Third overall in the RallyX championship, Yury Belevskiy experienced ups and downs in what was only his second real season in Supercar. Nevertheless, the former FIA Euro RX3 European Champion admits to having learned a lot of new things over the last few months.
Although the Audi S1 driver didn’t manage more than two podium finishes in 2023, he was one of only four drivers to reach the top step of the podium.
Winner of Race 2 in Kouvola, Yury Belevskiy also claimed 12 Top 3 finishes out of the 26 qualifying rounds he took part, while claiming six fastest race laps over the whole season.
And while Yury Belevskiy didn’t succeed in getting into the title fight with Kevin Eriksson and Johan Kristoffersson, the Volland Racing team driver draws a rather satisfying summary of his 2023 campaign.
“We’ve learned a lot this year,” Yury points out.
“To be honest, the drivers we’re up against in the RallyX championship are some of the best you can find in Rallycross. We all know Johan Kristoffersson’s talents, while the Eriksson brothers are not to be outdone. Ole-Christian Veiby has also made great progress this year, while Peter Hedström has proved he can win races. Add to that the other drivers in this championship, and you quickly realize that it’s never easy to perform in RallyX.”
Although he has finished three races above the 20-point mark, the Audi S1 driver has not always been rewarded for his efforts, even though he and Kevin Eriksson have the highest number of qualifications for a final, with a total of seven “Top 6” finishes out of the eight races on the 2023 season’s schd.
“On our side, having only one car in the team was probably not an advantage. To establish a setup, we could only rely on my feelings, while I didn’t have any other drivers at my side with whom to exchange ideas. The context was different from the KMS and Olsbergs-MSE teams, who were able to rely on two cars every weekend. One thing’s for sure, this 2023 season has been very productive when it comes to our knowledge of the car. In any case, it has given us plenty of ideas for continuing our work this winter”
While not everything was perfect for Yury Belevskiy in 2023, his performance at the end of the championship at Höljes enabled the Volland Racing driver to finish on a high note. Admittedly, a mistake in the final, while he was closing in on Johan Kristoffersson, cost him the podium he had in his sights
“We had our ups and downs in 2023. Sometimes it was the driver’s fault when things didn’t go our way, but I ended the season on a positive note at Höljes. In terms of pure speed, we reached a milestone by being able to keep up with drivers like Johan Kristoffersson.”
“There was undoubtedly room for us to pocket a very good result, but with the sun setting in the final and visibility becoming difficult, I unfortunately made a mistake when I was already driving at the limit in an attempt to close on Johan. But it was a valuable lesson for me. Next time, I’ll listen to my engineer and and ensure I use a visor in challenging conditions” jokes Yury Belevskiy.
If Yury Belevskiy wants to continue his apprenticeship in the Supercar category, a return to RallyX in 2024 would not be out of the question.
“We’ll see what we do next year and which championships are the most attractive to us. Obviously, the decisive argument for us is to observe which championships the best drivers will enter. I’m more interested in competing against the best drivers than in choosing a series where the level is lower and where I could claim victory every weekend.”
“In the RallyX championship, when you take on drivers of Johan Kristoffersson’s calibre, you make progress every time. Even if you don’t win the race at the end of the weekend, you’re guaranteed to learn a lot of new things, and that’s what interests me the most. It’s certain that if a team like KMS returns to RallyX, it will be an extra argument that could encourage us to go back for another season in this championship.”
