After a remarkable campaign that saw him finish second overall in the Supercar Lites category, Martin Enlund wasted no time in looking ahead to the 2024 season.
Perfect in terms of consistency, with the highest number of podium finishes in the Supercar Lites arena, with six Top 3s in eight races, including a victory in Grenland on the penultimate stage of the 2023 season, Martin Enlund was one of the few, along with Lukas Andersson, to give two-time RallyX champion Simon Olofsson a run for his money.
Third best Supercar Lites performer in qualifying, with 108 points scored against 119 and 111 respectively for Simon Olofsson and Lukas Andersson, Martin Enlund also impressed during the finals, with a total of 78 points against 84 for double 2022/2023 champion Simon Olofsson.
“From a broader point of view, we were able to demonstrate a solid performance throughout the championship,” emphasizes Martin.
“My end of season was a bit strange. The fact that I crossed the finish line in second place in Norway, before being declared as the winner following a decision by the stewards, was something I hadn’t expected. It was a bit of a special win, but we followed it up in Höljes for the last race of the season, winning the first two qualifying heats of the weekend as well as the intermediate classification”.
Third in the overall standings going into the final race of the championship in Holjes, Martin managed to outsmart rookie Lukas Andersson by snatching second place of the Supercar Lites category for a single point.
“We didn’t have much to lose in this last race, and we tried to do everything we could to go for the win. We were third in the championship, just one point behind Lukas Andersson before Höljes. Of course, trailing Simon Olofsson by 12 points, it was a bit too much to hope for the title, but we knew that the second step of the final podium was within our grasp, and that’s what we managed to do”.
Switching from the CrossCar category to the Supercar Lites in 2020, the 22-year-old Swede has gradually established himself as a major figure in the RallyX championship. Seventh in 2020 for his first campaign at this level of racing, Martin Enlund has gone from strength to strength, finishing fourth overall in 2021, before claiming third and then second place in 2022 and 2023.
Although Martin Enlund has only scored one victory since his Supercar Lites debut, he has established himself as a model of consistency with 12 podium finishes to his credit. This is the second-best total in the history of Supercar Lites in RallyX, behind the 23 podiums accumulated by a certain Simon Olofsson.
Nevertheless, Martin makes no secret of the fact that his career in the category may have come to an end. Indeed, the introduction of the FC2 concept, which makes it possible to convert a Supercar Lites via a dedicated kit and a 550 hp engine, has not failed to attract the Swede’s attention. And for good reason, with an FC2 that will be Supercar-eligible as early as 2024 in RallyX, Martin admits the temptation is strong.
“We’re evaluating different options. What’s certain is that I feel the time may have come for me to take it to the next level. Obviously, Supercar is the category everyone wants to move into, but of course it all depends on the economics and budgets we can raise.”
“Staying in Supercar Lites for another year wouldn’t be a problem, but I must also admit that I’m keeping a close eye on the development of the FC2 concept, which would allow us to transform a Supercar Lites into a car eligible in the Supercar category thanks to a dedicated kit, and it’s bound to be an option we’ll be evaluating seriously.”
“In fact, it will all depend on how these FC2 cars manage to be able to compete in the midst of the real Supercars as well as the other championships in which the FC2 concept will be available. For my part, I’d love to return to the United States for Nitrocross. My past experiences in this championship have been conclusive, and even if Nitrocross is an extreme competition, I have to admit that it’s also a lot of fun”.
