SUNINEN STAKES HIS CLAIM FOR WRC2 TITLE GLORY
A bumper entry in the WRC2 category and its various sub-divisions, fuelled by a healthy number of Spaniards in the mix, brought a frenetic weekend’s rallying for the senior feeder series to the WRC.
With championship leader Andreas Mikkelsen having reached the maximum number of events that he can contest, the field is clear for his fellow Skoda driving rivals Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Emil Lindstrom to try and overhaul the defending class champion.
Their efforts did not begin auspiciously, with both drivers spinning on the first day and plummeting down the order to leave M-Sport refugee Teemu Suninen in the lead for Hyundai.
Suninen delivered an assured performance throughout the weekend despite serious pressure from unflagged Russian Nikolay Gryazin and the presence of French charger Yohan Rossel’s Citroen, veteran Stephane Sarrazin’s VW Polo and Hyundai refugee Jari Huttunen.
Suninen continued to pull away through Saturday while Rossel and Gryazin put on a spirited battle for second, with Lindholm staging a remarkable comeback drive through the crowded field to sit fourth.
On the final day Suninen controlled the gap back to the rest of the pack in consummate style while Rossel managed to overhaul Gryazin for second place. Lindholm could climb no further and, with Kajetanowicz sixth, their bid for the season-long title will carry over to the finale in Japan.
Young Finn Sami Pajari took the WRC2 Junior victory from Ireland’s Josh McErlean, who could at least celebrate co-driver James Fulton’s championship crown. McErlean could also celebrate being the first junior driver and co-driver pairing home.
There was further Irish success with Eamon Boland taking second in the Masters category in his Ford Fiesta, while MN national rally driver of the year William Creighton gained valuable experience of WRC2 machinery while running out of the official categories, claiming
29th overall in his prize drive outing for Hyundai.