While no one expected Lukas Andersson to challenge the favorites in the Supercar Lites category in his first campaign at this level of racing, the 15-year-old Swede surprised the RallyX paddock with his maturity.
After three seasons in Junior CrossCar, with one championship title and one runner-up crown, Lukas Andersson has made a perfect transition to Supercar Lites.
His three victories in the first four races of the championship and his position as points’ leader at the midway point of the season will be remembered by all, as will his status as title favorite, which he managed to maintain until the final race of the 2023 season at Höljes.
Despite a more complicated than expected stage in Kouvola, where Lukas Andersson failed to break the 20-point barrier in the weekend’s two races for the first time this year, the JC Raceteknik driver managed to keep a cool head.
Third in the standings, just nine points behind two-time champion Simon Olofsson, Lukas admits he never let himself get carried away.
“As I said earlier this year, even when I was in a position to fight for the title, I never felt the slightest pressure. Joel [Christoffersson] was particularly good at helping me not to fall into that trap,” Lukas points out.
“He quickly made me realize that I wasn’t the one with the most to lose, especially when I was up against much more experienced opponents for whom the Supercar Lites category holds no secrets. I’m only 15, so I couldn’t afford to fight the wrong battle.
With three wins and a total of four podiums, seven qualifications for a final out of eight races contested, three intermediate classification victories for eight best qualifying times and 12 top 3 finishes in 26 qualifying races, Lukas Andersson remained uncompromising until the end of the 2023 season.
“My only goal was to give my best in every race. Of course, I don’t hide the fact that my goal was to finish first in the overall standings. I’m a competitor and it’s natural for me to want to win races and championships. However, although I want to win like everyone else, it hasn’t created any particular stress for me.
It’s a recipe that Lukas wants to repeat in May 2024, when the RallyX championship resumes.
“What’s certain is that this 2023 season has proven to me that I can fight for the title as long as I’m capable of doing everything I can to achieve my goals.”
