Team MRF Tyres has taken victory in the Finnish Rally Championship (Ralli SM) and the SM KokUA 60-v Juhlaralli this weekend.
Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen dominated the final round of the season in Finland, with Lindholm and Team MRF Tyres taking a hard-fought championship.
Going into the final round, it was a winner-take-all scenario with the top three drivers separated by seven points, meaning it was going to be a great fight between Lindholm, Mikko Heikkilä and Teemu Asunmaa.
Team MRF Tyres was on the pace from the first of the ten-stage competition with Lindholm winning the Skriko stage.
It was a lead that he would build on through the first day to end the Saturday action in first place but with a lead of just 2.9 seconds.
The pressure was intense for the four Sunday stages, which featured 74km of action. The long stages meant that drivers would have to push and keep their concentration over a long period of time.
Ending the rally was a 22.88km Markby test meaning that the rally was wide open to the end.
Lindholm was supreme never relinquishing his lead in his quest to win the Championship.
The Team MRF Tyres Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo was exceptional with the entire team operating without mistakes.
The 2021 Finnish Rally Championship was the first full season for Team MRF Tyres in Finland, one of the most competitive Championships in the world. Having to consider that Finland and rallying are almost synonymous and the best of the best compete here.
After starting the European Rally Championship in 2020, the team has expanded to rally in Finland and in Italy with great success.
To be able to rally at the front, winning rallies and now Championship’s against the best drivers, teams and suppliers in the world is a testament to the hard work and dedication of every member of Team MRF Tyres.
The Team has worked tirelessly to develop the tyres and create a product that can compete at the front day in-day out. This Championship success was made possible by that effort.
While Lindholm celebrates his Championship success, Team MRF Tyres will be back on stage next weekend in the FIA European Rally Championship’s Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras with Dani Sordo and Simone Campedelli at the wheel.
Emil Lindholm, Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo (Champion)
“It is a great feeling. We’ve been waiting for this. I’m smiling all the time! It is a great reward for the work at Team MRF Tyres.”
“This year I’ve better understood what it takes as a rally sport. Knowing how to drive basic times is just not enough. After all, rally is also a tactical sport. Every result and stage time doesn’t just affect your drive but also the performance of others. I’ve learned to think of rally as a whole.”
“The Finnish Championship is the most respected one in the world of national rally series. In order to survive in Finland, a tyre manufacturer is required to know-how from a quite wide area: snow, ice and composition from different gravel roads. Tyres need to work in Finland in different circumstances. I have to say a big thanks and a big congratulations to Team MRF Tyres. I can say that MRF Tyres did great in meeting challenges.”