Grönholm tested the new car last weekend and is ready for the third event of the season. Sitting beside Grönholm in the SM Tuuri Ralli will be the two-time World Rally Champion Timo Rautiainen, who previously co-drove for Niclas’s father, Marcus Grönholm.
Grönholm was pleased with the performance and handling of Skoda’s latest Rally2 car during the test.
“The latest Skoda is in every way a better rally car than its predecessor. Development has advanced. The car is quite different in many respects compared to the old one. Whether the new car suits me right away remains to be seen,” Grönholm states.
“But as these projects of mine tend to be left until the last minute, I hope that I can get to drive the car once more for a practice session on Thursday, which is needed,” Grönholm reminds.
Grönholm was also impressed by Skoda’s new engine.
“The engine is really impressive, a clear difference from the old car. I’ve had a different co-driver in every rally this year, and now the car has changed too. We aim for a solid performance, though the rally will likely be a learning experience. We’ll do our best and see where that gets us,” Grönholm continues.
Timo Rautiainen, who will co-drive for Niclas Grönholm, has only a single test run of experience with the new car. The legendary co-driver was last seen at the Finnish Rally Championship level with Formula 1 star Valtteri Bottas in Arctic Lapland Rally from 2019-21.
“I had to learn the new pace notes. After ‘Bosse’ (Marcus Grönholm), I only sat with Valtteri three times in the Arctic, no one else, so there’s a learning curve with the current pace notes. I’ve never used the so-called modern note system before,” Rautiainen admits.
“I tried reading Nippe’s (Niclas Grönholm) notes once during the test, and they were logical compared to the old ones. Bosse asked me three times to join Nippe, and I found excuses each time. When the fourth request came, I couldn’t say no anymore.”
Rautiainen notes that it’s important for Niclas to find a regular co-driver.
“Three rallies, three different co-drivers. Niclas needs to find a consistent partner to develop the pace notes together. With varied instructions, there’s too much inconsistency. In Tuuri, I won’t give any advice unless I notice a clear error in driving or note interpretation,” Rautiainen promises.
