Reigning FIA Junior WRC Champions Mille Johansson from Katrineholm and co-driver Johan Grönvall from Arvika made their first FIA European Rally Championship appearance of the 2026 season this weekend, producing a strong recovery drive to finish sixth in the highly competitive Rally2 category at Rally di Roma Capitale with Italian outfit MS Munaretto.
After a difficult qualifying stage on Friday, the Swedish duo started Saturday’s opening leg as the 19th car on the road. With an unfavourable road position on the dusty asphalt stages, they faced a challenging first day. Despite this, Mille and Johan finished Saturday on a high by setting the fourth-fastest Rally2 time on the final stage, moving into 10th place overnight.
On Sunday, the Swedish pair continued their charge up the leaderboard in their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, eventually securing sixth place in a field featuring no fewer than 46 Rally2 entries.
“I honestly don’t think we could have done much better. Our road position on Saturday morning wasn’t ideal and we lost some time because of that. I’m happy with the result and, above all, I finally feel like I’m starting to find the right feeling with the Rally2 car on asphalt,” says Mille Johansson.
The rally also provided valuable experience in tyre management under the intense Italian summer heat.
“It was a difficult rally when it came to managing the tyres. Sometimes the car felt really good but the stage times weren’t there, and other times it didn’t feel as good while the times were strong. We still have work to do and more to understand, but overall I’m pleased with the way we finished the weekend,” Mille continues.