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 finished WRC Finland with fastest time from Wolf Power Stage

07 August 2023

Hyundai Motorsport N-team's Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen ended their unlucky WRC Secto Rally Finland with fastest time from Wolf Power Stage and three World Championship points. In the final results of the WRC2 class, the Finnish duo finished 13th.

Hyundai Motorsport N-team's Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen's chances of competing for the win of the WRC2 class of the WRC Finland were crashed on Friday at the day's second to last special stage, where the front suspension of the Finnish duo’s Hyundai broke. Repairs on the transition section after the special stage did not bring any results, so the rally has to be left unfinished for Friday.

The front end, which was broken during Friday's evening maintenance, was rebuilt, and the Finnish duo returned to the rally on Saturday. During the day, the duo consistently clocked good times on special stages, being among the five fastest drivers. In the first four special stages of the morning, Lindholm drove to places 5–5–4–4 in the WRC2 class and after the afternoon service, in the same special stages, places 2–3–2–3.

On the final day of the rally on Sunday, Lindholm clocked three fastest times for the day's four special stages and was the fastest on the Wolf Power Stage, which ended the rally, scoring a full three World Championship points.

- A good ending for the rally, but the result was of course disappointing. We had some small heat problems in the last stage, but we got over them. We fought really well on Sunday. On Friday, the failure of the suspension and the fear of a flat tire at the Lankamaa 2 special stage were really the only problems that took up a lot of our time in this rally.

- Returning to the route on Saturday was important and useful for the development of our car. We got to try some silly things at times, so that we could find all the good sides of the different options. There was a brake problem in the morning, but it was fixed in day maintenance.

On the four special stages of the final day of the WRC Finland rally, Sunday, Lindholm clocked three fastest times and one second place.

- It was a good day for us. I don't know how hard the others drove, but everything worked fine for us. We also got good ideas about what we could do in the future, Lindholm said at the finish.

Lindholm and Hämäläinen's work at Hyundai will continue in the World Championship series in the fall. In which World Championship round? It will become clear later.

Results; WRC Secto Rally Finland WRC2-class:
1. Sami Pajari – Enni Mälkönen (FIN) Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 2:43:15.0
2. Adrien Fourmaux – Alexandre Coria (F) Ford Fiesta Rally2 + 33.8
3. Nikolai Gryazin – Konstantin Aleksandrov (ANA) Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 + 1:07.8
….
13. Emil Lindholm – Reeta Hämäläinen Hyundai i20 N Rally2 + 10:19.6

WRC2-class World Championship points:
1. Andreas Mikkelsen (N) Škoda 82
2. Yohan Rossel (F) Citroën 77
3. Sami Pajari (FIN) Škoda 71
4. Oliver Solberg (SWE) Škoda 64
5. Gus Greensmith (GB) Škoda 62
6. Emil Lindholm (FIN) Hyundai 62