Iivari Männistö ended his 2026 season just as he had started it: at the sharp end. Crowned RallyX North CrossCar Junior champion on the opening day of competition at Estering, the Finn rounded off his campaign with a seventh victory in ten races. Behind him, Sebastian Isaksætre used the final round of the season to snatch the runner-up spot from Alex Anttila and underline the progress that will naturally make him one of the drivers to watch in 2027.

Männistö’s record speaks for itself when it comes to his dominance this season. Yet despite having wrapped up the title in Race 1 at Buxtehude, the Finn was not entirely satisfied with his third-place finish on Saturday.

The following day, simply managing the situation was never an option. Männistö immediately returned to his usual pace, taking the lead in the Intermediate Classification thanks to two fastest qualifying times in Q2 and Q3 before rounding off his weekend with another victory.

“Race 1 went pretty well. I just made a small mistake that allowed one of my rivals to pass me on the inside. But today was a really good day. Everything went well from start to finish and now, of course, I’m really happy. It’s unbelievable.”

Having already secured the title made no difference to his approach. After an opening day that had not entirely lived up to his expectations, Männistö was determined to end his campaign with a performance worthy of his season.

“On Sunday morning, at the start of Race 2, I wasn’t really thinking about the fact that the title was already secured. I was more focused on the fact that the previous day’s result wasn’t what we were looking for. So we kept pushing as hard as we could with the car and this time the result came. Even if going off while pushing wouldn’t ultimately have changed anything in the championship, it’s obviously much better to finish with a result like this.”

Männistö therefore leaves Estering with his first RallyX North title, the reward for a season he largely controlled from start to finish.

“RallyX is a really good championship and I’m very happy to be the new champion.”

While his future has yet to be decided, the Finn is now considering several options as he looks to take the next step in his career.

“I don’t know exactly what I’ll do next. I think I’d like to try a CrossCar from the Senior category. First, I’d need to drive one and see what it’s like. Another possibility could be to move towards more conventional cars like those used in rallying or rallycross.”

Isaksætre finishes the season on a high

Behind Männistö’s dominant campaign, Sebastian Isaksætre also left Germany with a major result. The Norwegian arrived in Buxtehude one point behind Alex Anttila in the battle for second place in the championship, but turned the situation around with two more podium finishes.

His momentum had started well before Estering. One week earlier at Nysum, Isaksætre had claimed his first RallyX North victory in the opening race of the weekend. By finishing each of the final four races of the season on the podium, including two second-place finishes at Buxtehude, he secured the best championship result of his young career.

“Finishing second in the championship means a lot to me. To manage to secure it on the final day is really important, and it’s hugely satisfying to be able to end the season this way,” Sebastian said.

The stakes were even higher because Sebastian was not the only member of the Isaksætre family with something major on the line on Sunday. At the same time, his uncle Espen was fighting Thomas Eek Murstad for the CrossCar title, creating a particularly tense atmosphere within the Norwegian camp from the start of Race 2.

“It was a particularly intense day for the whole family. I was fighting for second place in the championship while Espen was fighting for the title. Everyone was very quiet and nervous. From Sunday morning, you could really feel that everyone was excited to see what was going to happen, but also understandably a little tense because of what was at stake on the final day.”

Beyond finishing runner-up, Isaksætre is particularly pleased with the progress he made over the course of the season. More consistent and less prone to mistakes, the Norwegian has clearly taken a significant step forward.

“I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved this year and the progress I’ve made. I also claimed my first RallyX North victory at Nysum, so that was something really special for me.”

“I’ve improved my driving a lot this year and I make far fewer mistakes than before. That really helps my driving and, above all, I now feel capable of fighting for the championship.”

That progress could take on a new dimension in 2027. With another season in CrossCar Junior looking likely before a possible move up to the Senior category, Isaksætre would head into the next campaign with a very different status.

“For next year, I think the plan is to come back to Junior for one more season before possibly moving up to Senior after that.”

With one victory and four consecutive podiums to close out 2026, the Norwegian has already laid the foundations for his next campaign. Runner-up this season, Sebastian Isaksætre will have an obvious target if he returns to CrossCar Junior in 2027: succeeding Iivari Männistö as champion.