Korhonen, who represents Rautio Motorsport, is currently only seventh in the WRC2 standings – but none of the drivers ahead of him in the points are competing for championship points in Estonia.
This makes Korhonen one of the favourites in the class. However, the competition is fierce: the entry list includes the likes of Nikolay Gryazin, Lauri Joona, Mikko Heikkilä, Romet Jürgenson, and Robert Virves.
This will be Korhonen’s fourth WRC appearance of the season. He finished second in class at Rally Sweden, fourth in Portugal, and retired once in Sardinia.
“This season we’ve clearly shown good pace and achieved solid results, but there’s still room for improvement. Consistency is the main area we need to develop,” Korhonen says.
“Even though we’ve been able to set fastest times on occasion, that alone isn’t enough. If you want to win, you have to get through the rally from start to finish without mistakes,” he continues.
Ahead of the event, Korhonen tested on Estonian gravel to fine-tune the car’s setup for the fast-paced rally.
“We got to drive in quite varied conditions, which is actually a very good thing in terms of preparation. We’ve competed twice before in Estonia with a Rally3 car, and those events left us with great memories,” Korhonen notes.
“I really like the special stages in Estonia – they definitely suit us. However, our pace note system has evolved so much that we’re not relying on old notes, even if some stages are familiar.”
Korhonen acknowledges that the level of competition in WRC2 remains high in Estonia, even though championship leader Oliver Solberg is competing in the top category this time. But the Finn has set his sights high.
“The conditions are much more favourable for us now compared to rallies like Portugal and Sardinia. A podium is the minimum target, but if everything goes right, this could be a rally where we’re fighting for the win,” Korhonen declares.
Korhonen’s teammate Tuukka Kauppinen is making his second WRC2 start of the season. After a disappointing Rally Sweden, he’s aiming for a more positive performance this time.
“Once again, it’s a new country for me – I’ve never competed here before, so there’s a lot to learn. Hopefully we can build good confidence in the car during the test and get into the right rhythm. The main goal is to gain as much experience as possible, but we also want to show what we can do,” Kauppinen says.
Rally Estonia gets underway on Thursday with a morning shakedown and a short spectator stage in the evening.
