McRae Kimathi finish fourth in FIA Junior WRC Rally Sweden

Kenya’s sensational rally driver McRae Kimathi finished fourth scoring a WRC3 podium on his first ever European rally despite losing 17min stuck in a snowbank on Friday during FIA Junior World Rally Championship staged in Sweden.

Kimathi and his compatriot Mwangi Kioni made history by becoming the first Kenyans to finish WRC Rally Sweden.

“It’s such a great feeling. I mean first time on snow and fourth overall is such an amazing feeling,” Kimathi said.

Flying Finn Lauri Joona netted his first ever WRC3 category victory with a commanding performance on Sunday.

The 25-year-old took the top spot when Sami Pajari retired after SS2. He then led the M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3 field for the remainder of the rally.

Joona, who also finished second in the FIA Junior WRC, eventually ended an impressive 2min 19.4sec clear of nearest challenger William Creighton.

“The weekend was quite good and we had very strong pace. I think we can be really happy with the result,” he said.

In the senior category,Kalle Rovanperä secured an emphatic victory to score third career success by 22.0sec after Toyota GR Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans crashed out in a snowbank on the final morning. Rovanperä leads the series by 14 points after round two of 13.

Rovanperä was only four months old when his father triumphed at the WRC’s only pure winter fixture in 2001 in a Peugeot 206 World Rally Car.

Five different drivers led during a fast and furious opening day near Umeå in the most northerly Rally Sweden ever. Rovanperä regained the initiative early on the second leg, but Evans remained hot on his heels before his untimely exit.

“I didn’t think we could be this good, especially starting first on the road on Friday,” enthused Rovanperä. “It was quite a big job but the team did a great job also and the car was great all the time. I feel so much more confident now.”

“I didn’t feel like celebrating too much now. It has been a really difficult weekend for the people in Ukraine and I really hope they have the strength and hope in these difficult times,” he added.

Related