Still second in the Open 4WD championship standings, Lukas Andersson heads into the final two rounds of the season trailing Oliver Eriksson by 21 points. While the championship leader could secure a second premier-class title at Estering, his young rival has not yet given up hope of turning the title fight on its head.
The Nysum weekend perfectly illustrated the challenge now facing Lukas Andersson. By scoring 49 of the 54 points available in Denmark, the JC Raceteknik driver did everything he could to reignite his championship hopes. After claiming victory on Saturday and returning to the podium on Sunday, however, the Swede managed to recover just one point from Oliver Eriksson, who himself collected 48 points across the two days of competition.
“I don’t think the Nysum weekend will be enough to revive my championship hopes,” admitted Lukas Andersson. “That said, we showed excellent pace from start to finish. We won on Saturday and, in the end, I think we’re leaving with roughly the same gap as before this event. With only 60 points still available and around a 22-point deficit to Oliver, the championship is no longer really in my hands.“
Whatever the final outcome, Lukas Andersson will have little to regret at the end of his first Open 4WD campaign. Stepping up directly from the Supercar Lites category, the rookie quickly proved he has the pace to challenge the championship’s most experienced drivers.
With six podium finishes, including two RallyX North victories, his season has been defined by remarkable consistency. Added to those results was his maiden victory at Valkenswaard, where he defeated the Eriksson brothers and Niclas Grönholm despite competing in only his second event at this level.
At Nysum, only his starts prevented him from making even more of the pace that kept him among the front-runners throughout the weekend.
“From now on, the goal is simply to go to Germany and do everything I can to win both races. I really enjoyed driving here at Nysum and I want to keep that same mindset. We struggled with our starts throughout the weekend, though, and that’s clearly something we need to analyse and improve. Apart from that, it’s been a positive weekend with two podium finishes in two days.”
A poor start in Sunday’s final quickly ended the Swede’s hopes of taking the fight to Oliver Eriksson. Trapped in traffic, Lukas Andersson never found an opportunity to fight his way back. It is a scenario he will be determined to avoid at Estering, where he can now race without the added pressure of defending a championship campaign.
“I completely missed the start in the final. I got stuck in traffic and after that it was impossible to come back. Going to Germany, I’ll have nothing left to lose. I’ll simply go there, enjoy myself and attack at 100 percent in the final two races of the season.”
The objective is now perfectly clear: Lukas Andersson must win both races while hoping Oliver Eriksson slips up. It is the role of underdog that may suit a driver who has already shown, in his very first season in the premier category, that he needed no adaptation period to establish himself among the front-runners.