in these circumstances. The roads are icy so I don’t think itaffects things too much. Every driver driving at the top will have snowy roads in front of them”, Lindholm says.

Riihimäki Ralli is one of the most prestigious national rallies in Finland with a great history, driven for the first time in 1960. Lindholm has participated the event once in 2019.

”That rally ended with a bolt breaking and us retiring. On the upcoming route all the roads suit me. The more technical roads have usually been favorites of mine”, Lindholm tells.

”The victory of the Arctic Lapland Rally was a good start for the season and after the Finnish Championship openereverything is in good shape. We are going to run little test during the week to get a nice feel for our driving and think which differential ratio to start the rally with. The ratio can still be changed after recce”, Lindholm says.

”We have good chances to continue this series, which we are driving as a full. We don’t have to win in Riihimäki but if we drive well and there is a chance, of course we will try to be number one. Riihimäki is also a good preparation for us for the World Rally Championship Sweden at the end of the month”, Lindholm reminds.

The SM Auto Sorsa Riihimäki ralli is driven without an audience due to Covid-19 restrictions in the Kanta-Häme region. Restrictions do not allow events for more than 50 people even in outdoors. If the situation changes by the weekend the rally organizer will announce the changes.

The route of the SM Auto Sorsa Riihimäki ralli includes eight special stages with a total length of 98.11 km. The rally will start on Saturday, February 5 at 11:00 from Riihimäki. During the day the competitors will have service twice at Loppi. The first competitors are expected to return to Riihimäki to the finish line starting from 18:37.

SM1-class points 1/7 rounds:
1. Emil Lindholm Škoda 34
2. Egon Kaur (EE) Volkswagen 25
3. Mikko Heikkilä Škoda 20
4. Aleksi Röyhkiö Volkswagen 16
5. Juha Salo Škoda 13
6. Anssi Rytkönen Škoda 11