Mads Østberg starts this week’s Secto Automotive Rally Finland (1 – 3 October) with his sights firmly set on victory. He trails championship leader Andreas Mikkelsen by 30 points after a fraught outing last month in Greece but with two scoring rounds remaining for Østberg, victory here would rejuvenate his title challenge. “It’s an important one, especially after a very challenging weekend in Greece,” admitted Østberg. He drives a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 for the first time, having contested his previous three category outtings this season in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2. Nikolay Gryazin returns to a Polo GTI R5 after driving a Fiesta Rally2 in Greece, teaming up with Suninen in the Movisport SRL team, which is aiming to chase down Toksport in the team’s championship.

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