Until the second day of competition in Honkajoki, Lukas Andersson had emerged as Oliver Eriksson’s closest challenger in the RallyX North title fight. With two podium finishes since the season opener at Tierp, including a victory in Race 2 at Valkenswaard, the JC Raceteknik driver appeared ideally positioned to keep the pressure on the championship leader.
Then Finland changed everything.
Penalised in the opening qualifying heat following contact with Romet Tsirna, Andersson saw his hopes of reaching the final take a major hit. In a format where every point matters and overtaking opportunities were at a premium, the Swede never managed to recover the ground he had lost.
“Honestly, I didn’t think too much about it afterwards. These things happen to everyone, and this time it happened to me. After the opening qualifying heat, we knew we were almost forced to finish in the top two in the remaining heats if we wanted any chance of making the final. We tried everything, but I never managed to get a good start. Every time I found myself stuck in traffic and it was very difficult to fight my way back through the field under those conditions. On a circuit where the races were only three laps long, overtaking was almost impossible. I gave it everything until the very end, but it wasn’t enough. Now I’m already focused on the next race. What happened is in the past and it has no impact on my mindset going forward,” Andersson explained.
The setback was immediately reflected in the championship standings. Having trailed Oliver Eriksson by just three points at the end of the first day of competition, Andersson now finds himself 17 points adrift heading into the Älvsbyn weekend.
“Obviously, losing that many points was difficult to accept. We were in a very strong position in the championship and that weekend cost us dearly. Now we have to respond and move forward. But rallycross is unpredictable. What happened to me can happen to anyone. I’m still convinced that the championship is within reach as long as we remain steady and consistent throughout the season.”
To reignite his title challenge, the Swedish driver returns to a circuit whose characteristics appear perfectly suited to his driving style.
“I simply try to push as hard as possible whenever the conditions allow it. That’s my natural way of driving and I think some circuits reward that approach more than others.”
“It’s a circuit where you can really attack at 100 percent, but you also need to know where the limit is. If you go beyond that limit, you can very quickly end up making a mistake. It’s all about finding the right balance between aggression, commitment and precision. It’s a track that suits my style well and one where I’ve already won in Supercar Lites. I really enjoy driving there and I hope I can make the most of it this weekend.”
Experience at the Norrbotten circuit could also prove valuable. Andersson knows exactly which pitfalls to avoid after paying a heavy price during his previous visit.
“One of the biggest lessons from last year is that you can’t attack some of the kerbs too aggressively, especially in the hairpin. I damaged several suspension components there and it taught me an important lesson. This time, the goal is to avoid incidents, stay out of trouble and focus on running my own race. If we can get to the front early, it will make the whole weekend much easier.”
The JC Raceteknik driver is equally aware of where much of his weekend will be decided.
“The most important thing is to stay focused on our own performance. We need to put ourselves in a strong position from the start and avoid getting caught in the middle of battles in the pack. That’s often where races are won and lost.”