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 sets to defend his SM1-class win in Rovaniemi with Škoda

14 January 2020

Team GRX’s Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen are ready to defend their SM1-class win of the Arctic Lapland Rally, the opening competition of Finnish Championship Series driven this upcoming weekend in Rovaniemi. The twosome, who are looking for a full and complete competition will start the rally with Team TGS Worldwide’s new Škoda Fabia R5 Evo with
starting number 5.

Team GRX’s Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen began their reconnaissance of the SM Arctic Lapland-rally with confident minds. At the moment Arctic Circle has lot of snow and the roads are frozen which makes the conditions great for winter rally. Despite the poor snow condition in southern Finland, preparations for the upcoming season have gone almost as planned.

“We weren’t able to drive a lot of tests but visited the north enough that we know the feeling for the new car will be good. New Škoda is slightly better in all aspects than the previous version of it. The engine runs nicely and when the last versions steering didn’t react to me turning the wheel as I wanted, on this new version that shortage has been fixed. At least us being successful isn’t up to the car”, Lindholm says.

Two-day FRC-series opening competition in the Arctic Circle has undergone some changes since last year that Lindholm is pleased to see. There are still ten special stages but 40-kilometres less to drive than last year.

“SS Untamovaara is coming back after being gone for few years and there is some other changes too. In Untamovaara I drove my first overall fastest time of my driving career. It’s a good thing for us that the route is changing and being renewed.”, Lindholm reminds.

“Arctic is still a long rally, the longest in the FRC-series. I don’t believe that those missing kilometres have that much effect, especially that the amount of special stages is the same. The weather forecast hasn’t predicted any extremely cold weather so soft light snow isn’t expected on the roads. We’re starting right after the WRC cars and I think that position is pretty good. If the soft light snow is floating in the air on the special stages, the organizer has promised a two minute start between cars.”, says Lindholm.

Lindholm, who was reached during recce is recovering from an unpleasant flu fever.

“I’m feeling pretty good now so I am ready for the upcoming rally. We’re trying to drive a full, complete competition and bring the car to the finish line. Good points from here are important, thinking about the rest of the season.”, Lindholm says.

The Finnish Rally Championship-season opening two-day Arctic Lapland Rally’s total length is 712,09 km. The route has 10 special stages, total 201,73km. The rally starts Friday 26th of January at 12:00 from Lordin aukio, Rovaniemi. On the first day’s programme there is 5 special stages, 91,0 km. The first cars are expected to arrive for the night break at 21:15.

The rally continues on Saturday morning at 7:00. The closing day programme has another five special stages, 110,73 km. The first competitors are expected at the finish line in Lordin aukio, Rovaniemi, Saturday night at 19:20.