A kép forrása: RallyCafe
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Váratlan bejelentést tett a finn legenda, befejezi karrierjét
Juha Salo, a ten-time champion of the Finnish Rally Championship, has announced his retirement. Although the 47-year-old driver has not ruled out participating in individual races in the future, he will no longer compete in a full season. Salo is the second most successful driver in the history of the Finnish Rally Championship, having won 10 championship titles throughout his career, with only Kyösti Hamalainen ahead of him with 13 titles in the 1970s and 1980s. However, Salo announced on Wednesday that he is ending his career by saying, „I think it’s time to retire. I had been thinking about it since the summer, and it’s best to say it out loud when you feel it’s over. I still wanted to wait for the Lahti Rally because if we had performed really well there, I might have reconsidered. It was our best rally of the year, we won three stages, led the race and finished in second place. Nevertheless, I felt that it’s truly time to retire at the end of this year.” Salo started his career in 1997 and has competed in 222 races, including 16 WRC and 7 ERC events. „We have had a long and wonderful journey, but now I want to devote more time to my business. I realized this summer if there is anything left in rallying that would bring me joy. And when thoughts like that come to mind, it’s better to quit. After such thoughts, you can no longer go to your sponsors and say you’ll do everything to be the best in the championship. Starting from 2024, I will end my full-time professional racing career, but the plans for next year’s Finnish championship sound interesting, and it’s possible that I will still start in one race. I still have a chance for a podium finish in this year’s championship, so I’ll do everything I can at the season-ending Kokkola Rally.” In the current Finnish Championship, the Finnish driver is in fourth place before the final race, with a 12-point gap to third-place Teemu Asunmaa and a 15-point gap to Jari Huttunen. However, he could still catch up with the championship leader, Lauri Joona, who has an 18-point advantage, as a victory in Finland is worth 25 points. However, Salo has not won a race in the championship since 2019. Among his 16 WRC races, his best result came in 2013 when he finished in 14th place at the Finnish Rally, and in 2012, he finished third in the SWRC at the same event.
Forrás: RallyCafe
