Mille Johansson tied for Junior WRC lead after challenging Rally de Portugal
20-year-old Mille Johansson from Katrineholm and co-driver Johan Grönvall from Arvika fought their way back after a challenging round of the FIA Junior World Rally Championship (Junior WRC). At Rally de Portugal, the Swedish crew finished second, just 13 seconds away from victory, despite rolling their car on Friday.
The rally got off to the best possible start, with Mille and Johan claiming the stage win on SS1 on Thursday evening. But already on Friday morning, things took a dramatic turn. On stage four, they had a minor roll that cost them around 25 seconds. The car also sustained damage to both the suspension and brakes, forcing them to complete much of the day with only three functioning brake discs. In total, the problems cost them more than a minute.
Despite the setbacks, they continued to fight and claimed no fewer than 13 stage wins* during the rally. Over the course of the event, they made up a full minute on Australia’s Taylor Gill and remained in contention for victory all the way to the finish.
– We finish second, just 13 seconds away from victory. We managed to make up quite a bit of time, and just like last time in Sweden, we had some bad luck, but hopefully that will turn around sooner or later. We are clearly the fastest when everything comes together. We were fastest on 14 of the 24 stages in Portugal, and now we share the championship lead heading into the next round in Greece, says Mille Johansson.
After two rounds, Mille and Johan have claimed 25 stage wins, by far the highest number in the entire Junior WRC field. Each stage win also earns a championship point, meaning Mille and Johan share the championship lead with Taylor Gill despite two eventful rallies.
The next round of the Junior WRC takes place in Greece on 26–29 June. But Mille and Johan will be back in competition already on 29–31 May, when they contest their home event, BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia in Karlstad, this time competing in the top category of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC).
*Note: Mille and Johan were fastest on 14 stages. However, as a notional time was awarded on SS9, they do not receive a championship point for that stage.