Vatanen leading the ERC3 standings going into Poland as KMS Racing sets out for another strong result
Finnish team KMS Racing arrives with two Ford Fiesta Rally3s to compete in the ERC3 category of ERC Rally Poland. The team’s two young talents, Ville Vatanen and Craig Rahill, both have one victory on their belts, and are hungry for a second.
Finnish rally team KMS Racing continues their ERC season with a two-car line-up full of young talent as the European Championship arrives to Poland for round 4. The team has a strong foundation to build upon in Poland, as the team has scored a 1-2 finish in the two previous rounds of the ERC. Finn Ville Vatanen took his maiden ERC3 win in Sweden, whilst the Irishman Craig Rahill took the top honors for the first time in Rome.
Vatanen leading the ERC3 standings into Poland
The 19-year-old Vatanen and co-driver Joonas Ojala head into Poland in the lead of both ERC3 and M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy. After a P2 in Italy, the pair sets out for a maiden win on asphalt.
-Based on incar footage, the roads seem quite different to what I’m used to. It’s going to be a fast route as well, but with more hard brakings and junctions as well as more narrow roads than in Italy. If there roads get dirty, it fits me better. Of course we are looking for a win, and I’m sure the fight will be tough, Vatanen said.
Rahill to build upon the Rome momentum
The fresh ERC3 winner, Craig Rahill and co-driver Conor Smith, aim to continue in Poland where they left off in Italy. The narrow and fast asphalt roads have some resemblance to the 22-year old’s home country’s narrow roads.
-I’m looking forward to Poland this weekend. The stage characteristics are very different from Rome, with higher speeds and narrower roads with a lot of junctions. Quite similar to back home in some ways, so we’ll be looking for a strong result again this weekend. No doubt it’ll be a tough battle with all the lads in the class, Rahill said.
KMS Racing aims to continue the strong results
Two 1-2 results in a row in the ERC3 category with Ford Fiesta Rally3 machinery are a telltale sign of high performance from the team’s side. KMS Racing Team Principal Jussi Kumpumäki believes the young talents of the team to achieve strong results on the Polish asphalt.
-The pre-event tests were successful, and I believe our drivers will be evenly matched here in the same way as in Italy. As a team, our aim is to continue the strong results seen in Sweden and Italy, Kumpumäki said.
ERC Rally Poland is held in Chorzow and surrounding regions from 24th to 26th of July. The event consists of 15 special stages and 187,60 special stage kilometres. The rally is shown live via Rally.tv.
Standings – ERC3 Round 4/7:
1.Ville Vatanen (FIN) 67 Ford
2. Lucas Zielinski (FRA) 66 Renault
3. Casey Jay Coleman (IRL) 62 Ford
4. Craig Rahill (IRL) 54 Ford
5. Petr Kacirek (CZH) 53 Ford
Standings – M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy Round 3/5:
1.Ville Vatanen (FIN) 71
2. Casey Jay Coleman (IRL) 70
3. Petr Kacirek (IRL) 59
4. Craig Rahill (IRL) 54
5. Kalum Graffin (IRL) 54
Photo: Hannu Rainamo
