Big guns ready to face off in Finland as RallyX Nordic title battles heat up

  • Kristoffersson, McConnell and Evjen go head-to-head
  • World RX stars Grönholm and Rytkönen bolster Supercar class at OuluZone
  • Supercar Lites leader Hallman challenged by Andersson and Östlund on home turf
  • Action to be broadcast live and free-to-air on RallyX TV

The 2021 RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires season will roar back into life at OuluZone this weekend (5-6 June), with the Finnish double-header set to have a huge impact on the ongoing title fights across all five categories.

Coming off the back of a hugely successful weekend at the iconic Höljes circuit in Sweden, RallyX Nordic now heads to a new venue and once again welcomes a bumper roster of world class drivers and teams for Rounds 5 and 6 of the campaign – which will be broadcast live and free-to-air on RallyX TV.

Supercar 

Johan Kristoffersson currently sits top of the Supercar standings after a victory and two second-place results from the opening four rounds of the RallyX Nordic season, and the three-time FIA World Rallycross champion will be looking to consolidate the top spot when he arrives in Finland.

But the Swedish star is just 13 points ahead of Olsbergs MSE ace Fraser McConnell after the Jamaican backed up his Round 1 win in Denmark with consistent displays at Höljes, while EKS JC’s Sondre Evjen is only four points further back and will be confident of closing the gap.

Fraser McConnell Höljes May 16, 2021

The top three in the championship fight must also contend with World RX regular Niclas Grönholm, who is back for more RallyX Nordic action after securing consecutive wins on his season debut in Sweden last time out. The Grönholm RX driver is joint-fourth in the standings despite missing the opening double-header at Nysum, and the Finn will hope to get the better of the Supercar stars in his Hyundai i20 when the lights go out in Oulu.

And there is even more top-class talent on show in the form of Juha Rytkönen, with the World RX podium finisher joining the Supercar field on what promises to be a stellar weekend of racing. The Finnish national rallycross champion took a surprise second place on his debut in the premier series at Kouvola last year and is an exciting addition to the headlining RallyX Nordic class.

Supercar Lites 

Tommi Hallman remains the man to beat in Supercar Lites, with the SET Promotion star 14 points clear of the chasing pack ahead of his home race. The Finn is yet to finish outside the podium places this season, demonstrating impressive consistency during his debut campaign in the category.

However, Kristoffersson Motorsport’s Nils Andersson is fired up following his first Supercar Lites win last time out at Höljes and is joint-second in the standings alongside pre-season favourite Linus Östlund.

Nils Andersson Tommi Hallman Martin Enlund Supercar Lites Höljes May 13, 2021

The pair are 12 points ahead of Simon Olofsson, who has endured more than his fair share of bad luck since a clean sweep in Round 1 at Nysum. The STS RX driver will be hoping his fortunes turn around in Finland as he looks to close the gap to the trio ahead.

The competitive field has been further bolstered by the arrival of RX Academy graduate and esports ace Jonne Ollikainen, who will make his Supercar Lites bow driving alongside Hallman for SET Promotion.

Supporting Cast 

The CrossCar/Crosskart category continues to be a closely-fought affair, with Isak Reiersen top of the standings following his Round 4 win at Höljes. The EKS JC ace holds a slender four-point advantage over Patrik Hallberg while Jimmie Österberg is also in the mix just six points further back – setting up a fantastic showdown in Finland.

The trio have pulled out a clear advantage over the trailing pack. However, the entry list is stacked with talent and features the likes of Round 3 winner Isac Egonsson and Latvian speedster Reinis Nitišs among a host of other prospective challengers.

Reinis Nitišs CrossCar/Crosskart Höljes May 16, 2021

Simon Tiger continues to lead the Open 2WD class following consecutive victories at Höljes but the Swede was made to work hard by an impressive Mathias Jansson and another close battle should be on the cards in Finland.

Finally, a number of local entries have supplemented the CrossCar Junior category prior to RallyX Nordic’s visit to OuluZone although all eyes will be on Alex Gustafsson and his attempt to reel in runaway points leader leader Lukas Andersson. The reigning champion secured back-to-back wins in Sweden last time out but still has it all to do if he is going to bridge a 12-point gap this weekend.

Where to Watch

The high-octane action across all five classes will be broadcast live, free and in high-definition at tv.rallyx.se, with the racing set to get underway on Saturday, 5 June and concluding on Sunday, 6 June.

