Aged 18 and competing in the World Rally
Championship for the first time, Johansson snatched first place in the M-Sport
Poland-run contest on SS6 and never looked back, winning by 48.9sec.
One of a record 19 entrants, Johansson beat
FIA Rally Star program member Romet Jürgenson as Eamonn Kelly completed the
podium in the category for identical Ford Fiesta Rally3s run equipped with
Pirelli tyres.
While seven drivers scored Wolf Stage Win
points across the winter weekend to highlight the highly competitive nature of
Junior WRC, Johansson completed his home rally with eight additional points
after setting the pace eight times alongside co-driver Johan Grönvall.
Johansson is now hoping his success in
Sweden will convince more partners to come forward and support his Junior WRC
challenge after he revealed that he has yet to secure the full budget required
for the five-event season, which continues in Croatia from 18 - 21 April.
“I was not thinking I would be the fastest,
but the feeling has been great all weekend, just some small driving mistakes
losing some time, but we have taken that back and had a strong pace all
weekend,” the Junior ERC graduate said. “For the moment we don’t have the
budget [to carry on] so I hope someone will join us. We will see but I will
love to [keep going].”
Jürgenson was the ninth Estonian to score a
Junior WRC podium and the third to do so on his debut. He took three Wolf Stage
Win points on his way to second place, more than three minutes clear of
Irishman Eamonn Kelly.
Spain’s Raúl Hernández, who won the opening
stage, finished fourth ahead of Belgian Tom Rensonnet and Chilean Geraldo
Rosselot, who was sixth on his Junior WRC debut and fastest on the Wolf Power
Stage.
Kazakhstan driver Petr Borodin, another
Junior WRC newcomer, finished seventh with Australian FIA Rally Star Taylor
Gill in eighth.
Romania’s 2023 Junior ERC champion Norbert
Maior was ninth on his step up to world level as his prize for taking the
European title with co-driving sister Francesca Maior. South African Max Smart
completed his seventh ever rally in 10th place.
Spain’s Roberto Blach restarted on Sunday
morning following suspension damage picked up on Saturday’s closing stage and
finished 11th followed by Bolivian Nataniel Bruun. Andre Martinez, Abdullah
Al-Rawahi and Jakub Matulka completed the finishers.
Fabio Schwarz, who held third after leg
one, was unable to finish, retiring with damage after striking a snowbank on
SS16. Diego Domínguez also went no further than Sunday’s first stage due to a
broken radiator.