Young star
Brynildsen
secures SWRC
return

Brynildsen became the eighth driver to register for the hugely competitive SWRC category earlier this week and acknowledged that Hanninen would be a tough nut to crack.

Finn Hanninen will drive a factory-supported Skoda Fabia S2000 in the SWRC with Norwegian Brynildsen turning out in a similar JM Racing Fabia, which is likely to be run in co-operation with countryman Petter Solberg.

“I have done the WRC regularly for four years now and I’ve been all over the world getting a lot of experience,” said the rapid Brynildsen, 23. “That will be a big help as I try to become world champion but I know I’ll get big competition from Juho Hanninen. He’s very fast and will have all the best bits from Skoda available to him. But I will do my best to keep to him.”

Brynildsen has gone up against Hanninen before when both drivers competed in Group N Mitsubishi Lancers earlier in their careers.

“To be successful in the SWRC you need to be both fast and smart,” said Brynildsen, who works for a road construction company in his native Norway when he’s not competing. “Juho is a clever driver in that he can push at 110 per cent all of the time. I look at him as the driver to beat and there have been times before when I have done that. I’m getting closer to being a complete driver now and I’ve got stage wins on Tarmac, snow and gravel. It’s also working good in the car with my co-driver Cato [Menkerud].”

Of his pending agreement with Petter Solberg, Brynildsen explained: “From a funding side we will manage to do a full season in the Skoda starting in Jordan. We hope the car will be run in cooperation with Petter Solberg.”