The opening round of the RallyX North championship held last weekend at Tierp underlined the rapid rise of Iivari Mannisto. Behind him, however, the fight for second place in the overall standings remains extremely tight, with no fewer than five drivers separated by just ten points ahead of the upcoming Finnish round at Honkajoki.

There is no doubt that Iivari Mannisto made a major statement in Sweden. Third in the CrossCar Junior standings last season with four podium finishes and six final appearances to his name, the young Finn wasted little time in establishing himself as one of the leading forces in the RallyX championship.

Twice topping the intermediate standings and setting five fastest times across six qualifying sessions, Mannisto dominated proceedings at Tierp with two consecutive victories and the maximum possible haul of 60 points. A performance that now gives him an 18-point advantage over fellow Finn Alex Antilla heading into Honkajoki.

Already a consistent frontrunner throughout 2025, the Finnish driver appears to have taken another significant step forward this season. More consistent, more aggressive and particularly comfortable around the Swedish circuit, Mannisto confirmed that he now belongs among the benchmark drivers in the CrossCar Junior category.

“It was a really good weekend. I’m very happy with the result.”

The Finnish driver believes he made an important step forward over the winter thanks to an intensive preparation programme.

“Last winter, I spent a lot of time working on the simulator and I also did more CrossCar driving.”

Those improvements are now clearly visible on track, with Mannisto looking more than ever like a genuine title contender.

“Already last year, we showed that we were capable of fighting at the front. This season, the objective is clearly to continue in the same direction.”

Third in the overall standings and tied on points with Jere Huuhka, Sebastian Isaksaetre used Race 2 to bounce back in style. Third in the intermediate standings during the opening day, the Norwegian had nevertheless failed to make it beyond the semi-finals.

Less than 24 hours later, however, Isaksaetre confirmed his pace by securing the second podium finish of his career ahead of an impressive Minea Peramaki.

The young Finnish driver enjoyed a particularly convincing weekend. Already the author of a maiden podium finish in 2025, along with two final appearances, Peramaki once again exceeded expectations at Tierp. Only 12th in the intermediate standings after Race 1, she nevertheless kept her composure to secure another place in the final before taking another step forward the following day. After finishing sixth in the intermediate standings of Race 2, the Finn eventually climbed onto the RallyX championship podium.

After producing a strong response following a frustrating opening day, Isaksaetre highlighted above all his ability to react under difficult circumstances.

“It was really important to bounce back after what happened yesterday. I was very disappointed after the first day, so to come back like this today feels really good.”

The Norwegian also admitted that his start to the season had been disrupted by several technical problems that first appeared at Valkenswaard.

“At Valkenswaard, we had an engine problem and the start of the season was difficult for us. Since then, we’ve changed a few things and the car is working much better now.”

Thanks to this result, Isaksaetre now heads to Finland with renewed confidence.

“Yes, I think the confidence is definitely much higher before heading to Honkajoki. And the fact that my uncle, Espen Isaksaetre, also managed to finish on the podium in the CrossCar category allowed us to end the weekend in the perfect way.”

Despite that, the Norwegian knows he will still need to raise his level if he hopes to challenge Mannisto on home soil.

“Mannisto was really fast this weekend. I’ll need to find something quite special if I want to beat him.”