After winning Race 1 at Tierp before being forced to settle for 12th place the following day, Riku Huuhka made no mistake about capitalising on the opportunity to shine on home soil at Honkajoki this Saturday.
By securing his second victory of the year in just three races ahead of Isaksaetre and Murstad, Huuhka has firmly thrust himself back into contention for the championship battle. With the top five drivers in the overall standings separated by only five points, the Finn now sits just three points behind provisional leader Espen Isaksaetre.
“This victory obviously means a huge amount to me. Honestly, it’s mainly a massive relief. Before this season, I had only won one RallyX race, so being able to confirm our pace like this against such strong competition is obviously very positive.”
Consistently competitive throughout the day, Huuhka particularly stood out for his ability to maintain an impressive level of consistency against rivals who were themselves operating at an extremely high pace.
“It definitely wasn’t easy because everyone was incredibly consistent throughout the day. But today was clearly our day.”
According to the Finnish driver, the start of the final ultimately proved to be one of the decisive moments of the race.
“I think the start was one of the key moments of the final. Getting into the lead immediately allowed me to drive at my own pace without making mistakes afterwards. That was probably the main ingredient behind this victory.”
Determined to respond after a difficult second day at Tierp, Huuhka also believes he found a much more favourable racing environment this weekend in Finland.
“In Sweden during the second day, there was probably a bit too much contact and chaos on track. This time things were much cleaner and that allowed me to show that we genuinely have the speed to fight at the front.”
This victory now puts the Finn firmly back into the championship fight as the gaps remain incredibly tight after the opening rounds of the season.
“This win was also a real source of motivation after what happened during the second race in Sweden. I wanted to respond immediately and prove to everyone that we have the pace to win.”
Confident heading into the remainder of the weekend, Huuhka also believes more difficult weather conditions could potentially work in his favour.
“With rain, the gaps can become even bigger. In those conditions, you really see which drivers are capable of performing and which ones struggle a bit more. Personally, I really enjoy driving in the rain, so it wouldn’t be a problem for me at all tomorrow.”