After making RallyX history in May by becoming the youngest driver ever to compete in the Supercar Lites category, Hampus Hagström once again turned heads—this time by clinching his first career win at just 14 years old on the challenging track of Älvsbyn. Still, for the Hagström camp, victory is not the only thing that matters.

Crowned Junior CrossCar Champion last season, Hampus naturally faced high expectations as he stepped into the Supercar Lites for the first time during the Riga round.

But to his credit, the young Swede has lived up to the hype—and then some.

Following three consecutive fourth-place finishes in Latvia and Finland, Hagström stepped up in style in Älvsbyn, taking the win in Race 1 and securing a podium finish with third place the next day.

Those results have propelled him to fourth in the North standings, just 20 points behind leader Julien Meunier.

And that’s a reassuring sign for Niklas Hagström, two-time winner of the European round at Höljes.

“Hampus has made a very strong start in Supercar Lites,” says Niklas. “Sure, that win in Race 1 at Älvsbyn is a nice bonus, but it’s not what matters most to us. The priority is his ability to keep improving every time he gets on track and to continue developing as a driver in this category.”

That steady progression is no accident—it’s the result of deliberate, behind-the-scenes work, carefully planned and executed with no rush to results.

“We’re taking things one step at a time. Nothing dramatic, just constant fine-tuning,” Niklas explains. “From qualifying through to the semi-final, we adjusted the car based on his feedback—which isn’t easy, since he’s still learning to handle this type of vehicle. But by the final, we’d found a setup that suited him, and it allowed him to take his first win in Supercar Lites. That said, the day didn’t start well—we had brake issues and the car’s overall setup just wasn’t working for Hampus.”

Still far from reaching full potential in Supercar Lites, the Hedström Motorsport team is doing everything possible to help their young talent take the next step.

“Hampus still needs to be more consistent at the start. Right now, that’s the toughest issue to solve with these Supercar Lites. We’re working on the lights because the difference between a good and bad launch is razor-thin. That said, he’s learning quickly, and every start, every lap is another opportunity to improve.”

Now considered one of the rising forces in the field, Hagström’s rapid ascent was anything but expected.

“Originally, we were only planning to do the Riga round,” Niklas recalls with a smile. “But then the sponsors got on board and asked if we could add a few more races.”

“We’re taking it race by race. Next up is Denmark, and probably Germany after that. What matters is progress. That win in Race 1 at Älvsbyn was huge for Hampus’ confidence. He sees now that he belongs in this fight. In this class, a tenth of a second can be the difference between sixth place and the win.”

As the RallyX season enters its final stretch, Niklas and the Hedström Motorsport team are fully committed to continuing the momentum built since May.

“We’ve scheduled some extra test sessions during the summer break. Before Riga, Hampus had only done about 30 laps at Höljes, then went straight into Finland—and on top of that, we changed cars in between. Still, during practice and qualifying, he’s often within range of the front-runners. Sometimes he’s just one or two tenths off in certain sectors, sometimes even ahead. With Peter Hedström, we’re doing everything we can to help him close those small gaps.”

If there were still any doubts, Hampus Hagström’s podium in Race 2 at Älvsbyn—on a track ravaged by unpredictable weather—confirmed the maturity of the young driver from Torsby.

“He had never driven this car in the rain before,” Niklas says. “It was a real first for him—and a great opportunity to learn how to control and extract performance from a Supercar Lites in such tricky conditions. Transitioning from a CrossCar to a real race car isn’t easy. For now, we’re hoping to compete in the remaining four rounds and reassess at the end of the season to decide what makes the most sense for 2026. One thing is certain—it’s looking very promising.”