Coming from the Junior CrossCar class, Rasmus Persson was one of the youngest competitors in the 2023 Senior CrossCar class. But that didn’t stop the Swede from quickly learning how to use his Speedcar Wonder.
Finishing tenth in the overall standings last year as well as a qualification for a final at Tierp, Rasmus Persson’s ability to adapt was impressive.
Although he had already proven himself in the junior category with two consecutive third places in the overall standings in 2020 and 2021, his transition to the senior class could not have been more effective.
“Of course, being the youngest driver in the category and competing against much more experienced drivers, I was under a certain amount of pressure. However, I kept my focus on the basics and tried to enjoy myself as much as possible while giving it my all every time, and it seems that my strategy worked quite well,” Rasmus points out.
One thing is for sure: after three seasons in the junior category, the young Swede has clearly had to rethink his approach.
“In the junior category, the driving style you need to adopt to perform well is very similar to the methods you need to apply at the wheel of a go-kart. You have to be clean and focus on your lines to keep as much speed as possible. In the senior class, on the other hand, you have to be much more aggressive with your driving. Everything goes a lot faster, but the driving is also different because of the tires and suspensions we use. And then, in my opinion, the biggest change concerns the way we have to use the engine, with much more torque than the equipment we have in the junior category”.
“In other words, there are real differences between the two categories and a lot of new parameters that I had to take into account last year. What’s more, I had virtually no experience behind the wheel of this CrossCar when it came to tackling the 2023 season, as I only had one test session just one week before the start of the championship”.
“So I had very little time to adapt to this new environment. Fortunately, I was able to put in some good lap times, which helped me gain confidence behind the wheel. Even though I had very little experience before Nysum and was quite nervous before this first race, I managed to stay focused on my goals: to gain experience and to have fun. One thing is for sure: the experience I’ve gained in 2023 will allow me to approach the 2024 season with the determination to go out and achieve good results”
There’s no doubt that Rasmus Persson’s progress will be closely watched this year.
