Korhonen’s team Rautio Motorsport confirmed on Thursday that the Finnish pair will take part in the final round of the season, Rally Saudi Arabia. The crew have a chance to secure third place in the WRC2 championship.
This year, Korhonen has taken one class win with his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, triumphing on home soil at Rally Finland after a fierce battle with Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala.
The Laukaa-based driver also has two further podiums to his name: second place in Sweden and third in Estonia.
Oliver Solberg has already clinched the WRC2 title, with Yohan Rossel confirmed as runner-up. Korhonen currently sits third in the standings, though several other drivers still have mathematical chances of snatching the final podium place.
The entry list for the inaugural Rally Saudi Arabia will be published on Friday, revealing who Korhonen will battle for the WRC2 bronze medal.
Korhonen’s car in the season finale will be run by the Sports Racing Technologies team, which he already knows well from his European Championship outings this year.
“We’re once again facing something completely new, but the only goal is to win. We’ve done it once before, so there’s no reason to lower our targets. Of course, we need to drive wisely and keep the championship fight in mind,” Korhonen said.
“This is a big effort for Rautio Motorsport, and I have to be grateful to Markku (Rautio) and all our partners for helping us put the package together for our first overseas event.”
Earlier in October, Korhonen competed in a rally in Granada, Spain, to keep his rhythm sharp and partly prepare for the season finale.
“We were invited to the Granada rally and managed to win it, even though the event itself was a bit tricky. On the first stage we overshot a junction, but after that the driving started to flow. Unfortunately, the main fight ended early when Mikko Heikkilä had to retire,” Korhonen summed up.
Rally Saudi Arabia will take place from 26–29 November. Before that, the WRC continues next week with Rally Japan.
