After springing a surprise in Tierp at the beginning of May with his first victory at this level of competition, the 19-year-old Norwegian has naturally upped his ambitions.
Only 18th in the overall standings after the opening round in Nysum, Robin Grana wasted no time in adjusting his approach in his first season in the RallyX championship. Winner of Race 1 and having qualified twice in a row for a final, the Norwegian had put in the best performance of the weekend in Sweden, accumulating no less than 50 points out of a possible 60.
It was a performance that took the driver of the Speedcar Wonder chassis by surprise.
” To win the final after qualifying on pole position was clearly a great moment for me. Last year, I was just competing in the NEZ championship, and the level of RallyX seemed so high that to manage to win race 1 at Tierp was something I hadn’t really imagined.”
Having worked his way up through the CrossCar ladder since his debut in the Junior category at the age of 12, the Norwegian recorded the biggest improvement of the Tierp weekend, climbing from 18th to 6th place overall.
“We got off to a difficult start to the season in Denmark with engine problems and a persistent lack of power, but we managed to find solutions before Tierp, where everything went well for me from a mechanical point of view.”
But Robin has no intention of settling for sixth place in the championship standings.
“I think Kouvola is a track that can suit me. It’s very fast and the track is really fun. It’s my first time here, but I’m hoping we’ll be able to build on our Tierp success. Nevertheless, this category is so competitive that I’m expecting a fierce battle for the top spots. It’s not going to be easy for me, but I hope to be able to stay in the lead. Even if my confidence level is obviously high after Tierp, I’m not going to relax”.
“I’m sixth in the championship, but I don’t want to be satisfied with that. On the other hand, if I want to go higher, I’m going to have to put in some big performances this weekend. The next round of the championship at the Grenland Motorsenter is just a few kilometers from where I live, and it would be a perfect scenario to come to Norway in a good position on a track I know perfectly well”.
Clearly, Robin Grana has not yet said his last word.
