After competing in two races last year, Theo Johansen made the most of the 2024 season to line up for his first full programme in the RallyX championship. An experience that the young Norwegian does not regret for a single second.
If the role of the Junior CrossCar category is to contribute to developing the future stars of the Rallycross sport, this 2024 campaign was no exception to the rule.
While the top seven places in the overall standings were all taken by experienced drivers with at least one season of RallyX in the bag, it didn’t take long for the newcomers to make their mark, with Peetu Piira, Arvid Carlsson, Jonas Nielsen, Sebastian Isaksætre, Aksel Schnack, Théo Johansen and Peetu Matalamäki all managing to place between 8thᵉ and 14thᵉ overall.
Fourth in the 2023 Norwegian championship, meanwhile, Théo Johansen completed his first full programme in RallyX in 13thᵉ place overall while also managing to secure his first qualification for a final at Kouvola. All the more reason for Théo Johansen to draw a rather satisfactory conclusion to his campaign in the Junior CrossCar category.
‘This season has been a bit of a rollercoaster,’ Théo points out.
‘I got off to a difficult start in Tierp before going on to secure my first qualification for a final in Kouvola. On the other hand, the Nysum stage was more than complicated, with engine problems on Saturday and then a crash on Sunday. Nevertheless, I have the feeling that this RallyX championship has enabled me to progress both as a driver and also on a more personal level. Quite honestly, I think that this season has really allowed me to improve in all areas.”
Convinced that this championship remains the best platform for his progression, Théo Johansen asserts that he has been conquered by the benefits of the RallyX championship.
‘What I like most is the fact that the Junior category is so competitive. I’m up against a lot of drivers from different countries who are all among the best in our age group, and there’s no better feeling than trying to get up to their level and beat them. The other good thing is that we’re all friends in this paddock. Everyone talks to everyone else and there’s never a bad atmosphere between us. For example, during the week between Denmark and Germany, we spent a lot of time together.”
Looking forward to 2025 and another full-time campaign in the RallyX championship, the young Norwegian is well aware of the areas in which he will need to improve if he is to take the next step in his development as a driver.
‘My biggest room for improvement is my ability to be consistent. I know that I can set very good times on a flying lap, but the difficulty for me is still managing to repeat that kind of performance over 3, 4 or 5 laps. It’s a problem I’ve been trying to improve on since the start of the championship but I’m aware that I can do much better. The other area where I can still improve is my ability to find the right braking points and to be efficient behind the wheel from the very beginning of a race weekend. I know I can be more incisive and the next objective for me will be to manage to be competitive from my first laps and not wait until the weekend progresses to find the right formula behind the steering wheel.”
‘I’m lucky enough to be able to team up with Olliver Sollie, who remains one of the best drivers in this category and I can’t hide the fact that he helps me enormously. He lets me have a look at his onboard cameras and we can discuss as many things as possible. We work together and try to help each other as much as we can, and that obviously has a positive impact on my top speed.”
A top speed that could make the Norwegian a true underdog in the RallyX championship next year.
