Having placed third in the FIA World
Rallycross Championship standings in each of the past three seasons, there is
no question that Niclas Grönholm is one of the sport’s leading protagonists. Had
fate not intervened, he may also have been a world champion by now.
Going into the 2019 campaign, Grönholm had yet
to ascend the podium in World RX, but his potential was clear to see – and that
year, the Finn would truly make his mark in the discipline’s top-flight.
After finishing runner-up in the season-opener in
Abu Dhabi and fourth in round two in Catalunya, he was headed for Spa-Francorchamps
sitting second in the chase for the crown, just eight points adrift of the top
of the table.
Except, Grönholm never got to Spa. Nor
Silverstone a fortnight later for that matter, after being diagnosed with
appendicitis that ruled him out of both events. Doubtless spurred on by that
setback, when he returned in Hell – minus one appendix – he topped the timesheets
in three of the four heats before winning his semi-final and the all-important
final to tally an emphatic maximum score.
The Kauniainen native reached the final again
in four of the remaining five rounds, finishing with a flourish with the
runner-up spoils in Latvia and a second career triumph in Cape Town – a result
that was somewhat overshadowed by the tense title battle between Timmy Hansen
and Andreas Bakkerud that ended in such acrimonious fashion.
In many ways, that was a microcosm of Grönholm’s
season – best supporting actor when he could and arguably should have been picking
up the biggest prize. The bottom line was that his absence in Belgium and
Britain cost him 60 potential championship points – and he ultimately missed
out on glory by only 25. Of the permanent competitors and taken as an average
of points per start, he was the highest scorer of the campaign.
“It still feels pretty bad what happened that
season,” the 27-year-old recollects. “I felt that year, I was the most prepared
I’ve ever been. I really had a good feeling with the car and the driving and in
the team and physically, I was in really good shape. I think every piece of the
puzzle was there, and then I got sick and didn’t go to the doctor in time.
“After missing part of the season, it was clear
that we could no longer win the championship so the target was to win some
races at least. It was nice to win on my return and in the final round of the
year.”
Grönholm has vowed to ‘come back even stronger’
in 2024 as he continues to chase that elusive world championship crown.
Finland
Italy
Hungary