3 out of 3 for KMS Racing as Vatanen takes his maiden asphalt win in ERC
KMS Racing has won the Rally Poland with Ville Vatanen. The young Finn took his maiden international level win on asphalt, and leads the championship by 11 points. Craig Rahill’s promising event was unfortunately cut short on Saturday, but the Irishman aims to bounce back from the setback.
Finnish rally team KMS Racing has scored their third win of the season in the ERC3 category of the European Rally Championship. The fourth round of the championship, Rally Poland, saw 19-year-old Finn Ville Vatanen take his maiden win on asphalt. Misfortune was present during the weekend as well, as the Irishman Craig Rahill was forced to retire during the second day of competition.
Vatanen made a mark
Vatanen and co-driver Joonas Ojala started the event off with third place after two competitive days in the twisty and narrow roads of Poland. The young Finn overcame the difficulties of the event on Sunday however, taking home his second win of the season. The win also marked the first time Vatanen triumphed on asphalt, and strengthens the Finn’s title chase.
-It’s an amazing feeling, hard to comprehend what we’ve achieved. It was a tough rally with a demanding route with new type of stages, so a weekend of learning for us as well. We were able to keep it clean without mistakes.
-It’s a relief after the first win, and also we know that we are going in the right direction with our asphalt driving learning. We didn’t quite match the fastest Polish driver in our category, but the stage times were competitive all the time. Big thanks to the team for an amazing job, my partners who made this possible, my family, and of course my co-driver Joonas. The cooperation inside the car is flawless and we are having fun and that’s what it’s all about – no need to push too seriously all the time, Vatanen said.
Rahill to bounce back from Poland
After his maiden ERC win last time out in Italy, Craig Rahill and co-driver Conor Smith set out to continue their winning ways. The pair started strongly by winning the SS1 on Friday evening, but the narrow roads of Poland caught the 22-year-old off guard on Saturday. Contact with a bridge after a spin forced the Irishman to retire from the event.
-We had a goal this morning to come out and find a good rhythm. We did, and our pace was good, but towards the end of SS2 we got caught out over a bridge and hit loose with the rear and unfortunately spun out and hit a concrete bridge. Thanks to spectators, we were back on our wheels in 15 seconds and we finished the stage and the next, but after checking the car in service we couldn’t continue.
-I’m sorry to the whole team and the Motorsport Ireland Academy. I’m doing what I love competing on these events, and these are the low times but it’s all about how we bounce back. One thing about rally is that you have to be able to reset and go again, Rahill said.
Success streak to be continued in Czechia
KMS Racing team has proved its winning ways in the ERC3 category with the two promising young talents. KMS Team Principal Jussi Kumpumäki aims to continue the teams’ winning ways in the remaining ERC events of the year, with the team fielding two cars again in the next round of ERC in Barum Czech Rally Zlin.
ERC Rally Poland results – ERC3
1.Ville Vatanen (FIN) 1:44:15,2 Ford
2. Casey Jay Coleman (IRL) +1:21,2 Ford
3. Kalum Graffin (IRL) +1:26,9 Ford
4. Petr Kacirek (CZE) +1:29,4 Ford
5. Igor Widlak (POL) +3:45,2 Ford
ERC3 standings rounds 4/7:
1. Ville Vatanen (FIN) 97 Ford
2. Casey Jay Coleman (IRL) 86 Ford
3. Petr Kacirek (CZE) 72 Ford
4. Lucas Zielinski (FRA) 66 Renault
5. Kalum Graffin (IRL) 64 Ford
6. Craig Rahill (IRL) 54 Ford
M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 Trophy standings round 4/5:
1. Ville Vatanen (FIN) 101 Ford
2. Casey Jay Coleman (IRL) 94 Ford
3. Petr Kacirek (CZE) 78 Ford
4. Kalum Graffin (IRL) 75 Ford
5. Craig Rahill (IRL) 54 Ford
