Oliver Eriksson appeared well on course to secure his second victory of the season in the Open 4WD Pro final before a mechanical issue abruptly ended his charge. An opportunity that the experienced Juha Rytkönen seized perfectly to claim his maiden victory at the wheel of an FC2, while Romet Tsirna and Lukas Andersson completed the podium in the opening race of the weekend in Finland.

Second in the intermediate standings and author of the strongest launch in the final, Oliver Eriksson looked to have all the ingredients required to triumph on the spectacular Honkajoki circuit.

Unfortunately for the Swede, his race quickly unravelled despite the strong pace he had shown throughout the weekend, ultimately opening the door for local favourite Juha Rytkönen after a particularly hectic opening corner.

Finishing second, Romet Tsirna once again demonstrated that he possesses the potential to challenge the established frontrunners. Although the Estonian driver did not always have an easy run through qualifying, he nevertheless showed impressive consistency while Lukas Andersson continued his strong start to the season by securing a fourth podium finish in five races.

Meanwhile, Juha Rytkönen made an immediate impression on his debut weekend at the wheel of the FC2.

The Finn gradually built his weekend by focusing above all on consistency while continuing to adapt to machinery he is still discovering in full competition conditions.

“Stringing laps together is always beneficial. The more you drive, the more it helps you regain rhythm and confidence. So it’s been a very positive start to the weekend for us and I’m really enjoying driving this car.”

Accustomed to the traditional Supercars, Rytkönen notably had to adapt to a significantly different balance compared to what he had previously experienced.

“The main difference is really the behaviour of the car with such a heavy rear weight distribution. It requires much more anticipation in the driving and I still need to adjust some of my instincts to suit this setup.”

Rather than forcing the pace, the Finnish driver focused primarily on clean and controlled driving in order to better understand the potential of the FC2 package.

“Qualifying has been pretty solid. We focused on consistency. The objective was mainly to build the weekend cleanly without taking unnecessary risks and, so far, it’s working quite well. I also started using the push-to-pass at certain moments, even though I’m still getting used to how it behaves in race conditions.”

With rain still forecast around Honkajoki, Rytkönen remained open to whatever conditions the remainder of the weekend might bring.

“Honestly, if the rain comes tomorrow, that doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve always enjoyed driving in those conditions.”

Although Rytkönen managed to get the better of Oliver Eriksson in Race 1, the Finn still considers his Swedish rival one of the benchmark drivers in the category.

“Oliver is obviously still one of the benchmark drivers in this category with a huge amount of experience in this car. From my side, the main objective is simply to keep enjoying the driving while bringing the car home in one piece.”

Behind the Finnish driver, Romet Tsirna confirmed his growing momentum aboard the FC2 by delivering one of the strongest performances of his season so far.

“Another podium in Pro-Am is obviously positive, but second place in the main category is clearly the highlight of the day. It’s the result of a huge amount of work done over the last few weeks together with the whole team.”

The Estonian nevertheless regretted a difficult starting position on a circuit where the inside line appeared to provide a decisive advantage off the grid.

“Honestly, I didn’t really have much luck with my starting position. On this circuit, starting on the outside makes things extremely difficult. In the final, the drivers starting on the inside immediately came out first, second and third after Turn 1, which shows just how advantageous the inside line was.”

Even so, Tsirna already knew he had the pace required to fight with the leading contenders throughout the day.

“The speed was there all day long. I checked the lap times and the sector times and we were very close to Oliver Eriksson’s pace. I knew we had the potential to fight at the front, but what I really lacked was clear air and sessions where I could run freely without traffic.”

Once finally released from traffic in the final, the Estonian was able to fully exploit the potential of his car while maintaining a measured approach to avoid costly mistakes.

“In the final, when Lukas Andersson took the Joker Lap and I finally had clear track ahead of me, the car felt fantastic to drive. From that point onward, I mainly focused on staying clean and avoiding mistakes rather than pushing flat out.”

“Today, I mostly tried to drive at my own pace while remaining consistent in my driving.”

That second-place finish now gives Tsirna greater confidence heading into the remainder of the weekend in a category where the margins remain incredibly small.

“Finishing between Rytkönen and Andersson is obviously very positive heading into Race 2. As I said, the lap times were already extremely close between all of us, but we still need to put everything together perfectly.”

Still learning the finer details of the FC2 package, the Estonian believes he is continuing to improve race after race.

“The starts and racing in traffic are still areas where I’m continuing to learn with this car. Even so, I feel more and more comfortable behind the wheel.”

Surrounded by family during the Finnish round, Tsirna admitted this result carried extra significance in a particularly special environment.

“This second place definitely feels special because we’re racing in Finland, very close to my home base in Estonia, and my whole family is here this weekend. Achieving a result like this here makes the podium even more meaningful.”