Official Entry Lists

Supercar

NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR
1 Johan Kristoffersson SWE Kristoffersson Motorsport Volkswagen Polo
3 Jere Kalliokoski FIN Kalliokoski Motorsport Ford Fiesta
7 Anders Michalak SWE Hedströms Motorsport Volkswagen Polo
18 Juha Rytkönen FIN Betomik Racing Team Ford Fiesta
33 Enzo Ide BEL EKS JC Audi S1
35 Fraser McConnell JAM Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta MK8
42 Henri Haapamäki FIN SweepBank Team Ford Fiesta MK8
61 Andreas Carlsson SWE ACRX Renault Clio RS
68 Niclas Grönholm FIN GRX Hyundai i20
69 Sondre Evjen NOR EKS JC Audi S1
77 Jari Tuuri FIN Jari Tuuri Skoda Fabia
95 Philip Gehrman SWE Team First Stop Sweden Volkswagen Polo

 

Supercar Lites

NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR
4 Ida Törnhult SWE Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites
9 Grégory Fosse FRA Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites
10 Martin Jonsson SWE Alfta Racing Team Supercar Lites
11 Mats Oskarsson SWE MORX Supercar Lites
14 Nils Andersson SWE Kristoffersson Motorsport Supercar Lites
17 Gustav Bergström SWE Kristoffersson Motorsport Supercar Lites
18 Linus Östlund SWE Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites
22 Mattis Janssom SWE KJ.S RX Supercar Lites
36 Casper Jansson SWE Enlunds Motorsport Supercar Lites
44 Jonne Ollikainen FIN SET Promotion Supercar Lites
52 Simon Olofsson SWE STS RX Supercar Lites
55 Lane Vacala USA STS RX Supercar Lites
60 Martin Enlund SWE Enlunds Motorsport Supercar Lites
82 Isak Sjökvist SWE Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites
87 Tommi Hallman FIN SET Promotion Supercar Lites
91 Niklas Aneklev SWE Team Ramudden / Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites
166 Martin Ekspjuth SWE Ekspjuth Motorsport Supercar Lites

 

CrossCar/Crosskart

NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR
2 Timo Laapotti FIN Team Speedweekend Speedcar
5 Riku Huuhka FIN Team Speedweekend Speedcar
8 Pasi Penttinen FIN Team Speedweekend Speedcar
11 Jimmie Österberg SWE Power RX Speedcar
15 Reinis Nitišs LVA Planet Kart Cross Kamikaz
30 Erik Andersson SWE Power RX Speedcar
65 Jami Kalliomäki FIN SET Promotion Speedcar Xtreme
67 Isac Egonsson SWE Carcontrol Speedcar
80 Tomi Rakkolainen FIN Team Speedweekend Speedcar
81 Ronalds Baldins LVA Baco 81 Speedcar
84 Jarkko Aronen FIN Team Speedweekend Speedcar
85 Petter Hane SWE Carcontrol Speedcar
161 Patrik Hallberg SWE Max RPM EDGE
170 Isak Reiersen SWE EKS JC Speedcar

 

Open 2WD

NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR
1 Simon Tiger SWE TeamTigerRX BMW E30 M3
2 Marcus Norman SWE Odin Target Mazda RX8
5 Lars Englund SWE Lars Englund Porsche 911
9 Tuomas Venäläinen FIN Tuomas Venäläinen RX Datsun Finn
10 Rami Kauttio FIN RK RX Ford Escort
46 Mathias Jansson SWE Mathias Jansson Volvo S40
TBC Antti Väre FIN Antti Väre Ford Fiesta

 

CrossCar Junior

NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR
10 Joakim Lund Olander SWE Joakim Lund Olander Speedcar
11 Pontus Oskarsson SWE MORX Speedcar
21 Rasmus Persson SWE Carcontrol Speedcar
30 Mikael Uitto FIN Mikael Uitto Speedcar
34 Erik Nilsson SWE Carcontrol Speedcar
57 Lauri Halonen FIN Lauri RX Ydrefalk
74 Maiju Niemi FIN Peat Racing Team Speedcar
86 Tinka Perämäki FIN Tinka Perämäki Speedcar
95 Aleksi Suono FIN Suono Motorsport Speedcar Xtreme
99 Lukas Andersson SWE LACK 99 Speedcar
111 Isak Hatanmaa FIN Isak Hatanmaa Casmat
138 Joni Turpeinen FIN Joni Turpeinen Ydrefalk
150 Joonatan Ylilammi FIN Team Ylilammi Speedcar
184 Elias Kalliokoski FIN Kalliokoski Racing Speedcar
199 Alex Gustafsson SWE EKS JC Speedcar

 

Lukas Andersson CrossCar Junior Höljes May 16, 2021