Future stars ready to shine on Rally Sweden

The 2022 #fiajuniorwrc Championship kicks off in #sweden with a hugely competitive and diverse entry list using the new #msportpoland #fiestarally3 car.
 
The #fiestarally3 is a recently introduced #rally car designed and developed by #msportpoland for the Rally3 category, the FIA's new entry-level four-wheel-drive category. M-Sport Poland's #fiestarally3 underwent some minor updates over winter, increasing power output and the car's overall performance. 
 
It is the first time the championship competes on snow and ice for two years, where last time out Tom Kristensson won in dominant fashion as he went on to win the championship. #rally #sweden is the only true snow and ice event on both the #wrc and Junior #wrc calendars, offering an incredible experience from both a drivers' and spectators' perspective. 
 
The biggest and most universal difference to all other rallies on the #wrc calendar is that the cars are equipped with Pirelli's Sottozero Ice tyre. The tyre is a much narrower than a conventional gravel or asphalt tyre which features 360 tungsten tipped steel studs that literally dig into the ice to provide incredible levels of grip. For #rally #sweden, Junior #wrc crews will be permitted a total of 22 Pirelli Sottozero Ice tyres to use for the #rally including shakedown. 
 
Heading into 2022, the 2021 #fiajuniorwrc Champion #samipajari, is the favourite for this year's championship and for the #rally #sweden victory, having taken the RC4 victory on Arctic #rally Finland – the last time #wrc visited competed on snow and ice.
 
2021 championship runner up, #jonarmstrong, returns to the Junior #wrc field this year after taking the title fight down to the wire, picking up two event victories along the way. #rally #sweden represents the first time Armstrong will be competing on snow and ice since 2020 when he suffered a huge crash that ended his #rally prematurely. 
 
Lauri Joona is contesting his second full time season in Junior #wrc for 2022 after finishing fourth in the championship in 2021. The Finn claimed two podiums in 2021 including fighting with Pajari for victory on the final round of the season. Joona is a driver to keep an eye when he takes to the snow and ice of #rally #sweden, he fought with Pajari for the RC4 victory on Arctic #rally Finland last year and seems to be at home on the unforgiving surface.
 
Like Joona, Virves returns for his second full season of Junior #wrc on #rally #sweden, following a season of regular visits to the podium in 2021. The Estonian has had little time in a Rally3 car to prepare for a winter #rally like #rally #sweden but has had some outings on the snow and ice in 2022 in a rear-wheel drive car. 
 
William Creighton showed incredible progress throughout 2021 to the point where he became a genuine threat for stage wins on Tarmac. The Irishman has recently completed an intense testing programme in a #fiestarally3 as well as entering the LBC-Ruschen #rally which entailed a variety of conditions to learn and acclimatise too. He has never competed on snow and ice until this year.
 
McRae Kimathi is the first Kenyan to ever enter the #fiajuniorwrc Championship and is only the fourth African driver to ever compete in Junior #wrc. Kimathi is named after 1995 FIA World #rally Champion, Colin McRae, who became an icon to many Kenyans after taking three Safari #rally victories. Until arriving in Scandinavia last week, Kimathi had never seen snow or ice before and attended the John Haugland Winter #rally School to help with his preparations. A surprise instructor was on hand for the Kenyan with 2011 #wrc Academy (now Junior WRC) Champion, Craig Breen, spending half a day providing one to one guidance and advice. 
 
2021 FIA ERC3 Junior Champion and 2018 Junior #wrc Tour de Corse winner, Jean-Baptiste Franceschi, will miss the opening round of the 2022 Junior #wrc Championship due to injury. The Frenchman suffered a heavy crash in November 2021 with some serious injuries and isn't fit enough to compete on #rally #sweden. Also not attending #rally #sweden is Panagiotis Roustemis who is unable to compete due to personal reasons. Both drivers will have confirmed they will be ready to join the championship from Croatia #rally, round two of the #fiajuniorwrc Championship.
 
Maciek Woda, #fiajuniorwrc Championship Manager, said: "It is so good to be back in #sweden to kick off another season of #fiajuniorwrc. It's very important for us to feature every surface that is part of the #wrc calendar and starting in #sweden is quite special. We have a very big year ahead of us in Junior #wrc, we are now using the #fiestarally3 which is homologated to Rally3, the FIA's entry-level category for four-wheel-drive cars. 
 
"We have seen some very exciting performances from this car in various championships in the last year, but I am really excited to see what the fastest youngsters in the world can do with it. It's been 15 years since we had a defending champion in Junior #wrc with Patrik Sandell in 2007and we have only ever had one driver win the championship twice, which was Per Gunnar Andersson in 2004 and 2007. #samipajari could become the only driver in Junior #wrc history to successfully defend his championship this year and I think that is an exciting motivational factor for all this year's competitors. Last year's championship had some incredible fights and competition, we have quite a few competitors continuing this year so let the battle continue I say!"
 
Sami Pajari
Enni Malkonen
"It's a new season starting with new things going on, being the reigning champion could give me some extra confidence, but it's still a new year and a new championship. Monte Carlo was a really nice start to the season, we have also done a #rally in Finland so at least I have some feeling on the snow. I think it will be a good challenge this year, we have Jon, Lauri and Robert who are strong, it won't be easy but it's nice to have good competition."

Lauri Joona 
Mikael Korhonen
"My last #rally #sweden went pretty well but we are in four-wheel-drive this year, I think it's going to be crazy. I think we have a good preparation, and we are ready. I think we are familiar with the car, and I think we have a good setup so we should be able to fight this weekend. Sami is the man to beat out of everyone this year, so we need to be very strict and focussed, the goal is always to be on top but the race is tough so you need to be clever and fast."
 
Jon Armstrong
Brian Hoy
"Last year I came very close to winning the championship, but it didn't come through for us. This year I was looking at what options were best for my career going forward and I think with Junior #wrc going to Rally3 and four-wheel-drive, it's a good progression for my career. Even if I'm not fast here I will be enjoying the driving, but of course the goal is to as fast as possible and try to win. I don't feel apprehensive about coming back to #sweden, I think I know what the issue was when we were last in #sweden and that's fine now. I'm looking forward to the #rally, there are a lot more snowbanks to lean against. I just want to enjoy the event and have a nice recce, make some good pace notes and then drive them."

Robert Virves
Aleks Lesk
"We haven't done too much preparation but I think most of the guys are all at the same level so it shouldn't be that big of a deal and we can start to learn it during the first event. I haven't competed on snow and ice in Junior #wrc before but there are some guys with even less experience than me, I don't know what to expect, it's not going to be boring I know that."
 
William Creighton
Liam Regan 
"We've had a chance to drive the Rally3 on snow and get some testing in before #sweden. The transition to four-wheel-drive has been really enjoyable and I'm really enjoying driving the car, it's a lot of fun, the power is nice and it handles very well. The Rally3 car is totally different but at the same time what I have learned in the Rally4 is transferrable so I'm able to bring my knowledge forward. I think it's a nice transition and it bridges the gap between Rally4 and Rally2 quite nicely."
 
McRae Kimathi
Mwangi Kioni
"I feel pretty confident, I've managed to get some experience with Craig [Breen] and John [Haugland], it's going to be a tough #rally for me as it is my first snow and ice #rally. I am just going to take it as it comes, trying to get to the end of the #rally, get the mileage and the experience, but most importantly enjoy myself. I'm the first Kenyan to do a snow and ice event, I don't feel the pressure though as I am here to enjoy myself. Tapio [Laukkanen] is a very experienced driver who is helping me, he is telling me to keep it on the road, avoid the snow banks and get through the #rally."