Grönholm achieved his first podium finish in the Finnish Rally Championship, securing second place at the Tuuri Rally a week ago. With the winter season of the Finnish Rally Championship wrapped up in Tuuri, Grönholm has the opportunity to compete in all the summer season races.
“It now looks like, with rallycross starting only in July, I could possibly participate in all the Finnish Rally Championship races if I want to. I don’t really know what the plan is yet. Of course, we have partners we’ve agreed to race with, but time will tell,” Grönholm tells RallyJournal.com.
“Rallycross is still the main sport, and if there are any conflicts, it always takes precedence. This won’t be the last rally championship race for me, though.”
The World Rallycross Championship last season was quite a flop. There were few participants in the main class, and when the car of the Special One Racing team, competing with Lancias, caused a massive fire in the service area at Lydden Hill in the UK in July, the rest of the year was run with second-tier cars.
The World Rallycross Championship’s race calendar was recently announced, but otherwise, core figures in the sport, like Grönholm, have been unclear about the future.
“I’ve personally been quite in the dark. Apparently, there’s now a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, and cars are slowly being modified and batteries changed to also accommodate electric vehicles. I don’t know anything more than that. I’m as in the dark as everyone else,” Grönholm summarizes.
Grönholm’s team announced last week that the Finnish driver will continue with the Swedish CE Dealer Team. Despite everything, Grönholm is confident that the championship will proceed with electric competitors in July.
“There are many variables, but everyone behind the scenes, including our team, is working hard to move things forward and ensure we can definitely race in Höljes in July,” Grönholm says.
“I’m not worried. From what I’ve heard, there’s a positive vibe surrounding the series. It’s a pity, though, that the season starts so late. It’s going to be quite a crunch in just a few months. We’ll wait and see what happens. I’m really looking forward to racing there too.”
