After battling Viktor Johansson for the championship throughout last season, Lucas Gabrielsson is now within touching distance of his first Open 2WD title. Holding a 42-point advantage over Jon Ny with four races remaining, the Finn will head to the two Nysum rounds in a commanding position.
Since the opening round at Tierp, Gabrielsson has not missed the podium once. Three victories, two third-place finishes and one runner-up result from six races underline a level of consistency that none of his rivals have been able to match.
Already leading the championship after Honkajoki, Gabrielsson tightened his grip on the standings at Älvsbyn. By winning both races, he collected 59 points from a possible 60, an almost perfect return that allowed him to extend his advantage over his nearest rival from 20 to 42 points.
More importantly, none of his title rivals managed to keep pace. Jon Ny climbed from fourth to second in the standings after collecting 41 points in Sweden, yet his deficit to Gabrielsson increased from 24 to 42 points. The same was true of defending champion Viktor Johansson. Despite moving up two positions to third overall, he saw the gap to the championship leader grow from 31 to 53 points.
Behind the leading trio, Simon Tiger appeared to have enjoyed one of the strongest weekends at Älvsbyn. Third in both finals, the BMW E30 driver scored 46 points to climb from seventh to fourth in the standings. However, technical problems have forced him to withdraw from the final two events of the season.
Fredrik Tiger will now take over to represent the family in Open 2WD. Simon’s father will return to competition in the category for the first time since his appearance at Älvsbyn in 2025.
Simon Tiger’s absence significantly reshapes the battle behind Gabrielsson. Tied with Erik Lidman on 89 points, the Swede will no longer be able to defend fourth place. Lidman, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back after a difficult weekend at Älvsbyn. Second in the championship after Honkajoki, he scored just 25 points across the two Swedish races and slipped to fifth, 54 points behind the leader.
With four races still to come, two at Nysum followed by two at the Estering, 120 points remain available. The championship is therefore still mathematically open, but Gabrielsson already holds several important advantages. His 42-point lead guarantees that he will remain at the top of the standings after the opening Danish race, regardless of the result.
The Finn could even secure the title on Sunday evening if he leaves Nysum with a lead of more than 60 points over all of his rivals. To achieve that, he will need to outscore Jon Ny by at least 19 points over the course of the weekend while keeping Johansson, Lidman and the rest of the contenders at bay.
It is a demanding scenario, meaning Nysum will not automatically become a title decider. Jon Ny still has every opportunity to take the fight to the Estering, while Johansson and Lidman must reduce the gap if they are to keep their championship hopes alive.
Unlike last season, however, Gabrielsson is no longer the one chasing the championship leader. Thanks to six podium finishes from six races and an almost flawless weekend at Älvsbyn, the Finn now holds all the cards. Nysum will offer him his first opportunity to turn an outstanding season into a potentially decisive championship advantage.