The sixth WRC round of the season was run on a tighter schedule than usual. One day was cut from the traditional race week schedule, and all 16 special stages were driven within 48 hours.
Competing in the TGS Motorsport team with a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 car, Joona headed to the Italian gravel stages after a good test day. On the opening day, Friday, four special stages were driven after the shakedown. By the end of the day, the he was eighth on the WRC2 standings. Joona, who rose to sixth at best, eventually settled into seventh place, which he maintained until the end of the rally.
“The event was a basic, steady performance, but we certainly cannot be satisfied with the speed we achieved. The roads in Sardinia are very challenging, and finding the rhythm was difficult. The car’s balance was also a bit off. Saturday was a tough day as we drove the equivalent of a full national rally in one day without service,” Joona summarized.
“We haven’t forgotten our positive attitude, and we will continue with that. We gained knowledge in this event on how to drive in such conditions. We finished without any major technical issues,” Joona continued.
The WRC2 class also saw a high dropout rate due to the harsh conditions in Sardinia, causing many technical faults and punctures. Joona managed without major issues but was left wanting more.
“It wasn’t a bad race by any means, but we can’t be fully satisfied with the position or the pace. From here, we head towards the next event with more speed. A big thank you to the team, all the supporters, and our partners.”
Sami Pajari won the WRC2 class, with Yohan Rossel finishing second and Jan Solans third. In the WRC2 Challenger series, Joona was sixth.
The next WRC round will be held in Poland during the last week of June.
