This weekend Mille Johansson drove the fourth round of the Junior ERC in the Italian capital Rome. It was a hot and challenging competition for Mille and co-driver Johan Grönvall, who finished 10th in the class 
. The rally was the first on tarmac in this year’s championship.
. The rally was the first on tarmac in this year’s championship.The event kicked off on Friday in central Rome, with a spectator stage run around the Colosseum.
– The rally was extremely tough with the high heat, but at the same time very educational and exciting, especially with the atmosphere around the Colosseum, says Mille.
Mille and Johan, who compete for the Slovenian team IKsport in a Ford Fiesta Rally4, set several top-three times in the 13-car junior class. But a lot of lost time due to a puncture and hot brakes meant that they ended up with a 10th place.
– I think the driving worked well over the weekend, with some good stage times despite it being our first time in Rome on these demanding roads. What went less well was keeping the brakes and tires alive. Especially during the long stages when everything got very hot, and we had to slow down towards the end to stay on the road, continues Mille.
Especially challenging was the penultimate stage of the rally, where over 10 cars punctured in exactly the same place. Also Mille and Johan.
Now awaits the penultimate rally of the year in the Junior ERC, on August 19-20, in the Czech Republic.
– Now we have to rest for a couple of days before we start going through all the papers and plans for the next competition, to try to come back with a little more speed in the Czech Republic, concludes Johan.