Although it’s been over a month since Rally Finland, Lindholm, who competes for Hyundai’s WRC2 team, has kept busy. He has been testing Rally1 cars at Hyundai Motorsport’s headquarters near Frankfurt on multiple occasions, carrying out roll-out tests where the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 cars are prepared and inspected before they are sent out for upcoming rallies.
Lindholm’s first test was back in April, and the workload in Germany has significantly increased over the summer and early autumn. This information had not previously been made public.
Lindholm is grateful to Hyundai for the opportunity to drive and familiarise himself with the Rally1 car and its technology. The differences from a Rally2 car are easy to point out.
“The car’s powertrain, the engine, and the hybrid together are the biggest differences from the Rally2 car. With more than twice the power, there’s a lot more to handle in the cockpit as well,” Lindholm summarised.
The roll-out tests, driven in a race-like manner, are performed on closed tarmac roads near the team’s headquarters.
“The cars are driven as hard as possible to make sure everything is tested. Even auxiliary functions, from the heater to the windshield wipers, are tested. If the car isn’t prepared for competition conditions, any potential issues wouldn’t show up in testing. That’s what’s great about this job – every Rally1 car test involves proper driving,” Lindholm noted.
Lindholm feels that the opportunity provided by Hyundai gives him crucial experience with top-level rally cars. He’s made it a point to take full advantage of every test.
“I’ve been able to maintain my driving routine and feel for the car almost weekly, which is great. Gaining experience with the hybrid system and learning how to use it is important, now that I know how to brake a Rally1 car and when or where to accelerate out of a corner. When the hybrid boost kicks in, with its extra hundred or so horsepower, it has a surprisingly big impact on driving. You need to account for the boost already in the middle of the corner and adjust your driving line to match the extra power.”
“The aerodynamic grip of the Rally1 car is also incredible, almost defying logic; the faster you go, the more stable the car becomes,” Lindholm described.
Emil Lindholm has competed in the WRC2 category of the World Rally Championship this season, driving Hyundai’s Rally2 car. The season has been challenging for the Finnish driver, as he has only scored points twice in the category and has retired from three events. Hyundai’s Rally2 car has not been particularly competitive in the WRC2 category this year.
Lindholm, 28, won the WRC2 championship in the 2022 season. Regular testing of the Rally1 car is a new feather in the Finnish driver’s cap, but he cautions against reading too much into it.
“The project doesn’t mean competing in a Rally1 car,” Lindholm emphasises.
