Team MRF Tyres successfully secured a podium position at the Arctic Lapland Rally, a round of the Finnish National Championship with Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen taking third position.
The final day of the rally started with a monster 42km test with temperatures dipping to -8 degrees Celsius and loose snow making the conditions quite tough. Both the Team MRF Tyres crews tamed the conditions with Lindholm/Korhonen finishing second on stage, five seconds off the stage winner Juha Salo/Mikko Markkula. The average pace of the MRF Tyres duo was 132km/h. The final three stages saw tough conditions on stage with loose snow making the conditions unpredictable. Despite this, Lindholm/Korhonen took a second and two fourth places on stage to cement their podium place
Emil Lindholm, Driver, Skoda Fabia evo Rally2, said, ““This is one of the great rallies in Europe. The Arctic Lapland Rally is one of the most traditional winter rallies in the rally world, and to achieve a podium place an amazing achievement. The MRF snow and ice tyres worked perfectly in on the long freezing stages which featured a lot of snow and ice. The weather on the route continued to change and it was hard to predict. Sometimes there was more snow on the road, sometimes it was just a heavy ice base. It made a fast rally even more challenging.”
The other MRF Tyres crew of Niclas Grönholm/Antti Linnaketo took sixth on the stage, proving that both cars could fight for the top positions. Niclas Grönholm, Driver, Volkswagen Polo GTi R5 said, “It is great to have 2 cars with MRF Tyres inside the top 10. We were trying to find the right setup and gain more pace. Today the car felt better. The stages were in good conditions but there was a lot of loose snow and it was very challenging. Overall, we are happy!”
Grönholm/Linnaketo finished inside the top 10 on each stage, taking advantage of the conditions and the struggles of those around them. In the end they finished in sixth.
The major story, however, was Lindholm and Korhonen’s podium. One year on from the debut of MRF’s snow and ice tyre, where Craig Breen/Paul Nagle secured a podium, the competitive nature of the tyre was confirmed. MRF Tyres’ venture into Europe is designed to develop and create the next generation of tyre to prove competitiveness in the toughest of conditions.
This result helps to prove that MRF Tyres can successfully take the fight to rally stages around the world. While MRF Tyres’ European rally plans are still to be announced, Lindholm/Korhonen will be out for the next round of the Finnish Rally Championship, the SM O.K. Auto-Ralli from Kouvola on 5-6 February.
