Four races into the season since Valkenswaard, RallyX has already produced four different winners. Last weekend at Tierp, the opening round of the RallyX North championship further highlighted just how fiercely competitive the CrossCar category has become.
Tipped as one of the leading contenders for the title, Joonatan Ylilammi saw his opening day unravel after being eliminated at the end of the qualifying stages in Race 1 following a string of technical issues.
The young Finn responded perfectly the very next day by securing his first victory of the season ahead of Espen Isaksaetre and Oliver Lucas Jensen.
After setting the fastest time in Q1 and finishing third in the intermediate standings, Ylilammi claimed the sixth victory of his career at this level. More importantly, the result allowed him to limit the damage in the championship standings.
Having scored just four points on the opening day, the Finnish driver currently sits seventh overall, only 14 points behind championship leader Oliver Lucas Jensen.
“During the first race of the weekend, we had several technical problems. We blew an engine and broke a driveshaft, and we even missed Q2 because the team had to replace the engine,” Ylilammi explained.
“On Sunday, the car was finally working the way it should. The engine probably wasn’t the strongest in terms of power, but I simply tried to push as hard as possible and it was enough to take the win. It feels really good and I’m happy to head home with this result.”
Despite the setbacks, the Finnish driver resisted the urge to make major changes heading into the second day of competition.
“Honestly, we only made a few small suspension adjustments and then I just went back to driving the way I normally do.”
The victory comes at the perfect time for Ylilammi ahead of the next championship round in Finland at the Pesämäki circuit, located just a short distance from his workshop.
“I really love this track and it’s very close to home. I live only about 20 kilometres from Pesämäki. It’s great to have such an important event taking place practically on my doorstep.”
Espen Isaksaetre also had to fight all the way to the finish to secure his place on the podium. Struggling throughout qualifying, the Norwegian was down in 13th position before Q3 and looked set for elimination before producing a remarkable comeback thanks to the third-fastest time in the final qualifying run.
“It was an extremely stressful day. Nothing went according to plan for us,” said the former Euro RX3 European vice-champion after the finish.
“Just before the final, we discovered that the front suspension was damaged. So I drove Q3 and the semi-final with that issue.”
Despite the technical setback, Isaksaetre managed to salvage his weekend thanks to a series of aggressive starts and relentless pace.
“I immediately felt that something wasn’t right, but in Q3 I gave it absolutely everything. I was a bit lucky as well, but I could also rely on a really strong launch. My start in the semi-final was excellent too.”
The podium finish allows the Norwegian to maintain positive momentum heading into this weekend’s trip to Finland. He now sits second in the overall standings, just four points behind Jensen.
“I like proper rallycross circuits, so naturally I’m really looking forward to it. I don’t know this track yet, so I’ll need to learn its characteristics quickly. But we scored some good points this weekend and hopefully we can do just as well next time.”
Meanwhile, defending champion Thomas Eek Murstad once again found himself facing a frustrating scenario. After topping qualifying in Race 1, the Norwegian failed to make it beyond the semi-finals. The same situation unfolded in Race 2 despite securing second place in the intermediate standings behind Jensen.
Nevertheless, it was Oliver Lucas Jensen who emerged as the standout performer of the weekend. The only driver to secure back-to-back podium finishes at Tierp, the Dane now heads to Finland as championship leader and the leading contender for the CrossCar title.
