While the runner-up in the FIA Euro RX3 European Championship has decided to focus his efforts on the RallyX championship for the 2024 season, the former Volland Racing driver is well aware that he will have to step up his game in order to earn a top spot in the hotly contested CrossCar category.
Although Espen Isaksætre is beginning to know a thing or two about CrossCar after a 2023 program in the Norwegian National Championship, his two races in RallyX last season reminded him of the difficulty of the exercise.
Twelfth in Grenland, with his first top 10 qualifying result to his credit, the Norwegian suffered the worst a week later at Höljes. A circuit where he had won the Swedish round of the FIA European Championship a few weeks earlier at the wheel of his Audi A1.
Only 28th in the event, Isaksætre had finished outside the top 30 in the first three qualifying sessions before a late reaction and tenth fastest time in Q4.
“It’s clear that my weekend at Höljes last year wasn’t very good,” laughs Espen Isaksætre.
“But that’s why I enjoy RallyX so much. The level is so high that you have to constantly push your own limits if you want to have a chance to compete with all the excellent drivers in this championship. You never have the right to make a mistake and even though my weekend in Höljes was disastrous, I can’t deny that I learned a lot of new things”.
Indeed, the Norwegian had to adapt his driving style accordingly. Feared at the wheel of the Volland Racing Audi A1, Espen Isaksætre had to rethink his approach to his Speedcar chassis.
“Q4 at Holjes showed me that my pace at the end of the weekend was quite good. So I know that I’m capable of setting good times, but I’m also aware that I can still improve. I’ve got a lot of experience at Höljes in Super1600, but in CrossCar the lines are completely different, and I was especially aware of that in the section between the entrance to the velodrome and the area before the jump, where I lost a lot of time. Nevertheless, this weekend has given me a good idea of what I need to do to be effective in the CrossCar”.
As he awaits the start of the RallyX championship at Tierp on May 10th and 11th, the FIA Euro RX3 European Rallycross runner-up is patiently working on his routines.
“Before the start of the season we’ll do a lot of tests to find the right set-up and rhythm. The way I have to ride is completely different to what I’m used to on a Super1600. On a Super1600 you have to be very smooth, whereas in the CrossCar everything is much more violent. I’ll try to capitalize on what I learned last year. Towards the end of the season I started to feel more and more comfortable thanks to a better base of settings”.
“Whether it’s the team or myself, we learned a lot last year and we’re going to build on this little experience to continue our progress. We’ve done some work on the Speedcar this winter, but I prefer to keep the small improvements we’ve made to myself. My brother has made some modifications and we’ll see in the first few races if they’re positive or not. Right now I’m really looking forward to it. There are still some tracks I don’t know, like Nysum, but the videos I’ve seen have been enough to make me realize how incredible this track is. This season promises to be fun and I’m really looking forward to it.
