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14 Mar 2013

GRC: Joyful Joni joins OMSE

Category: GRC, News Posted 14.03.13 11:12 by

After pulling the plug on his JRX Cup plans youngster Joni Wiman became one of the most impressive newcomers of last year’s Super1600s ERC. With the help of his mentor Marcus Grönholm the Finn is set for a SuperCar Lites GRC programme.

 

Joni Wiman, one of last year’s ERC most impressing youngsters, is set for an OMSE ‘SuperCar Lites’ programme in the US. As ERC24 mentioned already last summer the now 19 years old Finn from Pohja [Pojo] is the protégé of double World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm and his mentor is taking care of Joni’s further career steps. Wiman: “One cannot call him my manager, but ‘Bosse’ has a lot of contacts in the industry and has been able to introduce me to the right people.” Earlier this week there was a meeting with potential sponsors and press people at Grönholm’s farm in Ingå [Inkoo], where the 2012 JRX Cup fugitive and subsequent Super1600 driver with Set Promotion was able to test drive one of the new OMSE 300+bhp strong SuperCar Lites vehicles.

ERC24 had a short chat with the 2012 Renault Clio Mk2 driver, whose 13th place in the S1600 final standings doesn’t do him justice, to find out about the 2013 plans of Wiman:

  • ERC24: Great news, Joni! Do we see you in the US this year?
  • Wiman: Yeah, we still work on the budget, but we have a great sponsor day behind us. We had the OMSE Lites car here in Finland and I was driving a couple of laps with potential sponsors sitting in the car beside me. It was awesome!
  • ERC24: Please tell us, how are those SuperCar Lites? How many laps did you do and did Marcus tell you how to drive during the test?
  • Wiman: It is a very nice car, easy to drive and it has enough of power. I have done about 30 laps and every lap it was going better and better. Marcus is not really teaching me yet, but he tells me if he sees something that needs to be improved.
  • ERC24: What are your plans? Are you doing GRC events only, or also some rounds of the new ERX series?
  • Wiman: I will certainly do the Finnish round in Kouvola with Set Promotion, but depending on a to be raised budget maybe even more events. I hope to do at least two or three of the RallycrossRX events. The car will be the Renault Clio again, as the two Twingos will be run by the two Russians [Timur Shigaboutdinov and Set Promotion returnee Ildar Rakhmatullin].
  • ERC24: Kiitos!
  • Wiman: Ole hyvä!