RallyX heads to the famous Kouvola rallycross circuit in Finland this weekend for rounds three and four, where a bumper entry of over 100 drivers – comprising of series regulars and Finnish stars – will go head-to-head in the battle for honours.
2022 marks the first time RallyX has held an event at the Finnish venue since 2019, and while reigning champion and current series leader Johan Kristoffersson heads to Kouvola among the favourites, he will face stiff competition.
Not least from Niclas Gronholm, who set the pace early in the opening RallyX 2022 round at Holjes but wasn’t able to score the result he was capable of. A former World Rallycross Championship winner at Kouvola and a RallyX race-winner last season, Gronholm and his Hyundai i20 will be a force to be reckoned with this weekend.
Norwegians Thomas Bryntesson (Volkswagen Polo), Ole Christian Veiby (Audi S1) and Sondre Evjen (Audi S1) will also be in the midst of the victory hunt in both rounds, while Yury Belevskiy (Peugeot 208), now with two rounds experience in the Peugeot 208 will have eyes on a top result too.
Flying the flag for Sweden, Gustav Bergstrom makes his second Supercar start alongside Kristoffersson in the KMS team, driving a Volkswagen Polo, while Andreas Carlsson (Renault Clio), Philip Gehrman (Audi S1), Peter Hedstrom (Hyundai i20) and Anders Michalak (Volkswagen Polo) will all be podium contenders. Compatriot Mats Ohman (Audi S1) is set to make his first start of the campaign as part of a four-car JC Raceteknik Supercar line-up.
The camp of home Finnish drivers hoping to join Gronholm in the battle for top positions is led by former RallyX front-runner Jere Kalliokoski (Ford Fiesta), joined by Jari Tuuri (Skoda Fabia) and Ari Pekka Niemi (Ford Fiesta) among others, as part of the 20-strong Supercar line up.
In Supercar Lites, former event-winner Jesse Kallio returns to the ultra-competitive single-specification category hoping for home success, while Martin Enlund (Sweden), Simon Olofsson (Sweden), Casper Jansson (Sweden) and Ole Henry Steinsholt (Norway) all displayed race-winning potential in the opening weekend of the 2022 campaign, and will be looking for a first win of the campaign at Kouvola.
The CrossCar division delivered incredible racing in the opening two rounds of the season in Sweden, and with the entry made up of multi-national drivers once again for rounds three and four, the action is set to be no different. Norwegian Thomas Eek Murstad currently leads the standings.
It’s in CrossCar Junior and Open 2WD however, where Finnish drivers have entered in their droves. The youngest drivers in the event are set to put on a show in CrossCar Junior, as the stars of the future display their skills and build their experience for the next steps in their careers.
Open 2WD continues to grow in strength and depth within the RallyX roster, with an increasingly eclectic mix of two-wheel-drive traditional rallycross machines, conceived from across the Nordic region, set to battle for supremacy in Kouvola.
Free Practice will take place on Friday (May 27th) evening, with round three on Saturday (May 28th) and round four on Sunday (May 29th). Find the full schedule here.
The full entry list can be viewed here.
Watch the action LIVE and FOR FREE on RallyX TV here.
