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: “The Acropolis Rally was tougher than expected”

29 June 2025

Toksport WRT Škoda’s Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen finished seventh in the WRC2 class at the Greek World Rally Championship event. In the overall standings, the Finnish duo placed 13th with their Fabia RS Rally2. Success in Greece always requires a bit of luck, but this time, the Finns only had the bad kind.

Lindholm and Hämäläinen entered the rally with high hopes, but it turned out to be an unfortunate experience. On Friday, they suffered two punctures and a leaking radiator during the afternoon loop, which dropped them to ninth in WRC2.

Saturday, the longest day of the rally, went smoothly until the final stage, when loud banging from the rear of the car forced Lindholm to ease off the throttle. He carefully drove to the finish and made it safely to the evening service, where mechanics tightened loose bolts in the rear.

On Sunday, the pair started in seventh place and maintained that position to the finish.

“Right after the start of the first stage in the morning, the intercom control unit failed, and we had to replace it. On the second stage, the tire tread came off, and on the third, we had a rear puncture. We just drove through the final stage to secure 2nd and 3rd places for our team, Toksport WRT, in the WRC2 team standings. Huge thanks to our team and mechanics—they did a fantastic job here,” Lindholm emphasized.

The weekend in Greece was hot. The temperature inside Lindholm’s Škoda reached 47°C during special stages and dropped to 35°C on liaison sections.

“I’ve never raced in such hot conditions. The heat wasn’t unbearable as long as we managed hydration. I was last here three years ago in September, and compared to this June event, it was a completely different rally. The rally had changed significantly, and our previous car setup knowledge didn’t apply anymore.”

“On Sunday, we tested different tire compounds to gather data for the future and to learn more about the tires. With certain pressures and road surfaces, the tires held up well, but when the temperature rose, everything changed quickly. We only figured out the crucial setup details during the rally itself. It was much tougher than expected,” Lindholm explained.

Lindholm was satisfied with his pace:

“The result was, of course, a big disappointment, but our times before the issues were consistently competitive. Our car has a lot of potential,” he reminded.

Results: WRC EKO Acropolis Rally Greece – WRC2:
1. Oliver Solberg (S) – Elliot Edmondson (GB), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2; 4:22:54.8
2. Gus Greensmith (GB) – Jonas Andersson (S), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2; + 53.8
3. Yohan Rossel – Arnaud Dunand (FRA), Citroën C3 Rally2; + 1:09.0
…
7. Emil Lindholm – Reeta Hämäläinen (FIN), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2; + 6:51.0