After seeing his momentum interrupted midway through last season, three-time RallyX champion Simon Tiger is preparing to return to the RallyX championship.

Despite collecting 17 career victories and 21 podium finishes, Tiger failed to win a single event during the 2025 season. Limited to two runner-up finishes at the opening round in Montalegre, the Swede eventually chose to step away from the championship after the Älvsbyn event.

After several months away from competition, Tiger returns with a very different mindset compared to a year ago. Following disappointing results and a sharp drop in motivation, the Swedish driver admits he went through one of the toughest periods of his rallycross career.

“At this stage of my career, I don’t really get nervous before a season anymore. With experience, you learn to stay calm and take things as they come. We had been waiting a long time just to enjoy racing again. The winter felt very long and, honestly, it sometimes became boring. Of course I want to win. I’m not here just to make up the numbers. But after last season, what I needed most was to rediscover the enjoyment of racing.”

Tiger even admits he came close to walking away from the sport altogether after a season in which mental fatigue gradually took over.

“Last year, I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. My motivation dropped very low and I genuinely considered quitting. At one point, I was very close to stopping. In the end, we came back to do our best and, obviously, try to win again.”

Like many rallycross projects, the Tiger operation remains built around a close family structure where everyone plays an important role behind the scenes.

“This project is very much a family operation. When I get tired or don’t feel like spending all day in the workshop anymore, my father takes over on the car. Then, little by little, the motivation to race naturally comes back. Racing itself is always enjoyable. What becomes difficult are all the hours spent in the workshop. It’s a huge commitment every day and that’s what eventually becomes mentally exhausting.”

Tiger also admits he needed to find more balance away from rallycross after several years focused almost entirely on competition.

“I also have many other passions outside rallycross and they take time as well. At some point, you need to find balance. Maybe I need to spend a little less time working on the car and enjoy life outside the circuits a bit more.”

Before returning at Tierp, Tiger closely followed the opening round at Valkenswaard, a circuit he feels does not particularly suit his car.

“I obviously watched what happened at the first round in Valkenswaard. Honestly, that type of circuit doesn’t really suit my car. Last year, we already had several engine issues there and it cost us a huge amount of performance.”

Tiger also addressed the growing debate around engine power in the Open 2WD category.

“A lot of people think that putting a huge engine in the car automatically makes you fast, but it’s not that simple. Of course, big engines are impressive and fun to drive, but that’s not everything. You also need grip, good suspension, braking and, above all, a balanced car. With less power, the car often becomes easier to drive at the limit.”

He also believes some European circuits make it harder to fully exploit the strengths of his package.

“When you have 300 extra horsepower, it becomes much more difficult to manage, especially on certain tracks. Over one perfect lap, our car can probably be the fastest, but on circuits like Valkenswaard, it’s not always easy to use the full potential of such a powerful engine.”

Strongly attached to Scandinavian rallycross circuits, Tiger openly prefers tracks that are more physically and technically demanding.

“The circuits over there are very flat, with little elevation and very few variations. In Scandinavia, we have much more complete rallycross tracks with jumps, elevation changes and much more physical sections. Personally, I consider those to be real rallycross circuits.”

That philosophy has also influenced the development of his car in recent seasons.

“My car was specifically developed for that type of circuit, with jumps and a lot of elevation. I also think some RallyX South drivers would struggle more on demanding Scandinavian tracks when it comes to suspension setup and overall car behaviour. It would be interesting to see.”

Heading into the new campaign, Tiger believes consistency will once again be one of the key factors.

“To perform on a track like Tierp Arena, the main thing is to stay calm. A lot of drivers get too excited, push too hard and end up making mistakes. I’m not necessarily the fastest driver over one lap, but I think I can be one of the most consistent over the course of a race.”

“I always try to drive with the same intensity and precision every lap. Consistency and calmness are probably the most important keys in this kind of championship.”