If the aim of the RallyX championship is to select the best tracks capable of encouraging its drivers to constantly push their own limits, the layout of Älvsbyn has not failed to seduce the rookie in the Supercar Lites category.
After retiring in the semi-finals following a contact with Simon Olofsson in Race 1, the Team OMSE driver took his revenge the following day, claiming his second career podium and his best result of the 2024 season with 22 points.
Julien Meunier was delighted with the result and was able to appreciate the high standard of the Scandinavian tracks.
“When we got there, we immediately realised that this track would be full of surprises for everyone,” said Julien, who was fifth in the overall standings before heading to Nysum in early August.
“Älvsbyn is a very complicated layout with a lot of elevation changes and a lot of very technical corners, while we had clearly identified that the exit of the joker lap was going to cause some very hot situations, something for which I actually paid the price in the semi-final of race 1.”
“I couldn’t have hoped for a better venue to improve on. There’s speed, tarmac sections where you have to behave like a go-kart driver, real gravel where you have to know how to slide while remaining efficient, and hairpins that are anything but easy to negotiate. In terms of learning, it was an extremely complete track.”
As proof of this, Julien Meunier classifies the Älvsbyn track as the most complicated he has had to tackle since his rallycross debut.
“I’ve never raced on a track like Älvsbyn before. I thought Kouvola would be one of the biggest challenges of the season, but I managed to adapt quite quickly in Finland. Kouvola is more fun, but in terms of commitment and complexity Älvsbyn is far superior. In fact, I’m particularly happy that the championship didn’t start at this circuit, because I have to admit that I would have found it very difficult. Now we know the car better, so that was also an advantage.”
“Competing in two races in two days at a circuit like this is a really challenging experience, but we’ve come away from this race with the clear feeling that we’ve learnt new things, so it’s more than positive for the future. In terms of progress and experience, I couldn’t have hoped for anything better than this track. It was an exhausting weekend, but that’s what I like about this championship, because every weekend you have to discover new tracks that take you out of your comfort zone. Once again I’ve learnt a lot and that’s more than positive for the next few races.”
