News
Rytkönen targeting another show-stopping performance on home soil
)
Juha Rytkönen announced his arrival on the FIA World Rallycross Championship scene in emphatic fashion at Kouvola in 2020, finishing second straight off the bat, and as he prepares for another home turf tussle at the KymiRing this weekend (23-24 August), the flying Finn has a repeat performance in his sights – if not better.
After defeating no lesser names than Timmy Hansen, Niclas Grönholm and Mattias Ekström amongst others to scoop the runner-up spoils behind only Johan Kristoffersson on that sensational debut, Rytkönen stole the show again in last season’s Turkish finale as he got the better of the multiple world champion in a straight fight to triumph for the first time at the dual-surface discipline’s highest level.
Contesting his maiden full campaign in World RX this year behind the wheel of a sustainably-fuelled, combustion-engined Hyundai i20 run by experienced French outfit PGRX, the Suonenjoki native sits fifth in the standings heading into the second half of the season, missing out on advancing to the final in Portugal but subsequently placing fourth in Sweden and fifth in Hungary, despite encountering some technical issues at Nyirád.
Now Rytkönen, like all of his World RX rivals, is excited to discover the KymiRing as the multi-purpose venue makes its first appearance in the top-flight – marking the world championship’s return to Finland for the first time since that memorable day five years ago...
)
“The result was really good back then, so I hope the upcoming round will be at least as good,” reflected the 33-year-old, who will turn 34 on the eve of the race weekend. “The car was thoroughly inspected in France during the summer break, and now everything should be in perfect condition, right down to the last detail.
“Preparing for my home event is not really any different from preparing for any other event. Of course, the feeling is very good, because I know that a lot of familiar people are coming and I personally enjoy amphitheatre-like circuits, where you drive in a really small area and people are close and surround the track.
“I really hope the KymiRing suits me and the Hyundai, because the best place to succeed would be here in Finland. It’s so rare that top-level rallycross takes place in the country, so nobody should miss out on this opportunity. I hope there will be plenty of fans cheering on all the Finns and making it an unforgettable weekend for everyone!”
)
)
){kind=logo}
)
)