GRONHOLM TO RETURN TO COMPETITION IN RX LEGENDS RACE
World champion set for Sweden outing in one of his team’s Hyundai supercars
Two-time World Rally champion Marcus Gronholm will return to competitive action next month in a Legends Race at the Rallyx Nordic season-opener at Holjes in Sweden.
He will compete against other former drivers with a Hyundai i20 Supercar run by his GRX Taneco squad, sharing the car with son Niclas, who will prepare for the upcoming World Rallycross Championship. Gronholm Sr conducted early test mileage in the GRX Hyundai, but hasn’t driven it much since 2018.
Gronholm told Motorsport News: “Last year I was driving a little, not so much at all so I don’t have so much experience, but in 2018 I did a few tests.
“These cars are so much easier to drive than they used to be, but of course if you want to be fast then you need to test more. But, it’s not so difficult to just jump into the car. I’ve been doing some rally car testing, so I think the feeling is there.”
While the legends event, held within the four-day race weekend, is expected to include names like fellow EX-WRC contender Henning Solberg and former European rallycross regular Andreas Eriksson, Gronholm says he will drive only for fun.
“I had promised my wife not to run anything [again] so I had big problems to tell [her] that
I’m going to drive,” he added. “But I’m not going there to do any comeback, it’s more for fun. I’m going to drive as fast as I can, but I’m not having any stress at all.”
Gronholm’s last competitive outing was on last year’s Rally Sweden in a Toyota Yaris WRC.