WRC2 class was dominated by Sweden’s Oliver Solberg, but following him was a line-up of Finns.
Sami Pajari was the fastest Finn in the second class and also the fastest Toyota driver in the WRC2 class in Rally Sweden. He was followed by Estonia’s Georg Linnamäe and Korhonen. Korhonen’s final position was eighth in the overall competition and fourth in the WRC2 class.
“We ended up on the positive side, I think. What bothered me from yesterday (Saturday) was that we destroyed the tires too much and then fell behind the pace of Pajari and Linnamäe. That created too much of a gap, and we couldn’t catch up anymore,” Korhonen summarized.
Korhonen, who won the opening of the Rally SM series in Riihimäki, competed for the second time in Toyota’s new Rally2 car. He had gained experience with the car in the Arctic Rally. Competing under the colors of Rautio Motorsport, the Finn was satisfied with one particular aspect of Rally Sweden.
“We were able to challenge those more experienced guys well, and we didn’t mess up anything. It was a good rally,” Korhonen summarized.
Having driven the new Toyota for the first time in the Arctic Rally, Korhonen is getting more accustomed to the car.
“It feels really good now, and I have confidence in it. Of course, we still need to try some small things, but it feels really good,” Korhonen praised.
Korhonen gave a promising display of his driving skills in Sweden. However, he wasn’t completely satisfied.
“If someone had told me before the rally that we would finish fourth, I would have been quite happy with that. But then, on Saturday, it was a bit disheartening to see that we were falling behind, Korhonen said.
The conditions in the Rally Sweden were sometimes very extreme, and the tires wore out quickly. The rapid melting of the tires was something Korhonen, who drove a Ford Fiesta in the WRC3 class in Sweden last year, had not experienced before.
“Maybe it was a bit of a new experience. Last year with the Fiesta, we didn’t have to think about things like that. We never had to save tires in the SM series, so in that sense, it was something new. I didn’t think about it as well as I should have,” Korhonen admitted frankly.
Next events already known
Korhonen’s next WRC rallies have not yet been finalized, but the Finn could already say something about his upcoming program.
“As of now, Portugal and Sardinia are the next WRC rallies. Then, of course, we will compete in the SM series in Finland. Tuuri is still left for the winter SM races. But let’s see what WRC rallies we can get for the summer,” Korhonen shared.
Korhonen will be a step more prepared for the next WRC events.
“This was a really good experience, and we took all the kilometers we could from here, especially from the WRC2 level. The car gained a lot more confidence over the weekend, so it was a good thing in that sense,” Korhonen concluded.
