The only driver in RallyX alongside Casper Jansson to have secured two FC2 wins since the start of the 2025 season, Tommi Hallman found a way to bounce back after a challenging opening day in Valkenswaard, where his efforts went largely unrewarded.
Much like his outing in Portugal at the end of March, Hallman experienced a turbulent weekend in the Netherlands. Despite being the top qualifier in both the Open 4WD and FC2 categories—scoring 59 points since Montalegre, compared to Jansson’s 50—the Finnish driver has consistently shown strong form, finishing in the top three no fewer than nine times across the 12 heats contested so far this season.
However, a fourth-place finish in Saturday’s Open 4WD race due to a puncture, followed by a retirement in the FC2 final, meant Hallman once again saw his pace go unconverted into results.
“Saturday didn’t go as planned—again,” Hallman admitted.
“The only way to have a shot at winning the FC2 final was to brake as late as possible and try around the outside in the first corner. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out—I ran out of room and ended up in the gravel trap.”
The disappointment didn’t linger for long. Hallman came back strong on Sunday, finishing second in the Open 4WD final behind Viktor Vranckx and claiming his second FC2 win in four races.
“Those two results were a big relief after such a difficult Saturday. I had the pace, but nothing went right. After going off-track at the start of the FC2 final, I also picked up a puncture in Open 4WD that cost me second place.”
Looking ahead, Hallman knows there’s still progress to be made.
“We still need to improve if we want to compete with the top Supercars like the Peugeot 208 Viktor’s running. We knew he’d have a real advantage off the line with that car, and it showed. He won the first race, built confidence heading into Sunday, and from there it was tough to catch him.”
“Of course, I can’t be completely satisfied with our pace compared to Viktor’s, but I know the team gave everything behind the scenes, and I left it all out on the track. Right now, we’re aware we’ve got a bit of a gap to close on these latest World RX cars developped by manufacturers. I gave it everything in the final, but tire wear became such an issue that I had to focus on holding off the guys behind me. Luckily, this time, things went my way and I was able to hang on to second place.”