Since shifting his focus to CrossCar and the RallyX championship following his runner-up finish in the 2023 FIA Euro RX3 European Championship, Espen Isaksætre has continued to impress in 2025—capped off by his first career podium. The milestone came during the second race in Alvsbyn at the end of June, after several events where frustration had started to creep in for the Norwegian driver.
Despite being ranked as the fourth-best qualifier in the North Championship, with 52 points scored since the season opener in Latvia, Isaksætre had managed just a single appearance in a final before delivering this standout performance in Sweden.
He had climbed to third place in the intermediate classifications during Alvsbyn 1, but his hopes of a podium finish were dashed in the semi-finals.
At the end of the first day of competition, Espen reflected on his performance with a touch of regret.
“Yes, of course, I’m very disappointed with this race. All day long, I felt like I had the speed to go for the win. In the semi-final, I got a good start, but so did Vetle Try. I tried to brake a bit earlier to tuck in behind him out of the first corner, but it wasn’t enough—I slightly touched him and went off line. From there, it was hard to keep up the pace and fight my way back to second place. I gave it everything, but it was really tough. That’s racing, obviously, but the disappointment is real.”
While something was still missing during Alvsbyn 1, the momentum that had been building over the past few weeks finally paid off the next day, with the 2023 Euro RX3 vice-champion securing his first-ever podium. The disappointment from Race 1 did nothing to shake his belief—a podium had always remained in sight, and on Sunday, he returned with purpose.
“If it rains tomorrow, I think we can be in the mix. I haven’t done much racing in wet conditions, but we’ll see. I think we’ve got a decent setup for that. My main goal is clearly to secure my first podium in RallyX. Obviously, we all want to win, but I’ll be really happy just to finish on the podium.”
A reward for the hard work put in behind the scenes since last winter.
“Since Riga, KymiRing, and today, we’ve shown major progress compared to last season. We’ve taken a real step forward this year. I feel more and more comfortable with the SpeedCar chassis. We’ve worked on loads of little details that, together, make a real difference. We’re still tweaking and testing here and there to keep improving our performance.”
Now comes the challenge of converting that promise into results in the upcoming rounds at Nysum and Estering. Currently seventh in the overall standings, Isaksætre trails third-place Romet Tsirna by just 23 points—setting the stage for a fierce battle.
“I really love the Nysum track, and Estering as well. They’re classic Rallycross-style circuits that I enjoy a lot. Last year, we had solid pace on both, and this season, I’m crossing my fingers that we can be even more competitive. I think we’ve got a solid setup for both events.”
One thing’s for sure—Espen Isaksætre isn’t one to give away too much about what’s driving his progress in RallyX.
“I don’t want to say too much about the updates we brought in over the winter—we’ve spent countless hours developing them. Moving from Rallycross to CrossCar forces you to think differently. You really have to step outside the box. It took time to find the right setup, but now we’re starting to see the results. And it’s awesome when everything clicks.”