This weekend, Rally Croatia took place as the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship season for Mille Johansson, who made his second WRC2 appearance of the year alongside co-driver Johan Grönvall with M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. It proved to be a demanding and challenging event, with mixed conditions providing important lessons for the future.
Mille and Johan were forced to retire early on Friday after suffering two punctures on the opening stages. They returned to action on Saturday and finished the rally strongly, setting the fourth fastest time in WRC2 on the final Power Stage.
“It didn’t start according to plan with two punctures on the first two stages. With only one spare wheel, we had no choice but to retire. Based on the recce and the information we had before the start, it was the right strategy to carry one spare, but we had to accept the situation,” said Mille.
Conditions in Croatia were particularly tough, with a lot of gravel on the asphalt and very tricky roads, something that affected much of the field, with several crews struggling with punctures and off-road moments.
“We restarted on Saturday, and with the experience I have in the Ford, we began cautiously and built up the pace during the day. It felt better with every stage. I’m really pleased with the Power Stage on Sunday, especially considering our road position compared to those running earlier,” Mille continued. He was just 3.3 seconds off the fastest time set by Nikolay Gryazin on the final stage.
Already next week (23–26 April), the next round of the FIA World Rally Championship takes place in the Canary Islands. Mille and Johan have strong memories from the event, where they claimed their first ERC victory in 2024. On the Spanish island, they will compete with MS Munaretto in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, marking their third of seven planned WRC2 starts this season.
“Now we reset and focus on the Canary Islands. It’s a rally that suits me well, so we’ll aim for a strong result there,” Mille concluded.