After an efficient start to the season, with two final appearances in the first three rounds of the RallyX North Championship, Lucas Orav clearly shifted into a higher gear at the most recent event in Älvsbyn, where he secured back-to-back podium finishes.
Ranking as the fourth-best performer of the Swedish round with 39 points scored over the weekend’s two races, the Estonian driver now approaches the final events in Nysum and Buxtehude just 15 points behind current leader Martin Juga.
Still, Orav believes he could have done even better on the challenging Älvsbyn layout.
“The most difficult aspect for me on this track was clearly the starts,” admitted the SpeedCar driver.
“I could never really get off the line cleanly and constantly found myself stuck behind slower drivers in terms of outright pace. I did try to overtake them, but in the end, I lost more time than I gained. Thankfully, from the semi-finals onward, I managed to get some solid starts, and since my race pace was good, I was able to turn things around and achieve strong results.”
Managing the second day of competition in Älvsbyn proved particularly tricky due to a sudden thunderstorm that disrupted the event.
“It wasn’t easy either with the rain and the constantly changing grip levels on the grid. The track conditions shifted at every start. I think the real turning point was when the rain came. We initially planned to swap out our windshield for a mesh screen, but we simply didn’t have time. So right from the first start in the rain, I was completely blinded going into turn one — visibility was just terrible. The only thing I could do was follow the brake lights of the cars ahead and try to make the best of the situation. Fortunately, things turned around in the semi-final with a good launch, and from there everything clicked into place.”
A level of performance that Orav now intends to maintain in the coming weeks in Denmark and Germany.
“I knew I had the speed — all I was missing were the starts. For the last two rounds in Denmark and Germany, I’m really aiming to get a win before the season ends. Just one would be great. The standings are extremely tight in the North Division, so I’m also targeting a place on the final championship podium. It’s still within reach. What’s certain is that we’re in for one hell of a season finale.”