Rally Finland: Who can beat Romet Jürgenson in Finland?

For the penultimate round of the Junior championship, Romet Jürgenson advances as favorite. With his Ford Fiesta Rally3, the Estonian driver seems to have all the qualities to win and get closer to the title. Despite everything, there will be several who want to move forward to push the deadline to Greece.

Published on 31/07/2024 à 08:59

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Rally Finland: Who can beat Romet Jürgenson in Finland?

Will Romet Jürgenson aim for the JWRC title in Finland? (Photo: Nikos Katikis)

Whatever happens during the final meeting which will be held during the rally of the Acropolis (September 5-8), the Junior championship will remain as one of the successes of the 2024 season. The field has always included more than fifteen competitors and among this squad several individuals have stood out. This is particularly the case of Romet Jürgenson.

Coming from the FIA Rally Star operation, the Estonian winner in Croatia has constantly managed to score points in this competition where consistency is one of the keys. He arrives at Jyväskylä 25 lengths ahead of his first rival and the resemblance between the Finnish special stages and those of his country makes him one of the favorites for the title. Knowing that in Greece the coefficient 2 can turn everything upside down, Jürgenson will seek to increase his lead as much as possible in Jyväskylä.

There will be several who want to put him in difficulty, first and foremost his classmates, Taylor Gill, Max Smart and to a lesser degree Jose Caparo. Experienced and riding quite often, Diego Dominguez appears to be the most serious opponent. The latter took part in a preparation race just before at the HYAcenter Ralli and he is in excellent momentum with three consecutive successes in WRC3 in Portugal, Sardinia and Poland.

Other boys like the Turkish Ali Türkkan, the Irish Eamonn Kelly (who also completed a rally beforehand) or the Romanian Norbert Maior will also be worth watching in the Finnish forests.

The local breeding ground seems inexhaustible, a new hope appears each year. This time it's Leevi Lassila. At 20 years old, the latter has been racing since 2019 and he has just been designated Flying Finn Future Rally Star for 2024, which means that he is considered the best young person and that he will be supported by the Finnish federation. Before him, Teemu Suninen and Sami Pajari went through this sector, the relevance of which is proven.

After the reconnaissance and the shakedown on the Ruuhimäki slide (4,12 km) Thursday morning (9:00 a.m. Paris time), the competitors will have to tackle 20 special stages representing 305,69 km timed.