One of the biggest surprises of the second half of the season in the Junior CrossCar category, Hampus Hagström has confirmed that he will return for a second full campaign in the RallyX championship in 2024.
Hampus Hagström has established himself as one of the championship’s rising stars in 2023 after winning the Swedish Junior Championship and finishing fifth overall in RallyX.
From eighth overall at the midway point of the season, the young Swede made a storming finish to the championship, gaining no less than three positions and converting two consecutive qualifications for a final in the last two rounds of 2023.
From an average of 10.7 points per event between Nysum and Tierp, Hagström finished his run with an average of 16.2 points between Kouvola and Höljes.
“If I had to sum up my 2023 season, I’d say it was quite positive. I felt that my confidence increased from race to race, while at the same time I had a much better feeling with my CrossCar,” stressed Hampus, before reflecting on the end of the championship in which he was able to show his full potential.
“We’ve actually started to understand what the right settings are, but the biggest change is definitely the engine. We completely overhauled it for the end of the season and it was clearly from there that the results started to come.”
Twelfth in the 2022 junior championship with a programme limited to a few races, last year’s fifth place naturally encourages Hampus to rethink his goals.
Indeed, while the championship’s leading trio of Mikael Uitto, Joonatan Ylilammi and Lauri Halonen have now completed their apprenticeship in the junior category, Hampus Hagström is naturally one of the favourites for the title, along with Oliver Tveitten-Sollie.
“Of course I want to do better in 2024,” says Hampus.
“I hope my season will be even better than last year. I know that I have to improve in certain areas. Starting with my concentration, which could be even better, while I still need to deepen my knowledge of the car.
“What’s certain is that we’re returning to the championship with a completely overhauled CrossCar. The aim is to win the championship, of course, and we’ll do everything we can to achieve that. I know it won’t be easy because the level of the competition will be very high again. On paper, I’d say my toughest opponent will be Oliver Sollie, but I imagine there will be several of us aiming for the same goal.”
