While Joni Turpeinen made the most of his debut in the Supercar category to prove just how formidable the Junior CrossCar drivers are, Joonatan Ylilammi was not to be outdone, taking the overall lead in the Senior CrossCar category in his first outing at this level of competition.
Joonatan Ylilammi had already impressed in the junior category last year, finishing second behind two-time champion Mikael Uitto. He also claimed three wins and was the only driver in the 2023 season to finish on the podium in all eight events on the RallyX championship calendar.
Joonatan Ylilammi shone right from the start last weekend, finishing third in the rally sprint event and confirming his potential the following day by giving the category’s many favourites a run for their money.
The 16-year-old Finn, who won the qualification thanks to the second fastest time in Q1 and a win in Q3, also made sure to set the record straight in terms of pure speed, setting the third fastest lap of the weekend.
As the runner-up in a final won by Elias Svensson, Joonatan Ylilammi will return to his home track of Kouvola for the second stage of the 2024 season in about ten days’ time as the championship overall leader.
Not bad for a driver who only had a short test session the week before Tierp.
“The first day of the race allowed us to work on the chassis set-up, focusing in particular on the shock absorbers. This made the car easier to drive,” explains Joonatan.
Although the Finn wasn’t able to make the most of his pole position the following day to beat Elias Svensson in the final, Joonatan Ylilammi was largely satisfied with his first steps in the category.
“We didn’t make any miraculous changes for Race 2. We just had to adapt to a track that was very prone to damage in some places. Our starts were good throughout the day, even if I didn’t manage to take the lead in the final. ”
One thing is certain: Joonatan will return to the RallyX championship at the end of the month with an even better pace. In fact, this weekend Ylilammi will be back in business, competing in the first round of the tough Finnish CrossCar Championship. An opportunity he should not miss to confirm his rise to prominence.
