KMS Racing with a four-car line-up to Jyväskylä

01.03.2023 / KMS Racing Press

KMS Racing is competing in the third round of the Finnish Rally Championship with four cars. In the two-wheel drive FRC3 category alongside Daniel Polasek and Joonas Ojala is Nico Valkonen. In the FRC2 category of Rally3 cars, Ville Laakso will be piloting a Ford Fiesta Rally3.

The official M-Sport Partner in Finland, KMS Racing, heads to the winter season-ending rally of SM Jyväskylän Talviralli with a four-car line-up. The Finnish team fields three Ford Fiesta Rally4s in FRC3 category as well as one Ford Fiesta Rally3 in FRC2 category.

Nico Valkonen is seen as a new driver, competing in his career-second FRC event. The 24-year-old has multiple category wins from national F-Cup along other national rally series behind the wheel of a VW Golf for example. Last time Valkonen competed in FRC at the Arctic Lapland Rally in 2020.

-I’m looking forward to Jyväskylä. Opportunity such as this is a big one for me, so I’m putting all in for this event. We’re aiming for victory, Valkonen says.

Making his four-wheel-drive debut in Jyväskylä is Ville Laakso. Best known behind the wheel of a BMW M3, Laakso is competing with Ford Fiesta Rally3 in FRC2 category. As well as his first event with a four-wheel-drive car, it’s a career-first FRC event for Laakso.

-We’ve feeling good about Jyväskylä, and the route seems to be really good. Our goals for placement are a bit reserved, as this is our first rally with four-wheel-drive. We’ve had the opportunity to drive some tests, and the car feels amazing! I bought a pair of new driving gloves to see if they’d bring me a bit more pace, Laakso laughs.

KMS Racing’s Czech youngster Daniel Polášek is ending his career-first snow rally season in Jyväskylä. Czech driver’s goal for Jyväskylä is to improve further on snow after improving after every rally this season so far.

-We are very excited for the stages in Jyväskylä. The stages will be challenging and fast. We want to gain maximum experience from there for future development in my career, says  Polášek.

The youngest driver of the line-up, 16-year-old Joonas Ojala goes to Jyväskylä after two solid test rallies earlier last month.

-The route is bound to be nice. We drove a test rally last weekend near Jyväskylä, and got good touch for the upcoming rally. We have two solid test rallies behind us, so we are aiming to continue the same performance in Jyväskylä, Ojala tells.

KMS Racing Team Principal Jussi Kumpumäki gives a warm welcome to the new drivers. Whilst visiting Jyväskylä during WRC events, Kumpumäki is anticipating the snowy scenery and stages of the Jyväskylä region.

-I wish a warm welcome to Nico and Ville to our team! I’m looking forward to the placements this rally. It’s nice to visit Jyväskylä during winter. For our drivers’, it is surely a really good rally, and the route seems to be great. It’s a good ending for the winter season of FRC.

SM Jyväskylän Talviralli is contested on the 3rd and 4th of March in Jyväskylä. The two-day event consists of seven stages and 88,02 special stage kilometres. The rally is livestreamed to Moottoriurheilu.tv’s YouTube channel.

SM Jyväskylän Talviralli’s schedule:

Friday 3.3. – 2,00 km

Saturday 4.3. – 86,02 km

Photo: Merita Mäkinen