From the stages of Las Palmas to the Modena shakedown, the Schio-based team opens two very different technical fronts. Johansson begins his season with Munaretto in the WRC, while Vellani and Joona look for rhythm and consistency in Emilia.
MS Munaretto heads into a weekend built on two clearly distinct levels, first the international stage of Rally Islas Canarias and then the more demanding and technical work of Rally di Modena, in a combination that highlights the team’s operational depth.
In the Canary Islands, based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the weekend begins with the shakedown, the first real benchmark on a very compact and abrasive asphalt that already reflects the nature of the rally. The overall route develops over approximately 700 kilometres in total, with technical, flowing and high-speed special stages, often characterised by wide roads and high grip, where precision becomes decisive. The finish, as tradition dictates, brings the crews back to the heart of the island’s capital after three intense and selective days.
In this context, MS Munaretto fields the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 number 39 driven by Mille Johansson and Johan Grönvall. For the Swedish driver, this marks his first outing of the season with the Schio-based team within the WRC framework, not a debut, but the start of a programme built in alternation with his commitments with the official Ford team. A dual pathway that raises the level of the challenge and positions this event as the first concrete step in a structured season.
From the Canary Islands, the focus then shifts to Emilia for the Rally di Modena, with start and finish in the city centre and a total distance exceeding 300 kilometres, around a third of which are competitive stages. Here too, the weekend takes shape from the opening shakedown, essential to quickly find feeling on a completely different surface, dirtier, more variable and often unpredictable. The special stages wind through the Modenese Apennines, with narrow and technical roads where pace management and clean driving make the difference all the way to the final finish.
MS Munaretto will line up two Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars. Car number 5 will see Roberto Vellani and Elia De Guio, tasked with building confidence stage after stage, avoiding mistakes on a surface that evolves rapidly. Car number 7 will be crewed by Lauri Joona and Antti Linnaketo, continuing their development on Italian asphalt in one of the selected appearances planned for this surface, a choice influenced by the positive feedback gathered last season, when they already proved competitive and comfortable in similar conditions.
Between the perfect grip of the Canary Islands and the ever-changing asphalt of the Apennines, MS Munaretto approaches a weekend that tests every aspect of teamwork, from technical management to adaptability, once again confirming a structure capable of operating with clarity across very different contexts and objectives.
