Why Munster is doing the Junior WRC in Sweden
But the 24-year-old, who triumphed in the FIA World Rally Championship’s second tier at FORUM8 Rally Japan last year, is preparing to make his FIA Junior WRC debut at Rally Sweden (February 9 – 12).
The Junior WRC is a series for aspiring young drivers in identical M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars. The season kicks off next week, with a huge 2024 WRC2 prize race up for grabs for the eventual champion.
However, Munster has not set his sights on that prize – and he has already agreed a full WRC2 campaign aboard one of M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta Rally2s this season. Instead, his winter outing is all about gaining experience on snow – a surface that, until a pre-event test on Wednesday, was completely foreign to him.
“It’s totally different,” laughs Munster when asked about his first ice driving experience. “The more sideways you go, the more grip you get [tyre] studs really get into the thick ice. The level of grip becomes quite exponential and it’s actually quite nice to drive.
“If you ask me which surface I prefer to drive on, it’s gravel – and now it’s maybe snow. I started driving in Belgium and they only have Tarmac events there, so naturally I’m a bit more of a Tarmac driver.”
The beauty of Munster registering for Junior WRC points in the opening round is that he will be able to benchmark his performance in the same way against drivers with similar experience in identical machines.
As for the car, the Fiesta Rally3 is marketed as an entry point for drivers making the leap to four-wheel drive machinery. As such, it’s less powerful, less technologically advanced but more affordable than its Rally2-spec counterpart which Munster debuted at Rallye Monte-Carlo last month.
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While some would argue that Munster’s Rally3 outing is a step backwards, the performance difference – compared to the cars he is used to driving – is not necessarily a bad thing, as he explains.
“It’s a really good lesson. I’ve done some single Cups before in Germany for example, and driving cars that are less powerful actually requires more attention sometimes.
“You have to concentrate on carrying speed, but not going into the corner too fast to make sure you get a good exit. You can’t go in too fast and use the power to get one out – you really have to think that and be efficient, so that’s why I think it’s a good school.”
Nine FIA Junior WRC drivers have registered for Rally Sweden. Of these nine, only two (William Creighton and Laurent Pellier) have previously competed in a round of the championship.
