CERNY WOE, JOONA TOPS WRC3
A modest four-car entry for WRC3 delivered the title-deciding bout of the season for this year’s crop of juniors, between the Czech youngster Jan Cerny and his Finnish counterpart Lauri Joona in their M-Sport-prepared Fiesta Rally3s.
With both drivers absolutely equal in the standings, Cerny seized the initiative early on, taking a 16.1-second advantage on the opening stage of the event.
It took Joona five stages to whittle that away and take the lead into the overnight halt. Disaster then threatened on Saturday, when Cerny once again came out swinging and cleaved almost 10s from the Finn’s advantage.
To compound matters, Joona then lost a rear driveshaft and was fortunate that the next stage was cancelled after Gus Greensmith’s incident in the senior class. He ended the penultimate day just 2.5s away from glory.
That deficit was wiped out overnight, however, after Cerny incurred a 10s penalty for late check-in on the last stage of the day. It was enough for Joona to claim the event and with it the title.
“Of course our main target was Junior WRC but when we realised we had a possibility to be World champion in this series, we put our focus here,” Joona said.