A puncture on Saturday knocked the pair out of podium contention, and although they posted strong stage times on the final day, it didn’t change their position in the overall results. The effects of an eight-month break from competition were already visible on Friday’s opening stages, even though the Finnish duo was battling closely for third place in WRC2.
The biggest setback came on the third stage of Saturday in the form of a puncture, which cost them more than a minute and effectively ended their fight for a podium spot.
The Finns made a final push for fifth place on Sunday, but the opening stage of the day quickly revealed that a 30-second gap would be impossible to close on these roads. On top of that, co-driver Hämäläinen had been battling illness and fever – and by the finish, she had completely lost her voice.
“We came here to fight for a podium, and on Sunday we were aiming for fifth, but those targets turned out to be optimistic. The puncture was tough to swallow, but that’s how it goes. Sunday went quite well for us, but on these roads it’s hard to make up time. Reeta pushed through her illness, saved her voice, and we made it safely to the finish,” Lindholm said.
“Our pre-event test went well, but I quickly realised in the rally that I haven’t competed in eight months. The long break really showed in my driving, and I didn’t have the level of confidence needed to run at the front. That final edge was missing.”
Lindholm said he had been eagerly looking forward to the season’s start, and that Rally Islas Canarias lived up to its billing as a proper WRC event.
“It was really great to rally here. Our car worked perfectly. A pure asphalt event belongs in the WRC calendar, and here we got to experience just that. Beautiful, smooth roads and a great location. A welcome addition to the championship.”
Lindholm and Hämäläinen will next compete for WRC points on gravel at Rally Sardinia in Italy, held 5–8 June.
“We take away a good feeling from this trip. Huge thanks to our team Toksport WRT, who worked with real professionalism and gave me confidence. Equally big thanks to our supporters, whose help allows us to compete in the WRC2 series. And a special thanks to our gravel crew, Axel Lindholm and Samu Vaaler, for their excellent work and information. This is a good place to continue the season as we head into the gravel rallies,” Lindholm noted.
Victory in the WRC2 class went to one of the favourites, French asphalt specialist Yohan Rossel. Home driver Alejandro Cachón finished 29.5 seconds behind. Nikolay Gryazin, competing under the Bulgarian flag, completed the podium in third.
WRC2 results – Rally Islas Canarias:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Yohan Rossel | Citroen | 3:01:50.5 |
| 2. | Alejandro Cachon | Toyota | +29.5 |
| 3. | Nikolay Gryazin | Skoda | +47.7 |
| 4. | Efren Llarena | Citroen | +2:03.5 |
| 5. | Diego Ruiloba | Citroen | +2:11.4 |
| 6. | Emil Lindholm | Skoda | +2:35.6 |
| 7. | Roberto Dabra | Skoda | +2:58.0 |
| 8. | Jan Cerny | Citroen | +5:11.0 |
