After securing back-to-back victories at Valkenswaard at the end of April, Roberts Vitols returned to winning ways at Tierp by claiming a third consecutive triumph following a perfectly controlled Race 1 performance.
Winner of all three qualifying heats, the Team Faren driver completed a maximum-score weekend by defeating Kevin Daarbak and Pontus Oskarsson in the final. Another major confidence boost for the Latvian, who is increasingly emerging as the benchmark of the Supercar Lites category.
Despite this near-perfect start to the season, Vitols is refusing to take his current dominance for granted.
“It doesn’t matter whether we are racing against Timmy Hansen, Niclas Grönholm or in a field of five, ten or fifteen cars, our approach always remains identical. We prepare every race with the same level of seriousness and always bring maximum intensity once we arrive at the circuit,” Vitols explained.
A level of discipline that now appears to be paying off for both the Latvian driver and the entire Team Faren structure.
“Since the beginning of the weekend, we’ve worked extremely hard and paid close attention to many details. Naturally, seeing all that effort rewarded with another victory feels really satisfying.”
Despite his apparent control over the competition, Vitols admitted he could feel his rivals gradually closing the gap throughout qualifying.
“We started Friday very strongly, but at one point I felt my lap times starting to plateau. The pace was still quick, but it wasn’t improving anymore while the other drivers kept getting closer and closer very quickly.”
A situation that forced the Latvian to continue raising his level despite already holding the lead.
“From that moment, I knew there was still work left to do to find more pace. Nothing is ever easy in such a competitive category.”
Starting from pole position in the final, Roberts Vitols also knew he would have to manage the opening metres perfectly in conditions made especially difficult by the rain.
“When you start from pole position, you also carry a certain responsibility. You need to get the launch right, negotiate the first corner properly, avoid mistakes and deliver a clean race from start to finish.”
An even more unusual challenge given that the format of the opening day differed significantly from a typical RallyX schedule.
“It was a rather unusual day with only a warm-up session before going straight into the final several hours later, and on top of that in completely different conditions because of the rain.”
Closely observing the earlier races before his own final, the Latvian had already identified the difficulties experienced by several drivers on the grid.
“Before my final, I saw several drivers starting from the front row lose out badly at the launch because of the grip conditions on the grid.”
That prompted Vitols to focus all of his attention on the opening moments of the race.
“On my side, I concentrated almost entirely on the start to make sure I nailed the launch and the first corner. After that, I knew I would be able to impose my pace and use my speed.”
“Kevin Daarbak was quick behind me, but once I managed to build an initial gap, there was no longer any reason to take unnecessary risks.”
Despite securing a third consecutive victory, Roberts Vitols remains determined not to ease off heading into the second day of competition.
“Tomorrow definitely won’t be any easier. No day ever is in rallycross, so we still need to stay fully focused and continue working properly. After every session, we reset completely. Whether it’s practice, qualifying or a final, we simply try to maximise each run one by one.”