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Lindholm: “Tire compound choices are strategically important”
04 June 2025
Toksport WRT´’s Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen will kick off their gravel rally season this coming weekend at the WRC Rally Italia Sardegna. “The upcoming gravel rally is challenging, so a certain level of caution is necessary,” Lindholm reminds.

The Finnish duo, competing with Toksport WRT’s Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, is ready for the challenge. After the WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal, Lindholm completed a full day of gravel testing in Portugal, as well as another session last Sunday in Sardinia.

“We drove about 100 kilometers on Sunday and did a day of testing after the Portugal rally. The feeling on gravel has been good from the start. This is a rally I’ve done a few times before, and our team also has experience here.”

“This season’s new tire required some setup adjustments to our car, but during testing the tire performed well. It’s nice to open our gravel season in Italy,” Lindholm says.

This year’s route includes new road sections or ones that haven’t been used in nearly 30 years.

“There’s one completely new stage for me and practically everyone else on Friday, and both Sunday stages are also new. These roads were last used in rallying back in the 1990s. It’s great that the route has been refreshed, as Sardinia’s rally has traditionally used the same roads.”

Under Sardinia’s sun, it’s known to be hot, and the island’s gravel roads are tough on tires. Lindholm says that based on testing, the WRC’s new tire seems to handle the gravel’s wear well.

“It’s a strong-feeling tire that required setup changes to our car, which helped us find more traction. The new tire’s side is tough and durable, so as a stiffer tire, it supported the car well that it didn’t hit the ground on rough sections.”

“I think this tire has the qualities of a good rally tire, so the biggest headache for the upcoming rally is choosing between two different compounds. Of course, you’d prefer to run more on the softer compound, but at some point, you’ll have to use the harder ones too. Strategically, it’s important to decide when to put the hard tires on the car,” Lindholm notes.

Lindholm and Hämäläinen will start 25th on the road with car number 34. The duo aims to deliver their best performance over the weekend.

“Sardinia has always been a rally where Friday’s results don’t necessarily predict the final winner. You need to stay calm but also maintain good pace and avoid trouble.”

WRC Rally Italia Sardegna – Overview:

The rally’s shakedown stage Olbia Cabu Abbas (2.19 km) will be driven on Thursday afternoon. Friday’s route includes three stages run twice: Arzachena (SS1/4, 13.97 km), Telti-Calangianus-Berchidda (SS2/5, 18.43 km), and Sa Conchedda (SS3/6, 27.95 km).

The rally continues Saturday with three more repeated stages: Coiluna-Loelle (SS7/10, 21.18 km), Lerno-Su Filigosu (SS8/11, 24.34 km), and Tula-Erula (SS9/12, 15.28 km).

The rally concludes on Sunday with two stages run twice: San Giacomo-Plebi (SS13/15, 25.19 km) and Porto San Paolo (SS14/16, 13.70 km), the latter being the Power Stage ending the rally at 14:15 Finnish time.

about

Emil Lindholm

DRIVER

Reeta Hämäläinen

CO-DRIVER

Calendar -25

  • 24.-27.04.
    Rally Islas Canarias
    WRC2
  • 05.-08.06.
    Rally Italia Sardegna
    WRC2
  • 31.-03.08.
    Secto Rally Finland
    WRC2

partners

Emil Lindholm

+358 500 441 917
emil.lindholm@sebateam.fi