Emil Lindholm is being happy and relieved for securing his first WRC2 title, but he believes that he is not ready yet to compete in the main category of WRC.
The Toksport driver won two rallies and finished three times in the podium this year while he managed to finish ahead of his teammate Andreas Mikkensen for seven points in WRC2 drivers' championship. Kajetan Kajetanowicz was his main rival for WRC2 title when both of them headed to Rally Japan, but the Polish driver had an accident and was forced to retire from the rally. As a result of that, the only thing that Lindholm had to do was to get to the finish line on the final round of World Rally Championship and he did ti as he finished third overall.
"It’s a mix of joy and relief", Lindholm said.
"It doesn’t matter who it is, it’s never nice to see a car off the road.
"In some ways, Kajetanowicz’s retirement obviously made our weekend a bit easier, but in other ways no.
"It’s always easier to drive and to have a good rhythm instead of trying to be safe.
"I realised that we didn’t have to fight, and we could relax, but it's not always easy to manage it and stay focused in that situation.
"I was a bit worried about that, but finally we are here.
"Wow, it's much more than I could believe.
"To achieve this - it’s incredible.
"I really want to thank the team - everyone, the supporters and sponsors for making this possible.
"It's been long and not always easy, but here we are.
"It was worth it.
"I’ve made my fair share of mistakes and I’ve also learned from them.
"It’s not always been easy - but now it’s going our way, and let’s hope this continues for the future as well.
"Finland was quite unexpected in a way because, with Teemu being disqualified, it gave us a lot more points.
"Greece, as well, was a rally I never thought I’d win.
"There have definitely been a lot of surprises this year.
I have some plans for 2023, but we still need to see.
"The step is big from WRC2 to WRC, that’s for sure.
"The cars are much faster, and the level is higher.
"I wouldn’t want to go there, let’s say, not feeling that it’s the right time.
"But okay, let’s see what the future brings".
Source: wrc.com
Photo Credits: Skoda
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