Lindholm aiming for five extra points from Kouvola
The Finnish Rally Championship series will continue after a six-month break next weekend in Kouvola. GRX team’s Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen, with TGS Worldwide's Škoda, are aiming to lay good groundwork in the second to last rally of the season. The decisive last rally, which will determine the Finnish Championship, will be driven in Seinäjoki.
The Finnish Rally Championship series will return from a six-month break to real action next weekend in Kouvola. Lindholm, who won two FRC rallies in the winter season, will go to Kouvola tied neck and neck with the SM1-class’ reigning Finnish Champion Teemu Asunmaa.
“It’s an interesting time to start the summer season when the summer is over for us in September. I look forward for the upcoming rally. When one rally being left out of the final season points we have an opportunity to increase our total score by five points in Kouvola. We will be battling for the championship in the last rally of the series in Seinäjoki but of course all of the points are always important and they can also be crucial”, Lindholm reminds.
Lindholm says there are always nice routes in the Kouvola region, which are challenging to drive.
“A year ago I missed the Kouvola rally due to the Swedish World Rally Championship competition but in the summer of 2018 I drove the rally. Driving is always fun and that’s what it is in Kouvola, where they have good rally roads with a lot of altitude differences and good surfaces. I can mostly use higher gears behind the wheel”, Lindholm says.
During July-August Lindholm drove a few international rallies abroad and tested for the upcoming rally last Sunday.
“I've driven a few rallies abroad and it will help in preparing for the competition. In tests the TGS Worldwide’s Škoda felt great. We have clearly improved the performance of our car. TGS has done an extremely good job and my car feels really good. We go to Kouvola with confident minds. Rally Kouvola is our team manager (TGS Worldwide) Toni Gardemeister's home rally and we will try to drive a result that Toni can show his face there afterwards”, Lindholm smiles.
The first rally of the summer, and at the same time the second last rally of the season, The Finnish Rally Championship O.K. Auto rally will start on Saturday, September 5th from Kouvola at 10:01. The program of the day has seven special stages with a total length of 106.36 km. The first competitors are expected to the finish line at Sokos Hotel Vaakuna Kouvola starting from 5:30 p.m.
SM1-class SM-points 3/5 competitions:
1. Emil Lindholm Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 70
2. Teemu Asunmaa Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 70
3. Eerik Pietarinen Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 35
Picture: GRX Team
