The Toksport Škoda Fabia Rally2 pilot heads into the season finale on identical points with main rival Kajetan Kajetanowicz, who also drives a similar car. When dropped scores are taken into account, however, it’s Lindholm who has a slight advantage.
Andreas Mikkelsen actually tops the points but has already contested the maximum seven rallies permitted in a WRC2 season. A reasonable score for either driver would throw him out of contention, while finishing ahead of Kajetanowicz in Aichi would guarantee Lindholm the title.
“Let’s see,” Lindholm mused. “The situation now regarding Japan is, I would say, quite okay. If we are in front of Kajto it’s clear - it just depends on who finishes in front and what positions we are fighting for.
“Typically, when a rally is new for everybody it’s better for us. We’re all on the same page and nobody has prior experience, so I guess it could be quite good.
“I have also seen that Japan has quite slow and twisty roads which I quite like - especially the middle part of the Power Stage. I’m looking forward to that,” he added.
Lindholm felt slightly frustrated after his last outing at RallyRACC - Rally de España. Despite placing two positions higher than Kajetanowicz in fourth overall, the Finn’s result could have been even stronger had he not spun on the second stage.
The mishap could have been far worse although it did inflict a rear puncture which cost almost one minute.
“We dropped to 14th or something like that and we managed to climb to fourth and take full points in the Power Stage,” he explained. “That’s the maximum we could do after the issue we had.
“If we skipped that stage - which you can’t do in rallying - it would have been a good weekend!”
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