Take a look at some key events for our customers this weekend
Brand new event brings Finnish national championship to an end
The SM Kitee Ralli brings Benjamin Korhola’s first full season in the top class of the Finnish Rally Championship to an end, but offers arguably his best chance yet of a breakthrough win with the i20 N Rally2. The Pacco Motorsport driver already has an impressive tally of four podium finishes from six national events, placing him third in the championship standings. The season finale is a brand new event to the championship, levelling the playing field between Korhola and his co-driver Sebastian Virtanen, and their far more experienced rivals. A victory would be a perfect end to an excellent season for the pair, allowing them to start the off-season high on confidence.
Kiwi crew aim to dominate once more at national event
Hayden Paddon and Jared Hudson make their second start in the i20 N Rally2 this season in the New Zealand Rally Championship at Rally Bay of Plenty. The pair will aim to repeat their incredible performance from the previous round, where they won every stage, cruising to victory by over six minutes. Despite that impressive performance, the gravel roads of the event will still demand concentration on both sides of the car, with twelve stages to be covered over a single day on the itinerary. The event also serves as some final time behind the wheel of the i20 N Rally2 before Paddon looks to seal his second consecutive FIA European Rally Championship title next weekend at Rally Silesia in Poland.
Teenage driver continues pursuit of Turkish national title
After narrowly missing out on victory in his first start in the series with the car, teenager Kerem Kazaz takes his i20 N Rally2 to the Kocaeli Rallisi in the Turkish Rally Championship. The second place he scored at the ESOK Rally alongside co-driver Corentin Silvestre perfectly demonstrated how quickly he had adapted to driving the i20 N Rally2 and strengthened his bid for a remarkable national championship title. If the pair can show the same pace on this weekend’s event, then they have an excellent chance of taking the overall victory and taking another step towards lifting the 2024 championship to finish a season which they began with a first overall victory.
Super-consistent crew continue French Gravel Rally Championship campaign
Can i20 N Rally2 driver Laurent Pellier maintain his record of finishing on the podium at every round of the French Gravel Rally Championship at this weekend’s Rallye Terre des Cardabelles-Millau-Aveyron? Or can he even go one better and claim a first win of the season? So far in 2024 Pellier and co-driver Kévin Bronner have a third place and three second placed finishes to their names – cementing them in second in the points’ standings. However, Pellier, who started the year with comparatively little experience on gravel is still pushing for a first win of the season. With only one round remaining after this weekend’s event the opportunities to take a victory – that would cap a very consistent season – are running out.
