While Thomas Eek Murstad lived up to his reputation by dominating the qualifying heats across both days of competition at Valkenswaard, the reigning RallyX champion ultimately fell short of securing a victory in the Netherlands.

Setbacks that did not prevent the Norwegian from collecting 49 of the 60 points available at the opening round of the 2026 season, leaving him just two points behind fellow countryman Vetle Try.

On course for what looked set to be a maiden win in Race 1, Murstad made a mistake and had to settle for sixth place at the finish.

“In Race 1, everything had gone perfectly up until the final,” Thomas explained.

“I was right on the pace and everything was going smoothly, but I made a mistake in that final corner, which is often very tricky. I put a wheel into the dirty part of the track with the rear, which caused a spin. It’s the kind of mistake that can happen, but it’s frustrating when it comes in the final. You’d rather have that happen in practice. The next day, I was mainly focused on bouncing back, first and foremost for myself, because the mistake was entirely my own.”

Back at the top of the intermediate standings on Sunday thanks to two fastest times, Murstad lost the benefit of pole position as early as the semi-finals.

“I made a small mistake in the semi-final, which damaged the steering. Even so, I managed to finish second, so I was already satisfied to make it into the final under those circumstances. In the final, I got a good start, but I was lining up on the outside of the grid because of my semi-final result. In those conditions, it’s difficult to challenge the front runners. Svedlund was very quick, so I simply tried to stay with him.”

While that second-place finish was not necessarily what Murstad had been aiming for, the 2025 RallyX champion acknowledges that the level of competition has clearly stepped up, particularly with the rise of Vetle Try and Carl Svedlund.

“The championship is shaping up to be very competitive. We can already see that Sven Lund is capable of winning races, and with drivers like Vettler, the level is extremely high. There will be several contenders, which promises a very exciting season.”

“It will also be interesting to see who commits to the Scandinavian rounds. This weekend featured a lot of local drivers, but the final line-up of the field is still uncertain. That could shake things up even further. From what we saw here, the level is already very high. Svedlund, Try and the others are extremely quick, so you have to stay at that level and keep finding ways to improve. You can’t afford to rest on your laurels.”

“Overall, it was a good preparation weekend. Winning the RallyX South championship would be a positive, but it’s not the main objective. I’m happy with my pace, even if I put myself on the back foot in both races this weekend. That’s clearly an area I need to improve.”

Beyond pure performance, Murstad is approaching this new campaign with a more relaxed mindset regarding his status as defending champion, choosing instead to focus on the groundwork carried out over the winter.

“As for my status as champion, I thought I might reflect on it more, but in the end it’s already behind me. I took a break over the winter and was very busy, especially rebuilding our chassis while also working on our upcoming FC2 programme. So I haven’t really had much time to think about that title from last year.”

Alongside his RallyX programme, Murstad will also use the 2026 season to continue gaining experience with the FC2 car he acquired over the winter.

“The goal with the FC2 this season is mainly to compete in the Norwegian championship to gain experience. It’s a long-term project, especially given the budget involved. We’ll see how things develop from there.”

In what is shaping up to be a particularly open RallyX championship, the defending champion knows he will have to contend with an increasingly competitive field.

“Overall, the Valkenswaard weekend was very positive. We scored good points and need to keep moving in that direction. The key is to make the final and avoid repeating this kind of mistake.”