After making his first appearance in the RallyX Junior category at Höljes in the summer of 2023, Charlie Rosmalm Sebom returned to competition this season under the Hoffman Motorsport banner. Crowned Swedish CrossCar champion in 2025, the Speedcar driver has made rallycross his primary focus this year as he looks to take the next step in his career.
Four rounds into the RallyX North campaign, however, the young Swede is still searching for his first final appearance. A situation that stands in stark contrast to the form he displayed only a few weeks earlier in the Swedish national championship.
At Tomelilla, Rosmalm Sebom secured a fourth-place finish before stepping onto the podium in the second race of the weekend, results that naturally raised expectations ahead of his RallyX North campaign.
“The start of the season has clearly fallen short of our expectations. Everything had begun very well in the Swedish Championship. We showed encouraging pace with a fourth-place finish followed by a podium in Race 2. We even managed to win several qualifying heats against drivers such as Oliver Lucas Jensen, Sebastian Enholm and Hugo Lundgren. That gave us a lot of confidence heading into the RallyX season. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet managed to find that same rhythm since the championship began.”
One of the main factors behind the difference in performance lies in the equipment being used.
“In the Swedish Championship, I was driving a different chassis. We made that decision to preserve the car intended for RallyX and allow us to complete its preparation properly. That experience convinced us that we were capable of competing with the best. Since the start of RallyX, however, we haven’t yet found the right setup or the feeling we’re looking for with this new chassis.”
In a category where the margins are often measured in tenths of a second, even the smallest mistake can have significant consequences.
“At this level, the gaps are incredibly small. The smallest mistakes can have major consequences. That’s what makes the discipline so demanding. We’re working extremely hard to improve, but every detail matters and even the slightest imperfection is immediately punished.”
Honkajoki offered perhaps the clearest indication yet that the gap to the front is beginning to close.
“Honkajoki is a circuit that is much closer to the type of tracks we are used to in Sweden. We felt that we were no longer far away from the level required to reach a final. On the second day, we came very close to achieving that. Unfortunately, a few rookie mistakes still cost us dearly. The goal now is to eliminate those mistakes step by step.”
As the championship heads to Älvsbyn, Rosmalm Sebom knows exactly where the team’s focus needs to be.
“After this race, we’re going to take the car completely apart to identify the areas where we can still improve. The challenge for a team at our level is that we’ve had to move directly from one event to the next since the start of the championship, which has left us very little time to refine our package. We know our potential is greater than what the results currently show. When everything works as it should, we’re capable of competing with the front-runners. Our objective remains to take the next step and finally reach that first final.”
Despite currently sitting 10th in the RallyX North standings, the young Swede remains fully confident in both himself and his team.
“The performances we achieved in the Swedish Championship give us confidence. We’ve already shown that we can fight for the top positions against very fast drivers. Even if the results haven’t come yet in RallyX, we know the potential is there. If we can put all the pieces together, we can aim for a place in the final and fight for a podium.”
There is also another reason for that confidence.
“I’ve only competed in three race weekends with this car, in addition to a few test sessions. We’re still in a learning phase and we view every race as an opportunity to better understand the potential of our package.”