Lindholm and co-driver Reeta Hämäläinen won the WRC2 title in 2022, but their adventure in Hyundai’s Rally2 project bore no fruit and did not deliver the hoped-for opportunity in the top category with a Rally1 car.
For this season, the Finnish duo returned to Skoda machinery, but the results have not been as desired. In the Canary Islands in April, Lindholm finished sixth, and in Rally Sardinia he retired from the lead after going off the road. In Greece in June, the Finn finished seventh, and on his home roads at the beginning of August he was fourth.
The Finns’ season continues this weekend in Chile. Breaks between rallies have been long both this year and especially since the last event of 2023, which took place in the summer.
“It is clear that this has not been easy. Already before Rally Islas Canarias we had an eight-month break since I last competed. No matter what sport it is, you feel the difference. If you take a basketball player out of training for eight months, you will definitely notice it, Lindholm told RallyJournal.com.
“This is the situation now. Of course, we do our best every time, but it is not easy.”
The lack of routine and success in the World Championship is almost an impossible equation. These days, even the top WRC2 drivers compete so often that there is no room to give away an advantage in experience.
“We’ve had the pace, but the whole package has to work. Routine is needed so that the pace notes and everything else are in order. That has been missing from us, but we are trying,” Lindholm explained.
In the upcoming Chilean round, the Finnish driver is aiming for a podium. Oliver Solberg is the clear favourite, but among the other contenders are Yohan Rossel, Gus Greensmith and Nikolay Gryazin.
“It’s a nice rally for a Finnish driver, because the roads are similar to home conditions, even if it’s on the other side of the world. The roads are usually in good condition, but tyre wear always plays a big role. We’ll see how the Hankook tyres hold up. In that sense, it’s not an easy rally,” Lindholm summed up.
“It would be nice to reach the top three. Of course, we’ll do our best, but perhaps a realistic target is to be among the top three.”
