Less than two weeks after the disappointment he endured at Honkajoki, Lukas Andersson wasted no time responding as RallyX North action resumed in Älvsbyn on Saturday. Claiming his second victory of the season and the third FC2 win of his career, the JC Raceteknik driver came out on top ahead of Oliver Eriksson and Romet Tsirna after producing an impressive comeback performance.
Arriving in northern Sweden under pressure after seeing his championship deficit to Oliver Eriksson grow from three to 17 points during the Finnish round, Andersson delivered when it mattered most. Yet, nothing suggested such an outcome at the conclusion of the qualifying heats.
While Oliver Eriksson controlled proceedings throughout the preliminary phase, Andersson was forced to contend with a series of technical issues that significantly hampered his performance. Sitting only fourth in the intermediate standings, the Swede featured among the three fastest lap times in qualifying on just one occasion.
“Bouncing back like this after the Honkajoki weekend is a great response. This result gives me confidence again and, honestly, I really needed it. I felt like it was finally my time to reap the rewards of all the hard work and get back to the top. Today has been incredible.”
The source of his struggles ultimately lay in the transmission. The issue proved particularly costly through Älvsbyn’s tight hairpin.
“We had a gearbox problem. I couldn’t downshift into the hairpin. In both Q2 and Q3, I couldn’t rotate the car properly or get a good exit because I was stuck in too high a gear. Before the final, we identified the issue and after that everything worked perfectly.”
Once the circuit had dried out and the mechanical problems had been resolved, Andersson looked like a completely different driver. Posting the second-fastest lap of the semi-finals before setting the third-fastest lap in the final, he won his semi-final and capped off the day with a convincing victory in the main event.
Despite the win, the championship gains were limited, with Andersson taking back only a single point from Oliver Eriksson, who finished second in the final and remains firmly in control of the standings.
Behind the leading Swedish duo, Romet Tsirna continued his impressive run of form. Having crossed the finish line in second place, the Estonian was later demoted to third after receiving a three-second penalty for contact that resulted in a gained position. Even so, he secured a third consecutive podium finish and now sits just five points behind Andersson in the provisional championship standings.
Kevin Eriksson also stood out thanks to his consistency. Across all sessions from Q1 through to the final, he conceded just 0.010s in average pace to his brother Oliver.
In fifth place, Tobias Daarbak continued to underline the progress he has made since the start of the season. The Norwegian secured a second consecutive appearance in the final and continues to build momentum in the category. By contrast, Emil Naessen saw his day unravel in dramatic fashion. Hampered by mechanical issues within the opening metres of the final, the Swede was forced to retire just as he appeared to be on course for his strongest performance of the 2026 campaign.
Ahead of the second day of competition, Andersson knows the hard work is far from over. Having regained momentum, the Swede is now aiming to build on this result and continue his charge in the championship standings.
“I hope tomorrow follows the same pattern. I’ll do my best, stay out of trouble, avoid the chaos on track and try to score as many points as possible.”