Isak Reiersen claims RallyX Nordic Crosscar title amid three Swedish rallycross medals for EKS JC

0.042 seconds. That was the margin with which 17-year-old Isak Reiersen claimed the 2021 RallyX Nordic title in the Crosscar category with EKS JC.
 
The seventh and final round of the RallyX Nordic season was held at Arvika in Sweden, where EKS JC ran four drivers, claimed the title with Reiersen and secured a trio of Swedish Rallycross Championship medals across three classes.
 
The Crosscar season went right down to the final moments of the last race of the year, with three drivers on the same points score heading into the weekend. Despite gearbox issues earlier in the event, Torsby driver Reiersen qualified second in the Intermediate Classification and then won his semi-final to take a single point lead into the final. In the last race of the year, he led from the start, at the front of a three-way battle for the win and the championship, then took his joker on the final tour and crossed the finish line with a margin of 0.042 seconds.
 
In Crosscar Junior 14-year-old Alex Gustafsson entered the final round five points off the lead. He set fast pace in qualifying, but had a slow start in his semi-final and dropped to the back of the field. Delivering an outstanding performance, he fought back to win his semi-final with some brilliant on-track overtakes, and he went on to win the final. Gustafsson finished the season second in the standings, just one point behind the champion.
 
In Supercar, Norwegian Sondre Evjen ended a season of highs and lows with a consistent performance in Arvika against yet another strong field to claim third in the RallyX Nordic Championship standings, just a point behind the second-place driver. Team mate Enzo Ide, who also races in the World Rallycross Championship, has used the RallyX Nordic season to gain experience. In Arvika he showed the value of the effort he has made this year by setting the fastest time in Q2 and taking third in the Intermediate Classification, but just missed out on a podium finish with fourth in the final, and fifth in the overall standings.
 
Find full results here.
 
Joel Christoffersson, EKS JC Team Principal:
"We are very happy with Isak's victory. It was probably the tightest finish to a championship I have ever seen, but 0.042 seconds was enough to take the gold. Alex did everything he could today and won the event, but just missed out on the championship. I'm very proud of his silver medal and it's a nice end to his last Crosscar Junior season.
 
In Supercar, Enzo and Sondre both had a good weekend, with good pace. Sondre lost a bit of speed at the end, but has throughout the season shown what can do in the Audi. Unfortunately we lost second place in the championship, but we can be happy with his third overall. Enzo really impressed this weekend. It's fun to see how he is developing all the time, and we’re looking forward to the next World RX round with him next weekend.”
 
Isak Reiersen (SWE), Crosscar:
"This feels absolutely fantastic. After two third places in RallyX Nordic, I entered the season with a new crosskart and had a fresh start. I always knew I was fast, so it feels amazing to have that proof now in black and white.
 
The final was quite exciting… I led all the time, and when I went into the last lap I heard my spotter say "push". He doesn’t say that much and I heard in his voice that now it was really urgent. When I went into the joker I lost some speed on the entry, but still carried good momentum though the exit. I chose to go on [Patrik] Hallberg's right side and it worked just fine. I immediately felt that I’d done enough over the finish line, but in hindsight it seems that the margin wasn’t so big. 
 
We were three drivers fighting for the championship title in the last race, and I could not have imagined two better competitors. Patrik and Jimmie Österberg are very fair drivers on track. In a class with such a high minimum level, and where you always have to drive right on the edge, it’s been good to have them for us to constantly push each other. I want to say big thanks to the team and my sponsors, who together made this possible. And maybe an extra big thank you to my mechanics who worked until 4am this morning with the gearbox, we got a good reward for that!”
 
Alex Gustafsson (SWE), Crosscar Junior:
"Ending the season with a win at home, and with an audience for the first time, is a great feeling. Of course second place in the championship doesn’t feel great, but Lukas [Andersson] is a great driver who deserves the gold medal. I’m still proud to have worked my way up from fifth place after Denmark to second and only one point off the title. It has been really tough competition this year that’s meant I’ve developed a lot.
 
This weekend started with heavy rain, bad race times for me and getting stuck in traffic. On Sunday I set good times and in the semi-finals there was a lot of nerves. The car died at the start, but I got it started quickly and picked up places in the race. I really pushed in the final, and managed to get the win. I will take forward with me the progress I’ve made this season, and I’m very grateful for the help I received from both EKS JC and the Swedish National Team. Thanks to my sponsors, the team for great work and everyone who helped me get here. And of course congratulations to Isak for taking the gold medal in his class.”
 
Sondre Evjen (NOR), Supercar:
“This race has been very up and down, and I haven’t felt totally on top of the car at this track. But all in all, it worked out pretty well. In the semi-finals, it was really just a matter of driving consistently and safe. Enzo and I had a little fight for second place, but he wanted that position as much as I did to back out of it. That gave me a third row start for the final and from there it was just about making the best of the situation.
 
Overall I’m happy with third in the championship, even though we fought for second all the way to the end. The chance to compete with Johan [Kristoffersson] for the title disappeared after the rounds in Höljes, but a medal is always a medal. We have shown that we have been at the top throughout the season and that’s a nice feeling. I’m very happy with EKS JC and the mechanics, who all season have fought hard to have a good car and helped me move forward.”
 
Enzo Ide (BEL), Supercar:
“The weekend started with technical problems in the first practice and not a perfect Q1. But in Q2 I set the best time, and also the fastest lap times in Q2, Q3 and Q4, so it was a good feeling that the speed was there. Unfortunately I made a few mistakes and I missed the podium this weekend. I know the speed is good and that my highest level is high, but I have to work on raising my minimum level and avoiding mistakes. I’m still relatively new to the sport, I have several lessons to learn, but thanks to RallyX Nordic, we have come a long way. The feeling before the next World RX race is good, and we are ready for Höljes next weekend. I would like to take this opportunity to thank every sponsor, Joel, EKS JC and all the people who are involved in the rallycross world and who, in various ways, helped me during the RallyX Nordic season.”