Rally Terra Sarda

Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen lead Rally Terra Sarda after the first day, ahead of Paddon and Pisano

19.10.2025

The opening day in the stunning Ogliastra Region of Sardinia featured a spectacular battle between the two World Champions: Lindholm and Paddon.

 

Three special stages made up the first day of competition at the 2025 Rally Terra Sarda, the final round of the TER Series, the World Series of TER, and TER Historic, and the penultimate round of the TER - Tour European Rally, which in 2025 marks its tenth edition.

 

The entry list boasted two standout drivers, each with a world title on their résumé: Hayden Paddon, WRC Production Champion in 2011, and Emil Lindholm, WRC2 Champion in 2022. The battle between them was immediate.

 

The Finn, at the wheel of a Skoda Fabia RS, co-driven by Reeta Hämäläinen, set the fastest time on the opening special stage, finishing 3.4 seconds ahead of Hayden Paddon and Jared Hudson. The New Zealander responded straight away, taking the quickest time on stage two and reducing Lindholm's lead to just 1.2 seconds. Lindholm was again fastest on the third and final stage of the day, ending the first leg in the lead by 8.8 seconds over Paddon's Hyundai.

 

In third place, with a Skoda Fabia, local heroes Andrea Pisano and Salvatore Musselli sit 42.6 seconds behind the leader.

 

A remarkable performance came from Sardinian rising star Valentino Ledda, who finishes the first leg in fourth place in the TER - Tour European Rally standings and fifth overall in the TER Series, driving a Renault Clio Rally3.

 

The top five in the TER - Tour European Rally classification are completed by four Skoda Fabias: Siddi and Maccioni in fifth, followed by Cocco-Deiana in sixth, Cadelano-Cottu in seventh, and Latvians Gints Cēlājs and Tom Freibergs.

 

Italians Simone Boscariol and Jasmine Manfredi lead TER 2WD, ahead of fellow countrymen Lorrai, De Sanctis, and Romanian competitor Lupu.

 

Four more special stages await the crews on the second day, before the final finish in Tortolì in the afternoon.

 

Online standings:
https://www.ewrc-results.com/results/91723-rally-terra-sarda-2025/?s=513949&sct=899