- Round one does not go to plan for Enlund amid setup woes
- Pace improves during round two for the Swede
- Olsbergs MSE driver now focussed on Arvika and Nysum to hone Supercar Lites technique
Martin Enlund had a lot to live up to during his first Nordic appearance in Supercar Lites machinery, following his headline-grabbing speed at the 2019 Magic Weekend. Unfortunately, an appearance in the final eluded him at the opening two rounds, but strong pace on the Sunday gives him plenty of reasons to feel confident heading to Avrika.
The Swede’s efforts were hampered by setup troubles during round one, hovering around 10th position in each of the qualifying sessions (Q1: 9th, Q2:10th, Q3: 11th) meant 13th in the intermediate standings and missing out on a spot in the semi-finals by just one place.
Round two was a different story however, Enlund was fast straight out of the box placing in the top two in both practice sessions. Sixth in Q1 confirmed the performance gains since Thursday and was then backed up by a third-place finish in Q2.
The Olsbergs MSE driver was getting stronger as the weekend progressed, another third in Q3 meant he was now an excellent fourth overall. An unwelcome collision with round one winner Simon Olofsson sent Enlund tumbling down the order putting him on the back foot for the semi-finals. He was subsequently delayed again on the opening lap of the semi-final, which was where his challenge ended.
“The main difference between last year when I drove the CrossCar and this year in the Supercar Lites is that is that you need to be much smother with the steering, throttle and brakes in the lites car,” commented Enlund. “The CrossCar is a more aggressive driving style, you can really throw it into the corners a lot more.
“Both cars are super fun to drive so I wouldn’t say either is better, you just have to adjust to get the most out of each of them. The Supercar Lites class is the next step up the Rallycross ladder so it’s all great experience.
“I didn’t feel comfortable in the car for round one, the setup wasn’t quite right so I couldn’t push as much as I wanted to. We made some adjustments to the car in the days between rounds and were ready to go again for round two.
“The performance definitely improved for round two, we were on the pace so I’m happy with that. I don’t have much experience in wet conditions, so I learned a lot from racing in the rain.
“I’m really focussed on the rest of the season now, I believe that I can be in the final and that’s what I’m targeting for sure. This season is mainly for me to learn as much as possible for the future so I’m trying to absorb everything I can.”
