Lindholm last competed in the WRC2 category at Rally Finland in August last year. Since then, he has switched from a Hyundai Rally2 car back to a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 – the same car he last raced in summer 2023.
This weekend, Lindholm carried out a test with the Škoda on the island of Gran Canaria, where the WRC will stage a round for the first time next week. During the test, Lindholm found himself in an unusual type of interview when RallyJournal.com’s “special correspondent”, preschooler Pinja, posed some sharp questions to the Finnish driver.
The session began with Lindholm politely asking how his young interviewer was doing, but Pinja was quick to move on to the main point.
“So, what are your expectations for this Rally Islas Canarias?” she began.
“It’s been a long break since the last rally. We calculated that it’s been about eight months since our last competitive outing,” Lindholm replied
“So we’re really looking forward to this one. It’s a great rally – beautiful roads, and they have a really nice character to them. We’ve got a great car too, so let’s see where we are on Sunday.”
The next question had Lindholm thinking a little longer.
“Who are your toughest opponents?”
“That’s actually a good question,” Lindholm said, pausing briefly.
“There are quite a few – that’s for sure. The WRC2 category is very strong, as it has been for several years now. I’d say especially the Frenchman (Yohan) Rossel will be tough to beat in the Citroën. Then there’s also my teammate, who’s been very quick – as we saw in the ERC,” Lindholm added, referring to Nikolay Gryazin, who claimed victory at the opening round of the European Rally Championship in early April.
“There are many strong opponents out there, but we’ll try to be in the mix with them.”
Rally Islas Canarias will take place from 24 to 27 April.
