While Joni-Pekka Rajala proved untouchable in the Open 2WD category by securing two victories over the course of the Honkajoki weekend, another Finn also emerged as one of the standout performers in the shape of Lucas Gabrielsson.
Indeed, although Gabrielsson spent much of the Race 2 final believing he could challenge Rajala for victory before eventually having to settle for second place, the Finnish driver ultimately came away with the strongest points haul of the weekend in terms of the RallyX championship battle.
With mechanical issues preventing Simon Tiger from seeing out Race 2 while Viktor Johansson could only manage fifth place in Race 1 and fourth place in Race 2, Gabrielsson will now head into the next round at Älvsbyn holding respective advantages of 31 and 41 points over Johansson and Tiger.
Fully aware of the strategic importance of the Finnish weekend in the context of the championship fight, Gabrielsson felt his main objective had been accomplished by capitalising on the difficulties encountered by his closest rivals.
“The main objective today was simply to have a clean day and keep Simon Tiger, Viktor Johansson and the other Swedish drivers behind us in the championship. From that perspective, the job is done and I’m really satisfied with our weekend.”
Although the Finn came close to securing a prestigious victory against a once again dominant Joni-Pekka Rajala on home soil, Gabrielsson preferred to focus on the championship value of his second-place finish.
“Of course, a victory in the final would have been an extra bonus, but the most important thing was above all to score strong points for the championship.”
Thanks to the consistency he has shown since the start of the season, the Finnish driver now holds a valuable margin in the overall standings heading into the next round at Älvsbyn.
“The gaps in the championship are becoming really interesting and that also means we’ll need to approach the remainder of the season intelligently, starting with the next round at Älvsbyn.”
“The main objective is clearly the championship. Every race is hugely important and it’s essential to put together clean weekends with a reliable car and no DNFs.”
“Reaching the finals consistently is now our priority. After that, once you are in the final, races can evolve differently depending on the circumstances, but the main idea is to maintain that consistency while continuing to push in the championship.”
Beyond Gabrielsson’s performances and his position at the top of the overall standings, it is also worth highlighting the excellent start to the season produced by Erik Lidman. Second in the Open 2WD standings with three final appearances over the last four races, Lidman now holds a four-point advantage over Jon Ny, who has already secured two podium finishes this season.