After moving up from the FIA Euro RX3 European Championship, Espen Isaksætre spent most of his 2024 season in the RallyX Championship. Among the highlights of this campaign, the Norwegian driver will undoubtedly remember the last two rounds of the calendar, held within a week of each other in Nysum and Buxtehude.
There was a strange atmosphere in the air last August, reminiscent of the time when the FIA European Championship used the summer break to hold back-to-back events at Maasmechelen and Valkenswaard.
It was an opportunity for the teams to work hard, but also to enjoy themselves outside of racing.
A studious but relaxed atmosphere that the Norwegian driver enjoyed this year.
“I really enjoyed the two final rounds of the championship in Nysum and Buxtehude. It was a very good idea on the part of Andreas Eriksson and RallyX to organise these two races just one week apart. Of course, we had some work to do after Nysum, but the day after the event all the teams went to a campsite,’ explains Espen.
“There were a lot of Norwegians and Swedes, and it gave us a chance to spend some time together. We were able to enjoy a couple of restaurants, but I especially appreciated the fact that the younger drivers from the Junior CrossCar category were able to make the most of this week to spend some time together.”
While the RallyX championship has always promoted a different vision of rallycross, it seems to be in line with the expectations of the various teams.
“For the younger drivers, these two races have been important in their development. Of course, they are all rivals on the track, but they must not forget that they must remain friends off the track, and I have the feeling that this week between Nysum and Buxtehude has allowed them to forge even stronger bonds, and that is great to see,’ stresses the 2023 FIA European Vice-Champion.
“It forces them to communicate with each other and that’s why the RallyX championship is such a good school. It’s a bit like when I started competing in Europe. In any case, it has allowed me to develop my English skills much more than when I was at school. In fact, English was the subject I hated the most when I was younger, but rallycross has helped me to change my view on the subject,’ laughs Espen.