Judging by individual stage times, the day went up and down: first- and third-place finishes, and one fourth-place finish. The fuel pump was already inspected during the first service, and after the afternoon service, as the team was heading to the next special stage, the car was turned around and sent back to the service area. “It could have gone better, but that’s how it went,” saysHenri Altomaa.
The roads around Kitee are fun and challenging to drive. The roads were new to Altomaa, but it quickly became clear that he still had his speed. After a two-month break from competition, he took third place on the first special stage and first place on the next one. Fuel supply issues hampered his progress starting on the third stage, but by the sixth special stage, Altomaa and his co-driverJussi Kärpijokihad claimed first place.
During the afternoon service, they tried to pinpoint the problem, but the issue continued to worsen. The duo ended up withdrawing from the race. “It’s a shame, but that’s part of the sport,” Altomaa says. “It was still nice to see that I can hold my own—and even beat—competitors who have racked up plenty of kilometers in World Rally Championship events. I’ll have to put my hopes for this year’s class championship on hold for now, but in Porvoo we’ll be racing for the win again.”
You can also follow Henri Altomaa’s rally career on social media:
IG: henrialtomaa
FB: Henri Altomaa
TikTok: henri.altomaa
YouTube: HenriAltomaa
Text: Aija Parm
Photo: Taneli Niinimäki/AKK
