The Finn made his 4WD racing debut at his home rally, switching from the usual Ford Fiesta Rally4 M-Sport Poland to a Skoda Fabia R5 at the Jyväskylä event.

After an understandably cautious start, Joona moved up the world rankings to third when compatriots Teemu Asunmaa and Eerik Pietarinen crashed on the final day.

Reflecting on the outcome, Juna admitted that she did not expect to finish this high, adding that Fabia required a different approach to driving than she used to.

“I was a little surprised,” he said. “My plan was to be in the seventh or middle class, but everyone was making mistakes that helped us and the result is better than I expected.

“The driving is very different compared to a Rally 4 car,” he added. “You need to turn more and know the curve before entering and of course the braking and acceleration are also a big difference.”

Joona is currently fourth in the FIA ​​Junior WRC standings and will return to the trusted Fiesta Rally4 for next week’s championship final at the RallyRACC Rally de España (October 14-17).

It revealed plans to switch to the M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 for the 2022 season, but did not rule out possible future trips on the R5 cars.

We have some tests next week [en España] So I can get back to my rhythm,” said the 24-year-old. “Of course the asphalt is not my best surface, but I think we will try to drive well and get a good result.

“We have a Rally3 in our garage, so I think that’s our main goal. [para el próximo año]. But if we can get the budget, I think we’ll try to do some rallying with the R5.”