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’s WRC Central European Rally ends in retirement

30 October 2023

Hyundai's Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen had to retire WRC Central European Rally in Sunday morning's first road section due to alternator problem.

Hyundai Motorsport N-team's Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen had to retire WRC Central European Rally in Sunday's first road section before the morning's first (SS 15) special stage due to an alternator problem. At the time of the retirement, the duo was driving in the first place of the WRC2 class and in a tenth place in the overall competition.

A minor, but costly technical problem on first road section forced them out of the rally.

- When we were driving first road section, I noticed that something was wrong. I stopped the car and noticed the problem, but we would´t not be able to repair it in the road section.

- We could have gotten through the first special stage of the morning without power steering and with the power of our car's battery, but there would have been no point. Of course, this is sad. It would have been great to win our first asphalt rally with Hyundai, but it was not our time yet, says disappointed Lindholm.

Lindholm enjoyed the Central European World Rally Championship, which was driven in the territories of three countries; the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Although in the WRC2 class the competitors do not have a gravel crew available, the challenging and surprising asphalt special stages were to the liking of the Finnish driver.

- There was not a single easy day in this rally, but even though the conditions were really challenging and difficult, it was nice behind the wheel: I got to really drive the rally and I enjoyed it.

- When you knew that somewhere on the road there was suddenly mud across its entire width, you had to be creative behind the wheel and think about where there could be mud at any time, and whether it might be dried or wet.

- The changes in grip during special stages were sometimes quite absurd. There would have been no room for extra effort at any point. Grip also varied a lot in muddy areas: the thicker the layer, the weaker the grip. The amount of mud was a bit surprising, but our car worked great and our tire choices were spot on. I concentrated and drove steadily and fast the whole time, and we succeeded in our doing, Lindholm summed up.