Already highly impressive during the opening event of the 2026 season at Valkenswaard, where he claimed victory in Race 2, former CrossCar Junior driver Carl Svedlund once again made a major statement last weekend in Finland by reclaiming the championship lead from Espen Isaksaetre.
Indeed, after enduring a frustrating run of three consecutive races without a podium finish, Svedlund firmly reasserted himself in the RallyX hierarchy. Restricted to fifth place during the opening race at Honkajoki, the young Swede representing JC Raceteknik proved untouchable during the second day of competition, securing his second victory of the season ahead of Vetle Try and Joonatan Ylilammi.
After winning the opening two qualifying heats, the CrossCar Senior rookie perfectly converted his position at the top of the intermediate standings into another victory.
A result that now allows him to head into the next round at Älvsbyn, scheduled for June 6-7, as championship leader with a four-point advantage over Espen Isaksaetre, while the Murstad / Huuhka duo remains firmly in contention just ten points behind the JC Raceteknik driver.
“Last weekend at Tierp, we already showed very good potential, but we were mainly lacking a bit of luck during the finals,” Carl Svedlund explained.
“For this event, we decided to use a completely new engine and that slightly changed the behaviour of the car. Even so, the pace already felt very encouraging from Saturday onwards.”
Confident in the level of performance shown by his package from the very first laps on Sunday morning, the Swedish driver gradually took control of proceedings throughout the qualifying heats.
“On Sunday morning, I immediately felt that we had the pace needed to fight at the front. From there, everything came together perfectly and we managed to secure a front-row position for the final.”
“Honestly, the day started perfectly for us. We immediately found a very strong rhythm in the opening qualifying heats. I managed to set the fastest time in Q1 and then again in Q2 before confirming our pace in Q3. After that, we carried the momentum into the semi-final before eventually finishing the job with victory in the final.”
Although the final result may suggest a perfectly controlled race, Svedlund admitted the opening moments of the final proved particularly intense.
“The first corner was especially tight and the most important thing was to avoid making any mistakes,” continued the Swedish driver.
Despite the pressure and contact during the opening corners, the JC Raceteknik driver ultimately managed to keep his composure and convert the opportunity into a crucial victory in the championship battle.
“Even so, we managed to stay focused and keep everything under control. In the end, it’s obviously a great reward after several difficult races where we went through three consecutive weekends without finishing on the podium. It’s a really satisfying feeling to finally take this victory.”
Now back at the top of the championship standings, Svedlund nevertheless prefers to remain cautious heading into the upcoming RallyX rounds.
“As for the next two races at Älvsbyn, I prefer to stay cautious because I think I’m the only driver in the field who has never raced there in CrossCar Senior. We’ll simply try to do our best and then see where that leaves us.”
In the CrossCar Junior category, it is also worth highlighting the excellent performance delivered by Peetu Matalamäki, who managed to put an end to compatriot Iivari Mannisto’s streak of three consecutive victories, forcing him to settle for second place ahead of Sebastian Isaksaetre.
After topping the intermediate standings, Jere Huuhka could ultimately do no better than fourth place in the final ahead of rookie Matias Toivio.
Meanwhile, the real sensation of the opening phase of the season may well be Minea Peramaki.
Alongside her seventh place in the overall standings, the young Finnish driver is one of only three competitors in the Junior championship to have qualified for all four finals contested since the beginning of the season, together with Iivari Mannisto and Jere Huuhka.
Already capable of securing another podium finish during Race 2 at Tierp, Minea Peramaki had also impressed during the opening day of competition at Honkajoki. Despite finishing only 12th in the intermediate standings, she still managed to climb all the way to fourth place in the final.
A scenario she almost repeated identically the following day, this time converting 10th place in the intermediate standings into yet another qualification for the final.