Jyrkiäinen will take part in the Central European Rally, driving an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally3 with four-wheel drive. Her co-driver will be the experienced Antti Linnaketo, known for his previous role as Jari Huttunen’s navigator.
This opportunity arose after Jyrkiäinen competed in the international “The Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme” talent competition alongside thirteen other female drivers. She was selected as one of the top three, along with Belgian Lyssia Baudet and German Claire Schönborn. The prize for this achievement is a fully supported drive with M-Sport in the season’s penultimate WRC rally.
One of the drivers will receive a major reward: a spot in the JWRC category for next season.
“When I heard about this programme, I was encouraged from several directions to take part. Opportunities like this don’t come often, so I decided to apply. The selection event in Poland went by quickly. It was very intense, and we were constantly busy. It was a bit of a shock when I realized I’d actually be participating in a WRC rally,” Jyrkiäinen recalls.
Jyrkiäinen prepared for the rally both on the tarmac track at Pesämäki and at home.
“We did tests at Pesämäki with a Rally3 Ford Fiesta from Dogbox. We tried all sorts of things, weaving between cones, building various turns, chicanes, and, of course, driving at full speed. The four-wheel drive is fantastic—it’s a proper rally car. I got a good feel for it, but there’s still a lot to learn. The organizers also provided videos of upcoming stages, so I’ve been studying them at home,” Jyrkiäinen explains.
Co-driver Linnaketo has extensive experience in both domestic and international rallies and has previously read notes for drivers like Huttunen and Teemu Asunmaa.
“Antti taught me how to make pacenotes when I started my rally career two years ago. For this rally, besides the Pesämäki test day, we’ve also done some practice pacenoting in a civilian car and considered what adjustments we might need when driving on different roads compared to Finland,” Jyrkiäinen describes.
The week’s schedule is intense. Jyrkiäinen and Linnaketo flew to Germany on Sunday, conducted a test on Monday, do recceing on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then the rally kicks off on Thursday with two special stages. Jyrkiäinen’s circuit racing experience will be an advantage in this tarmac rally, which covers 18 stages and over 300 competitive kilometers. Her main goal is to reach the finish line.
“The primary goals are to finish, learn, and gain experience. It’s going to be a challenging rally, so even just finishing will be an accomplishment. I need to understand my limited experience and keep a cool head throughout the event. I don’t see my competitors as enemies; we’re all friends, even though we’re racing against each other,” Jyrkiäinen sums up.
The Central European Rally will take place from October 17 to 20 across Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
