A young promise will get a WRC3 car for Neste Oil Rally Finland
There is a lot at stake in SM3 early in the season. The cars are R1 and R2 cars with international homologation, and this class is especially attractive to promising young rally drivers. What makes it even more interesting is the prize sponsored by AKK Sports Ltd: a WRC3 car for the Finnish round of the FIA World Rally Championship with a budget for both testing and the actual rally at the end of July. SM3 drivers who are 25 years or younger are competing for the prize in the first four FRC rallies.
In June the top five young drivers will be invited to tests where the winner will be chosen. The tests will be monitored by a jury consisting of experts in performance sports, and the competitors will be tested in many ways for their speed, condition, motivation and media ability. It is a quest for future stars.
After the first round, the drivers in the top five of SM3 now eligible for the prize are Samuli Vuorisalo, Henri Haapamäki, Henri Kolsi, and Max Vatanen. It is traditionally a tight battle and things tend to happen to young drivers, especially in the difficult opening event, which was the Arctic Lapland Rally. There are many truly promising drivers just below the line so the top five must do their best to hold on to their chance of a lifetime. Mikkeli is the second event in this prize contest and the next one will be in Joensuu in March. The decisive event will take place in Lapua in June.
