Twenty-year-old rally driver Mille Johansson from Sweden endured a difficult start to his WRC2 season when Rally Sweden took place on home soil in Umeå this weekend. After early engine issues, Johansson and co-driver Johan Grönvall were forced to retire on Friday following contact with a tree that damaged the roll cage.

“We had engine misfires early on Friday, but once everything was working properly after service we were able to increase the pace. I was pushing to catch Bäck when we clipped a tree. The car was still drivable, but the roll cage was damaged,” said Mille.

“It’s disappointing. It wasn’t a major accident, but with the build-up and expectations we had, it’s frustrating. It just wasn’t our rally. Especially tough that it happened at Rally Sweden, where we made our WRC2 debut with M-Sport.”

The next scheduled WRC2 event for Mille and Johan is Rally Croatia on asphalt, taking place 10–12 April.