It took Alexander Lindeqvist just a few months to make a successful transition from CrossCar to Supercar Lites. In his first season at this level, the Swede secured the title at Buxtehude last Sunday, completing a campaign that required him to make major changes to his driving style.

Having led the standings since the Älvsbyn round in early June, Lindeqvist ended the season with two victories and six podiums from ten races. That consistency allowed him to remain at the top of the championship despite a more challenging end to the campaign.

After finishing outside the Top 3 in both races at the penultimate round in Nysum, the Swede was also forced to retire from the opening race at Buxtehude following contact with Roberts Vitols in the Final. That kept Kevin Daarbak in title contention heading into the last race of the season, before Lindeqvist bounced back the following day to secure his first RallyX title.

“It’s incredible. Before the season started, I kept telling myself that I was a rookie and had nothing to lose because this year was all about learning. It was my first season in this category and I just wanted to do things my way. In the end, it’s been a fantastic journey,” explains Lindeqvist.

“After the technical problems we had at the start of the season, the wins came in Finland and Sweden and, from that point on, everything gradually started to come together. I learned to better understand how a four-wheel-drive car behaves. It was so different from what I was used to in CrossCar that I had to completely change my driving style. So I have to say a huge thank you to the whole team, as well as Oliver Eriksson, who helped me throughout the season. Today, I’m the happiest man in the world.”

Lindeqvist’s success was not built solely during the ten races of the season. Long before the championship got underway, the Swede had already devoted much of his winter to preparing for the step up from CrossCar to Supercar Lites.

“I don’t really know what made the difference. I trained really hard over the winter and we did a lot of testing with a four-wheel-drive car on ice. Obviously, it’s not the same as driving on tarmac or gravel, but it helped me a lot to learn the basics. I also watched a lot of videos with Oliver, spent time on the simulator and tried to watch as many YouTube videos as possible to learn as much as I could. Maybe all that work was what made the difference.”

All that remained was to turn an impressive first campaign into a title. Following his retirement the previous day, Lindeqvist still had to keep Kevin Daarbak at bay in the final race at Buxtehude.

Despite finishing second in qualifying ahead of his main rival, the opening corner of the Final clearly did not go Lindeqvist’s way. Running last at the end of the first lap, the Swede needed to find a way back into contention quickly.

“I gave everything I had in that Final. I took the Joker on the first lap because I felt I needed to try a different strategy. That gave me some clear track in front of me. Then I had, I think, two or three laps to catch Daarbak. I pushed with absolutely everything I had. I was braking right on the limit, but in the end it worked. And then there was that incredibly close finish. It was amazing to end it that way.”

Second at the finish behind Roberts Vitols after finding his way back ahead of Mads Larsen and Kevin Daarbak, the Swede could hardly have asked for a better way to celebrate his first RallyX title.