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 had to retire in Sardinia

04 June 2023

Toksport WRT Škoda's Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen were unable to start the last day of the WRC Rally Italia Sardegna on Sunday. During Saturday's evening service, Toksport WRT's service team noticed a damage in a part of the car's body structure, which, despite a good effort, could not be repaired in the service conditions.

Team GRX's Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen missed the last day of the World Rally Championship in Sardinia. The Finnish duo had to stop the rally to service when the upper end of the car's rear shock absorber had failed and its threads were damaged.

- At the last special stage on Saturday, I felt a bump from the back of our car a few times. At some point on the stage, the rear corner had apparently hit a rock and as a result of the impact, the upper end of the shock absorber was broken.

- The service team tried their best to get us to continue the rally but the upper end attachment, which is part of the car’s body structure had its threads broken. The broken part would have had to be cut out of the car’s body and a new one welded in its place, so we would not have been able to do that during service. It saddens us all that the rally ended like this but no can do. The route was really tough this time.

At the time of the retirement, Lindholm was ninth in the overall rally and fourth in the RC2 class of WRC2 cars. The rally was driven in very challenging and demanding driving conditions and had action in almost every special stage.

- The opening day of the rally, Friday, was a very good day for us. The longest special stage of the rally (49.90 km) went excellently, except for the last kilometer. In a right-hand turn our Škoda got out of the groove on two wheels, but I was able to straighten it again on four wheels.

- That situation completely surprised me. Before that the stage already had a lot of deep grooves in many places. We got through it by reversing and getting back on the road. We lost a little time but that's all, Lindholm, who had clocked the third fastest time on that special stage, said.

On Saturday a few driving mistakes took extra time.

- On Saturday's first run, I wasn't satisfied with my own driving. On the second stage, the tire hit a stone and broke. We didn't stay to change it and drove about ten kilometers with three intact tires to the finish line. That's where the biggest difference came to the fastest drivers.

- In addition, I drove one intersection too long. When braking, the engine shut down and it took a long time to get the hot engine running again. We had to drive back and forth. On Saturday we didn't really do a single special stage well, Lindholm said.

The next time the Finnish duo will be seen competing is in July at the World Rally Championship in Estonia.