The 2022 Danish champion Julius Nilsson will use the 2024 season to make his RallyX debut at the wheel of a Speedcar Wonder chassis.
The son of former FIA European Rallycross Championship legend Marcus Nilsson (3 wins and 12 podiums in his career), Julius Nilsson is about to hit the big time.
Following a late season appearance at Höljes in the Senior CrossCar category last year, the young Swede is now looking to step up a gear.
After entering the Danish National Championship in 2020 with a fifth-place finish in the 250cc class, Julius Nilsson confirmed his rise to the top with a second-place finish in the 650cc class in 2021.
Danish champion in 2022, the Ystad-based driver focused on the Danish and Swedish championships in 2023, finishing fourth in both.
While 2024 will only be his fifth season in CrossCar, it’s in the RallyX series that Julius Nilsson has chosen to continue his development.
“I’ve been competing in CrossCar for four years now,” Julius points out.
“In 2022, when I won the Danish championship, we started to think about new challenges. This led us to do a double program between the Danish and Swedish championships last year, but if I want to continue my development as a driver, RallyX is the logical next step for me”.
In September 2023, the category newcomer had the opportunity to get a taste of the RallyX series at Höljes.
“The aim of this event was to take the temperature of RallyX. I was just discovering the Speedcar Wonder chassis, which had nothing in common with the stiff rear-axle machines I’d driven before. On the other hand, it gave me a bit more experience to build up for the 2024 season.
Like all the other members of the CrossCar Senior class, Julius Nilsson knows that his task will be difficult.
“‘That race at the end of the 2023 season made me realize that the level of RallyX was even higher than I’d thought,” laughs Julius.
“I had to learn how to use my new CrossCar on a track I didn’t know and in a championship that was completely new to me. On the other hand, the second day of racing allowed me to put in some good performances. From Q3, I felt that the speed was starting to increase and I came away from this first weekend quite satisfied, seeing that I was able to compete with the other drivers”.
In 2024, in addition to his RallyX program, Julius Nilsson will also continue his journey in the Swedish CrossCar Championship.
“I will continue to compete in the Swedish championship to keep building up good feelings. Unfortunately, the first race of the 2024 season falls at the same time as the Kouvola event, so there’s a good chance I’ll be forced to skip Finland.”
“In the Swedish championship there is no dropscore, so if I want to fight for the title I’ll have to take part in all the events. The other clash concerns the Buxtehude event at the end of the season, but we’ll decide which way to go based on our overall position in both championships”.
“For us, this RallyX season is first and foremost a learning campaign at the wheel of the Speedcar chassis. I still need to collect kilometers to understand the potential of the car. On the other hand, it’s clear that the situation will be different in 2025, when my main priority will be the RallyX championship”.
“There are so many different drivers with the potential to win races, which can only help to make this series interesting and exciting. Nobody gives up, everyone gives their all, so it’s an ideal playground if I want to take things to the next level as a driver.”
