Having stepped away from Supercar Lites to make his debut this season in the all-new FC2 from the BAK40 team, the Swedish driver admits that he still needs time to familiarise himself with the nuances of his new machine.
Despite securing the first podium of his career at Valkenswaard this past April, the most decorated Supercar Lites driver in history was not entirely satisfied with his performance.
“It just goes to show how strange rallycross can be sometimes. Landing a podium on a day when I really felt like I drove poorly is a bit surprising,’ he said with a smile.
‘The car itself is very good and I haven’t experienced any technical issues, but I must admit that I’m still struggling to adapt to the characteristics of the FC2. I’m having trouble finding speed and using the car the way I know I should.”
Although the result looks solid on paper, Olofsson knows he has a lot of work ahead of him if he is to unlock the full potential of his new vehicle.
‘It’s going to take a bit more time than I expected. It’s strange, because at Montalegre I started to get a good feel for the car by the end of the weekend. Clearly, I need to take a hard look at what needs fixing. In Valkenswaard, our times kept improving, but we were still quite far off the leaders. Even at the starts, I just couldn’t be as sharp as I usually am. There’s still a lot of work to be done. While third place is obviously satisfying, I know there’s a long way to go.”
One thing is certain: with 18 wins and 30 podiums already to his name, Olofsson has no intention of easing up.
“We’re going to have to seriously revisit the setup. We tried quite a few things to match the car to my preferences in terms of handling and feel. I know the car is fast, so now it’s up to me to adapt. And this Valkenswaard track wasn’t exactly easy. I made a bunch of small mistakes that really cost me—starting with the gravel section, where I was just too inconsistent. This kind of lack of precision just isn’t acceptable at this level.”
There’s little doubt that as the RallyX Championship returns to tracks more familiar to him, the triple Supercar Lites champion will once again be counted among the top contenders in the Open 4WD class.