This weekend, Swedish Mille Johansson returns to action in the second round of the WRC2 season, as Croatia Rally takes place on asphalt. Together with M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, the 20-year-old and co-driver Johan Grönvall will face 20 special stages across the event.
The reigning FIA Junior WRC Champions, Mille and Johan, are contesting a full WRC2 season in 2026. Their programme includes four events with M-Sport Ford as part of their Junior WRC prize, complemented by three additional rounds with MS Munaretto in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. This weekend’s event in Croatia marks their second outing with M-Sport this year.
After a difficult start to the season at Rally Sweden in Umeå, where they were forced to retire following damage to the roll cage after contact with a tree, the focus is now on bouncing back in Croatia.
“I’m really looking forward to the weekend. Tarmac in Croatia is a different kind of challenge, where it’s all about precision and trusting the grip. It will be exciting to measure ourselves against very strong competition in WRC2, with several asphalt specialists, and continue to develop on this surface,” says Mille.
Last year, Mille and Johan competed in Croatia Rally as part of the FIA European Rally Championship, delivering one of their strongest performances of the season. They were within a second of a stage win and fighting for a podium position before getting stuck in a ditch and being forced to retire.
“We take a lot of confidence and the feeling from last year with us. We had strong pace and found a good rhythm that we want to build on. The pacenotes and experience from the roads will also be valuable, even if it’s almost a new rally with many completely new stages,” Mille continues.
“It’s obviously great to be back in WRC2, and I hope to learn a lot this weekend that I can take forward. The goal is to gain as much experience as possible and hopefully set some competitive stage times,” adds Johan.
This weekend’s event features one of the strongest WRC2 entry lists of the season so far, with 20 crews entered. Two-time WRC2 champion Andreas Mikkelsen is among the contenders, along with current championship co-leaders Roope Korhonen and Léo Rossel.
“Our goal is to have a solid rally, build experience and gradually increase the pace. If we can stay on the road, do our job and be in the fight like we were in ERC last year, that would be a big positive. I’m aware that the car is still quite new to me, but I hope the confidence and feeling are where they need to be when the rally starts,” Mille concludes.
Croatia Rally begins with shakedown on Thursday, followed by eight stages on Friday and another eight on Saturday. The event concludes on Sunday with four final stages.