20-year-old rally driver Mille Johansson from Katrineholm is set to make his second appearance in the top category of the FIA European Rally Championship this weekend – on home soil in Sweden. Together with co-driver Johan Grönvall from Arvika, Mille will take on BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia, driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 for Italian outfit MS Munaretto on Hankook tyres.
The duo secured the Junior ERC title last season, which this year has enabled a full campaign in both the European and Junior World Rally Championships. After making their debut in the top tier of the ERC on asphalt at Rally Sierra Morena in Spain back in April – where they finished seventh overall – they are now preparing for the Swedish ERC round, based in Karlstad and run on classic stages across Värmland.
– This is definitely one of the highlights of the season, to be back in Karlstad and compete in the ERC. The atmosphere is always great and the roads are really cool. It’s one of my absolute favourite rallies, says Mille Johansson.
– It means a lot. We spend most of the year abroad, so to have our families and close friends here watching what we actually do is really special, adds Johan Grönvall.
Earlier this spring, Mille and Johan have been competing in the Italian Gravel Championship in a Rally2 car, picking up a class win in the U25 category. They have also impressed in the Junior WRC, where they currently share the championship lead after two rounds.
– I don’t really have a clear target for the weekend. I don’t know how strong the ERC field is on gravel, so we’ll just run our pace and see where that puts us, Mille continues.
– We’re here to enjoy the rally and gain even more experience for the future, Johan concludes.
The rally begins on Thursday evening with a stage near central Karlstad, followed by eight stages on Friday and eight more on Saturday – 17 in total. The Royal Rally entry list includes around 20 Rally2 cars, with international stars such as Mads Østberg (Norway), Jon Armstrong (Ireland), Mikołaj Marczyk (Poland), Eyvind Brynildsen (Norway), Frank Tore Larsen (Norway), Henning Solberg (Norway) and Sweden’s own Isak Reiersen.