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Back on the Podium – Lauri Joona Finished Third in WRC2 at Secto Rally Finland
This year's Secto Rally Finland delivered spectacular rally action from start to finish. While the top category produced plenty of drama, the WRC2 field was no exception.
Competing for TGS Motorsport in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, Lauri Joona and co-driver Antti Linnaketo arrived at their home event aiming for a top-three finish. However, their rally did not get off to the planned start and after Thursday evening's opening Harju super special stage they found themselves in 17th place
-The conditions were a bit more slippery than we expected, and we wanted to avoid any unnecessary mistakes. But we're not discouraged – tomorrow is a new day," Joona said on Thursday evening.
Photo: Honza Fronek
Friday featured nine special stages. During the morning loop, Joona struggled to find grip, but despite the difficulties he steadily climbed the leaderboard.
In the afternoon, Mother Nature rewrote the script as heavy rain showers created extremely challenging conditions for the crews. Joona's pace continued to improve, highlighted by the fastest WRC2 stage time on the second pass through Sydänmaa.
By the time the crews reached the evening service, he had moved up to fifth overall.
Photo: Hannu Rainamo
Saturday saw the WRC2 field reduced by a number of retirements. Joona also had his share of close calls but this time fortune was on his side. At the end of the day, he had climbed into third place and was firmly on course for a podium finish.
-It's been an incredible rally! The grip levels have been changing all the time. The competition is really tough," Joona commented on Saturday evening.
Photo: Bencephoto
The Super Sunday itinerary consisted of two runs over the 30-kilometre Himos–Jämsä special stage. True to the nature of this year's event, Joona battled Estonia's Jaspar Vaher all the way to the final metres of the rally for the last podium position. In the end, Joona held on to third place by just 1.4 seconds.
-It was quite an eventful rally – I've never experienced anything like it in my entire rally career. We managed to keep Vaher behind us, and the feeling is really great! It's fantastic that the fight lasted all the way to the finish and that we were able to secure our place on the podium. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us and made this rally possible," Joona said with a broad smile.
Photo: Hannu Rainamo
Estonia's Robert Virves claimed victory in the WRC2 category, with Teemu Suninen finishing second and Lauri Joona completing the podium in third place.
Secto Rally Finland, 30.7.-2.8.2026
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