Twelve months after leaving Buxtehude with third place in the championship, Iivari Männistö returns to the German circuit in a very different position. With a commanding lead in the CrossCar Junior standings, the Finn needs only a handful of additional points to secure his first RallyX title.

Last year, Männistö endured a difficult end to the Estering weekend. Finishing only seventh in the second race, he nevertheless managed to secure third place in the overall championship during his first full season at this level of competition.

This time, he heads into the final event of the campaign with a far more comfortable advantage. Holding a 52-point lead over fellow Finn Alex Anttila, Männistö has an ideal opportunity to add his name to the RallyX championship honours list.

With six victories from eight races this season, Männistö has demonstrated remarkable consistency from the opening round. His only real setback came last Saturday at Nysum, where a semi-final elimination denied him a place in the final for the first time all year.

The following day, however, the championship leader bounced back immediately, returning to winning ways with his sixth victory of the season.

“Honestly, what happened on Saturday didn’t really affect me. My championship lead was big enough that I didn’t feel any excessive pressure. In Race 2, we managed to find our rhythm again, rebuild our confidence and everything went much better. Sunday was a very positive day compared to Saturday, but I can honestly say that the result didn’t really bother me.“

It was another example of the composure Männistö has shown throughout the season. Even on the rare occasions when he has been unable to deliver the desired result, he has remained firmly in control of his championship campaign without ever allowing his rivals to seriously threaten his position at the top of the standings.

At Estering, Männistö can therefore approach the final two races of the season without taking unnecessary risks. Rather than simply managing his championship advantage, however, the Finn intends to finish the season with the same ambition that has driven him since the opening round.

“I’m obviously very happy with the current situation, but our goal now is to win at least one race in Germany. We also want to finish on the podium. Last year, the semi-finals didn’t go the way we had hoped. This time, we’re hoping things will be different. The aim is to win at least one of the two races this weekend and back that up with another podium finish.”