The RallyX championship presented by Nova Motorsport gave the favourites a chance to shine in Saturday’s Race 2 at the Tierp Arena. More than 15,000 spectators were especially treated to an epic battle between Lukas Andersson and Casper Jansson on the final day of action.
Open 4WD Pro: Johan Kristoffersson, an invincible fortress
While the debut of the new VW Polo KMS was eagerly awaited in Tierp last weekend, the six-time Rallycross World Champion lived up to his reputation with a flawless performance.
With three wins in qualifying, Johan Kristoffersson easily dominated the final stages, winning ahead of Ole-Christian Veiby and 2023 Pro-Am champion Maiko Tamm, with rookies Filip Thorén, Joni Turpeinen and Isak Sjovkist finishing in that order.
After the first two races, Johan Kristoffersson has a ten-point lead over Ole-Christian Veiby. The sensation of the weekend was 15-year-old Joni Turpeinen, making his first appearance in an official competition at the wheel of a Supercar. Third in the championship, 19 points behind the leader, the young Finn finished ahead of Martin Enlund, Filip Martinsson and Maiko Tamm.
Open 4WD Pro-Am: Martin Enlund and Joni Turpeinen neck-and-neck
After Filip Martinsson’s victory in Race 1, Martin Enlund was quick to respond to the three-time Swedish champion’s rise to prominence by taking his first career win in the Supercar category.
Despite being dominated by Joni Turpeinen in qualifying, the Supercar Lites runner-up reversed the trend in the final, outpacing his Finnish counterpart and Filip Martinsson’s Renault Clio.
After two races of the current season, the three men are neck-and-neck in the overall standings. Provisional leader Martin Enlund is just two and seven points ahead of Joni Turpeinen and Filip Martinsson respectively.
Supercar Lites: A duel that lived up to its promise
With Simon Olofsson forced to retire early in Race 2 due to an engine failure, Lukas Andersson and Casper Jansson spared no expense in their bid to win the first weekend of the season.
Having won the rally sprint the day before, Lukas Andersson was unable to beat Casper Jansson in qualifying, but he did manage to make the difference in the final stages.
Throughout the day, the two Swedes fought a fierce battle. Casper Jansson set the fastest time in Q1, Lukas Andersson returned the favour in Q2, before Jansson took advantage of Q3 to win the intermediate classification for the second time this season.
However, Lukas Andersson reversed the trend with a first-class drive in the final. Even slowed by a puncture, the JC Raceteknik driver managed to hold off the onslaught of Casper Jansson, who was forced to retire after suffering a mechanical breakdown in the penultimate corner. Julien Meunier and Kevin Daarbak made the most of the opportunity to complete this second top-three finish of the 2024 season.
In the overall standings, Lukas Andersson has a five-point advantage over Casper Jansson. Third-placed Julien Meunier is two points ahead of Kevin Daarbak, while Marceau Launay and Eirik Berget are still in the hunt, trailing by just seven points.
Open 2WD: Simon Tiger in total control
Like Johan Kristoffersson in the Supercar class, Simon Tiger was never in trouble during the two days. Already leading the overall standings with a maximum of 24 points at the end of the rally sprint, the driver from Luleå did it again the following day, dominating a category that was reinforced by Swedish championship regulars Viktor Fahlgren, Jon Ny and Anton Carlsson.
Winner of the three qualifying heats, Simon Tiger took his 11th career win, beating Viktor Johansson and the excellent Anton Carlsson and Viktor Fahlgren, while Kenneth Konge closed the gap with a broken rear suspension.
After two races, Simon Tiger leads the championship by 11 and 17 points respectively, ahead of Viktor Johansson and Kenneth Konge. Rasmus Berggren, who finished fourth on the previous day, failed to qualify for the final.
