Lauri Joona begins his campaign on the snow of Rally Sweden this week, and he won’t settle for anything less than the championship. It’s an extremely tough target, as WRC2 is known for its high level of competition. In the second tier of the WRC, Joona will go up against fellow Finns as well as the likes of Oliver Solberg, Andreas Mikkelsen, Nikolay Gryazin, Yohan Rossel, and many others.
However, Joona has already spent a couple of years competing in WRC2, meaning he has paid his dues.
“Testing is done, and experience has been gained. This year, I have to take the next step and push more towards the limit. That’s what it takes to fight at the top,” Joona told RallyJournal.com.
“Of course, the championship is the goal. We won’t settle for less. Naturally, it requires a lot of work, but we’ve tried to do the right things. As a realist, I’d be satisfied with a top-three finish, but winning remains the ultimate target.”
Last year, Joona secured third place in the WRC2 category at Rally Finland and Rally Portugal. His programme for this season is essentially the same. After Sweden, he is set to compete in Portugal, followed by likely outings in Sardinia, Estonia, Finland, and Greece.
“We managed to pick up better pace towards the end of last season, which gives me more confidence. This year, we’ll try to fight for the very top spots,” said the 2022 WRC3 champion.
“The calendar includes mostly the same rallies as before. Portugal is the first gravel event, and from there, it’s going to be a busy schedule. We’ll see if anything else gets added.”
For the 2025 season, Joona will switch to a new team. His Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 will now be maintained by the Italian outfit MS Munaretto.
“It was a combination of many factors. They seemed to have everything well organised. We took a closer look at how they operate, had positive discussions, and made the decision based on that, Joona explained.
“So far, everything has worked really well, and I have strong confidence in them.”
