After being beaten by Espen Isaksaetre and Riku Huuhka in Saturday’s opening contest, Carl Svedlund responded in the best possible fashion at Älvsbyn. The reigning 2025 CrossCar Junior champion secured his second RallyX North victory of the season following a day shaped by treacherous conditions and another significant twist in the title battle.

Third fastest in qualifying behind Joonatan Ylilammi and Espen Isaksaetre, the Swede laid the foundations for his success when it mattered most. While Isaksaetre, his closest rival in the championship standings, failed to secure a place in the weekend’s final, Svedlund capitalised by winning his semi-final before sealing the deal in the decisive showdown later in the day.

On a rain-soaked circuit where conditions remained highly challenging, Svedlund delivered a composed and measured drive to take control of the event, eventually crossing the finish line 2.3 seconds clear of Riku Huuhka.

“The key today was to stay calm. In these wet conditions, you have to be very progressive with the throttle and keep the car under control. I saw a lot of drivers attacking flat-out and throwing the car around, but that wasn’t necessarily the right approach. I tried to stay clean and never overdrive. That was what made the difference,” Svedlund explained after his victory.

Behind him, Huuhka limited the damage with another podium finish, while Joonatan Ylilammi returned to the top three for the third time this season. The Finn finished ahead of Thomas Eek Murstad, Charlie Rosmalm and Janis Baumanis after a technically demanding day.

From the very start of the morning, Ylilammi knew conditions would make life difficult.

“We started the second day knowing quite quickly that some chassis adjustments would be needed. The heavy rain that fell overnight from Saturday into Sunday had dramatically changed the track conditions. I couldn’t find the level of traction I was looking for, so we had to work on a few set-up changes to improve it.”

“The weather wasn’t easy to manage. The track gradually dried out, but there was always the possibility of more rain arriving at any moment. If the conditions had remained stable, it would have been much easier to find the right set-up and stick with it. Instead, we had to adapt constantly, which was a real challenge for everyone.”

Despite topping the qualifying standings, Ylilammi could do no better than third in his semi-final before bouncing back strongly in the main event.

“The final went much better than I had expected. Even starting from the back row, I managed to fight my way onto the third step of the podium. Before the start, we were almost joking about whether such a scenario was even possible, but we managed to pull it off. I gave absolutely everything I had, and coming away with third place after starting so far back remains a very satisfying achievement.”

That result was made all the more impressive by the technical difficulties he had been battling throughout the weekend.

“Since the start of the weekend, we’ve been dealing with gearbox issues. Our starts were good and I was able to hold my position in the opening metres, but things became much more complicated when it was time to shift gears. In the semi-final, I even lost two gears, which largely explains why I only finished third despite starting from pole position. I knew I would have to start the final from the back row. Naturally, I needed a bit of luck to work my way back through the field, but in the end you can say the mission was accomplished with a top-three finish.”

For Svedlund, however, the victory represented far more than another race win. Benefiting from Isaksaetre’s early exit, the Swede now holds a 14-point advantage over his closest challenger, while Huuhka and Murstad sit 20 points adrift. Ylilammi remains fifth in the standings, 31 points behind the championship leader.

“It’s obviously a very good result for the championship. We scored a lot of points this weekend and the gap should increase even further. From that perspective, it’s been a very positive day,” said the CrossCar category leader.

Svedlund knows, however, that the road to the title remains a long one. With four events still to run and 120 points yet to be awarded, the 2026 championship is far from settled.

“The feeling is very good tonight, but there are still two important events coming up in Denmark and Germany. The goal is simply to keep scoring as many points as possible at every round. There’s no point thinking too much about the championship right now. We just need to stay focused on our work and keep moving in the same direction.”

A cautious approach that makes perfect sense for the Swede, who, despite extending his advantage at the top of the standings, knows that the outcome of the 2026 season remains far from decided.