Double podium at Arvika for JC Raceteknik Juniorteam - Swedish Championship medal for Robin Larsson
JC Raceteknik Juniorteam driver Alex Gustafsson delivered a brilliant fight-back performance to win the third round of the RallyX Nordic CrossCar Junior class at Arvika, his home circuit. Team mate Isak Reiersen finished second in the CrossCar class to move into the series lead, and Robin Larsson claimed bronze medal in the Swedish Rallycross Championship, despite missing the Arvika weekend.
Varmland team JC Raceteknik ran four cars in the third round of the 2020 RallyX Nordic season, one in each category. After the successful weekend, both Juniorteam drivers, 13-year-old Gustafsson (Crosscar Junior) and 16-year-old Reiersen (Crosscar) lead the standings. Gustafsson had to battle back from a slow start in the final to take the win on track, while Reiersen won his semi-final to start on the front row of the final and take second position after a close race.
Supercar driver Mats Öhman had a consistent weekend and impressed with his fast pace, but unfortunately below-par starts hampered his efforts, as the team continues to work on the start procedure of his unique hand-control system. Fan favourite Öhman, who races despite being 95 percent paralyzed, finished fourth in his semi-final and just missed out on a place in the final. Larsson meanwhile missed the event as he and KYB Team JC prepare for the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship, but thanks to his strong weekend at Holjes last month, he took bronze in the Swedish Championship Supercar class.
In Supercar Lites, Jimmie Walfridson had a tough race and he struggled to find a rhythm on the technical circuit. He just missed out on the bronze medal in the Swedish Championship by two points.
The final round of RallyX Nordic will be held at Nysum, Denmark (September 4-6), while JC Raceteknik will be back in action for the first rounds of World RX and Euro RX at Holjes, Sweden (August 22-23)
Joel Christoffersson, Team Principal:
“On the whole, we’re satisfied with this weekend's event. That JC Raceteknik Juniorteam was able to take the championship lead in both Crosscar and Crosscar Junior means we leave Arvika with a great feeling. Alex did a really good job and impressed everyone with his build up to the final. He struggles a bit with the starts from time to time, but in terms of driving, he is superb. It was a well-deserved victory at home for him. Isak had to fight a bit at first, but he has a high minimum level and is always pushing right to the end.
For Mats', we didn’t have plans to compete, but we did a test that felt good so we made a very late entry. He has good pace, he showed that with third in Q2 and a second fastest time in practice. Unfortunately, he and the team are still struggling with the start system in the car, which makes it tough for him. For Jimmie, we didn’t really get into the right flow this weekend. He drives clean and tidy, and is usually quick at the starts. But this weekend he didn’t wasn’t in the game like he usually is. We simply have to analyse and work hard before Nysum.
It feels good that Robin got the Swedish Championship bronze medal this weekend. We chose to focus on World RX instead of RallyX Nordic with him this year, so he didn’t race in Arvika and we’re of course very happy with a bronze medal in those circumstances. It’s great to leave Arvika with this year's first medal.”
Supercar: Mats Öhman (SWE):
“The driving this weekend felt fantastic and I have become really comfortable in the car. As less works with my body compared to the other drivers, it’s extra important that the car is perfect, otherwise it will not work. It does that now and we have found the right set-up for me where the car handles very well. We still have not found the right solution for the starts yet. The start system is something we have developed ourselves for many years, but unfortunately it doesn’t work optimally yet. That makes it difficult to make good results in an entire event if you are often the last to start, and instead have to drive up the placings. But, we must continue to test and see. The team and everyone around has, as always, done a great job this weekend, without them I would not be here so I am very grateful for that. "
Supercar Lites: Jimmie Walfridson (SWE):
"It didn’t really work out this weekend. I didn’t have the flow and smoothness needed on this track. I also made a few too many small mistakes and it cost important seconds. Before the finale in Nysum next month, I will analyse everything so we can go again with the right speed. The goal is to end the season in a final. I have previously been on the podium in Denmark, so the feeling on that track is good.”
Crosscar: Isak Reiersen (SWE):
“We went into the weekend with third place in RallyX Nordic and the goal was always to pick up as many points as possible. Now I leave Arvika with the championship lead, so it can’t get better in that respect. The speed and lap times have been there, but as in Holjes, my weekend started a bit slowly and with bad luck starting on the outside of the grid. In Q3 I got a good starting position and then set fast times. A second place in the event feels good, now we are recharging before Nysum. I was fast there last year and took a win, at the same time I know what I have to improve before the event. With that combination, I hope we can tie the knot in the championship. I also want to congratulate my teammate Alex on the victory today. He has been very good this weekend, and I was impressed with the speed he got had in the final after the joker lap."
Crosscar Junior: Alex Gustafsson (SWE):
“This is the first time this class has run at Westom, so it was a great feeling to win. I’ve had a lot of fun and was fast all weekend, even though I messed up a bit in the starts. I’ve learned a lot. In the final I was good at the start, but lost some positions and speed. I chose to joker early, chased those at the front and was able to take the lead when the others took the jokers. It feels unbelievable to win in such a big series at home. Thanks to MK team Westom for a very good event."
