With a second win in just three races, Julien Meunier made a major statement in Älvsbyn during the latest RallyX event.
After nine rounds this season, the frenchman now sits atop the Supercar Lites overall standings with three victories and no fewer than seven podium finishes.
It’s a record no one else has matched this year—even though Roberts Vitols, Lukas Andersson, and 14-year-old rookie Hampus Hagström certainly aren’t backing down from the challenge.
Still, Meunier was in dominant form in Sweden, racking up 54 out of a possible 60 points over the course of the weekend.
After finishing second in Race 1—won by Hagström—Meunier focused on playing the long game, grabbing crucial points without overextending.
“For me, the most important thing in that first race was to bank solid points, and we managed to do just that,” Meunier said. “I knew the final would be tight and that Hampus had a good shot at getting out front. The start was going to be key, and we both nailed it. We were side by side heading into Turn 2, but he was on the inside, and I chose not to take any unnecessary risks.”
“I was aware of the high risk of punctures on this track—which many of our competitors ended up dealing with over the weekend—so I made sure not to push too hard. Still, finishing second in Race 1 was more than positive. We worked with what we had, and it paid off.”
Known as one of the most demanding tracks in Europe, Älvsbyn proved relentless for the entire RallyX field.
“It’s a unique circuit—very technical, very challenging. It’s got a bit of everything: fast sections, slippery surfaces, heavy braking zones, asphalt, gravel… It’s a track where the smallest mistake costs you. You need to be consistent while pushing the limit. That’s the hard part—especially on the gravel. That second-place finish came down to managing our pace. We had to know when to back off and when to go all in. Some drivers got punctures because they couldn’t find that balance. We managed to steer clear of trouble.”
And speaking of trouble, a heavy downpour shook things up in Race 2, with a classic northern Swedish summer storm rolling in during Q2 and altering the course of the weekend.
But Meunier had already seen it coming the night before.
“On the second day of racing, you know your rivals are all going to step it up. Our goal was to stay in the mix and catch the right train if we wanted to score points. If it rained, I knew it would be tough—driving a Supercar Lites in those conditions isn’t really my strength. But we’d deal with it. We just had to stay solid and get the most out of what we had.”
And deal with it he did. Meunier posted the fastest time in Q3 on a treacherous surface, then executed flawlessly in the final rounds to claim his third win of the season. Now a two-time French Super1600 champion, he showed the experience and composure to stay sharp when it mattered most.
“I think I’ve figured a few things out about launching off the line. And I knew that with Tobias Daarbak next to me in the final, Turn 1 would be raced in the spirit of fair play. He could’ve forced me off, but instead he hit the brakes to avoid contact. At Älvsbyn, pole is always tricky—if you don’t get a good launch, you end up on the outside for Turn 2.”
“But when you do get a strong start, you carry a ton of speed into the corner. From there, it was all about managing the race and avoiding mistakes. Like in Race 1, I think that’s where I made the difference—being smart enough to know when to push and when to back off to stay out of trouble.”