Rally driver Emil Lindholm from Ingå and map reader Reeta Hämäläinen will open the season in the Swedish WC rally next week. The reigning world champion in the WRC2 class also has a rally in Qatar dotted in the competition calendar.
The 2022 season ended with a party for Inaugural driver Emil Lindholm and map reader Reeta Hämäläinen. They won the world championship in the WRC2 class, a championship they will defend this year.
Lindholm opens the season in the Swedish WC rally (9-12.2).
– Considering how last year ended, our expectations are quite high. But, it is perhaps good to be realistic and remember how it went last year in the Swedish WC rally, Lindholm chuckles.
He refers to the run-off the crew encountered already during the second special stage of the rally. Lindholm still drove the rally to the end and came 32nd.
During the rest of the season, things went much better for Lindholm – Hämäläinen.
– A place on the podium is what we are aiming for now.
Rally driver Emil Lindholm from Ingå is ready for the season premiere. Archive image.
Photo: Tomi Hänninen
Emil Lindholm
The objective for the season is to renew the WC title.
– It will not be an easy thing to do. If we are smart and drive reasonably well, it should be possible, Lindholm speculates.
Lindholm will participate in at least seven World Cup events this season as participants receive points from seven events. However, he opts out of the rally’s FM series, which he has participated in for five seasons.
– We think that the FM series does not give much in view of the WC series and we want to invest everything there.
The week after the WC rally in Sweden, Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen participate in a rally in Qatar. That rally is part of the International Motor Sports Federation’s Middle East Championship Series.
– We were offered an opportunity to drive the rally and considering that we will participate in the WC rally in Mexico in March, we thought it could work as training.
Reeta Hämäläinen believes that by participating in the rally in Qatar she can make an impact. Archive image.
Photo: HANNU RAINAMO
Emil Lindholm, rally, Rally WC, racing driver, map reader
Lindholm and Hämäläinen pondered for a long time how ethical it is to drive a rally in Qatar, a country where human rights are not valued very much. Boycotting the rally doesn’t make much of a difference, both Lindholm and Hämäläinen think.
– Reeta in particular thought that in the car she could show how we in Finland support gender equality. Instead of not participating, we can try to do something from within instead, says Emil Lindholm.
The rally in Qatar takes place February 16–18.
You can find the calendar for the sub-competitions in the World Rally Championship here.
