Last season, Grönholm finished second overall in the World Rallycross Championship. In previous years, he has used rallying and the Finnish Rally Championship to maintain his driving sharpness, but this year the Finnish based driver’s focus shifts away from rallycross.
“Rallycross is done for now. I’m putting my full focus into rallying,” Grönholm revealed.
This season, Grönholm will once again contest the Finnish Rally Championship in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. His co-driver will be Samu Vaaleri, as was the case last year.
Grönholm’s new car arrived at the team before Christmas. The FRC season gets under way on Saturday in Mikkeli.
“As always before the season, things tend to come together at the last minute, but preparation has gone according to plan. Around the turn of the year, we were able to complete a test and try MRF’s studded tyres. We didn’t do a lot of mileage, but the work was more focused and higher quality than in previous years,” he said.
Grönholm admits that heading into the season has been easier with rallycross no longer dominating his thoughts.
“Right now, the start of the season hasn’t felt very different compared to previous years, but I believe the difference will become clear after the Arctic Lapland Rally. From February onwards, there will be significantly more time to fully concentrate on rallying than before.”
“The calendar includes pacenote training, among other things, because the most challenging aspect of rallying for me has been note-taking and finding my own scale and rhythm. That work is still ongoing,” Grönholm admitted.
The opening round of the season, the Mikkeli Rally, will feature a total of seven special stages. Grönholm is aiming for a strong result.
“In Mikkeli, you can’t afford to sit back. You have to push hard straight away. If I can add a small step of pace compared to last year, I’ll be satisfied,” Grönholm stated.
“When it comes to tyres or the car, success won’t depend on the equipment on any surface. We have a good car, a good co-driver and good tyres, so I’m heading to Mikkeli with confidence.”
