Kallio claims stunning victory at Höljes in thrilling showdown with McConnell.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Jesse Kallio emerged triumphant after an enthralling battle with Fraser McConnell as Round 2 of the FIA RX2e Championship at the World RX of Sweden produced scintillating action at Höljes.

The Finn bounced back from a disappointing Saturday to storm into contention with consecutive qualifying session wins before showing blistering pace in both the semi-finals and final to claim the overall spoils.

McConnell was a narrow second after impressing throughout the weekend at the iconic Värmland circuit, while Isak Sjökvist notched third on his RX2e debut after a frenetic final.

Guillaume De Ridder remains top of the Drivers' Standings after finishing fourth, but the Belgian is just a point ahead of Kallio and two clear of McConnell as the first-ever FIA electric rallycross championship now turns its attention to Lohéac in France for Round 3.

Kallio started the weekend in fine fashion, winning his Q1 race and posting the third-fastest time of the opening session behind McConnell and De Ridder.

However, things unravelled in Q2 as a slow puncture saw him slip down the order while McConnell doubled up – holding off the rapid Swedish duo of Linus Östlund and Nils Andersson to take control at the end of Saturday.

Sat fifth at the halfway stage of qualifying, Kallio had it all to do in order to catch McConnell but a blistering display in Q3 produced the fastest time of the weekend so far and set the 22-year-old on the comeback trail.

He backed that up with a dominant Q4 win, getting the holeshot and putting the hammer down to cover an early joker from McConnell – although victory was still not enough to prevent the Jamaican from claiming Top Qualifier honours.

While Kallio and McConnell were pushing the pace at the front, standings leader De Ridder was having a tougher time after a dream clean sweep in Barcelona and could only manage fourth in the intermediate standings following damage and a puncture on a frustrating Sunday.

McConnell laid down a marker in the opening semi-final, taking victory ahead of Östlund and the ever-entertaining Patrick O'Donovan after Andersson suffered a mechanical failure which dashed his hopes of a home victory.

Kallio responded to McConnell in his semi-final, leading from turn one to the flag while De Ridder took second and Sjökvist booked his spot in the final with third – making the most of a half-spin from rapid EKS JC youngster Isak Reiersen on the opening lap.

That put the two old RX2 rivals on the front row for the final, and it was Kallio who reached turn one first while pole-sitter McConnell slotted in behind and De Ridder headed for the joker.

Östlund followed suit on the next tour but couldn't leapfrog the Belgian, while a combative O'Donovan was snapping at McConnell's heels before taking his own compulsory joker.

Kallio continued to stretch his lead at the head of the pack and, while McConnell and Sjökvist both went for an alternative joker strategy, there was no stopping the Finn as he pumped in consistency rapid lap times to secure his first win in the pioneering new RX2e category.

McConnell and Sjökvist, who showed consistent improvement throughout the weekend as he continues to adapt in his maiden season of rallycross competition, completed the rostrum while De Ridder suffered a late puncture but still finished fourth and Östlund came out on top in a robust final-lap battle with O'Donovan.

It was a frustrating day for the local driver, who posted the third-quickest times in both Q2 and Q3, and fellow new-boys Andersson and Reiersen were also left thinking what might have been after their semi-final misfortunes.

Damien Meunier will be desperate for another chance to realise his potential after the pacy Frenchman produced a competitive display on an unfamiliar circuit, while it was a similar story for Pablo Suárez as the popular Spaniard lodged improving times with every session around Höljes – having never raced at the legendary venue before.

"Today has been a perfect day. Yesterday wasn't so good, but today has been brilliant. It is so tight when everyone is in the same cars. The driver makes all the difference, and that makes it really enjoyable," Kallio said.

The 22-year-old hopes to return to the championship. "I am trying to find the budget to do more races, as I am hungry for more success," he said.

A haul of 29 points for Kallio leaves him just one behind Drivers' Standings leader De Ridder ahead of Round 3, while McConnell's 27 puts him a solitary point further back. O'Donovan moves into fourth after another strong display while Suárez and Meunier complete the top six in the table.

Kristoffersson crowned RallyX Nordic champion on home soil.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic

Johan Kristoffersson reigns supreme on home soil in Arvika, as he is crowned the 2021 RallyX Nordic and Swedish Championship champion.

Kristoffersson picked up his third race victory of the season in a dominant fashion but was officially crowned champion after claiming the top qualifiers spot in the Intermediate Standings after entering the weekend with an unassailable lead. 

The final in Arvika certainly ended in a bang, but not for the three-time World RX Champion who had a decent launch off the grid, with Fraser McConnell drawing level around the outside on the run to the turn 1/2 hairpin. 

With a clean exit from the hairpin, Johan comfortably led from start to finish with Fraser hanging around the outside, and Enzo Ide trying to push through, as Anton Marklund shoved him causing the right-hand side bumper damage.

On the run towards the first jump, Ide was challenging McConnell but opted to back out, which meant he was alongside Anton, and as the pair came off the jump, the EKS JC driver landed against the right fender of Marklund ripping it off. 

Anton took third place with Ide hitting him in the rear damaging the front left bumper of his Audi. OMSE's Kevin Eriksson didn't have the dream start or first few corners that he had hoped for after switching to a different differential step up for more front-end grip. He came out of the first few corners in fifth ahead of Sondre Evjen who had a bad start from sixth. 

Opting for an alternate strategy, Ide and Evjen took their jokers on lap one coming out behind Eriksson. 

From there, it was pretty much a formation race, as Johan began to build a buffer to the Jamaican behind. 

As the laps ticked off, McConnell switched things up and took his joker with one lap to go and was followed in by Marklund and Eriksson. The OMSE driver rejoined in second with Marklund in third, with Ide able to jump Eriksson on the merge having taken an earlier joker lap. 

Comfortably in the lead, Kristoffersson left no stone underturned, as he fully sent his Volkswagen Polo Supercar through the joker lap exiting with max speed and comfortably crossing the line 2.238s ahead McConnell, Marklund, Ide, Eriksson, and Sondre Evjen. 

Speaking after the final, Kristoffersson said: "It's always nice to pick up another trophy! I have won the Swedish Championship once before, here in Arvika last year at my home track, and it is good to keep that winning streak going."

The 32-year-old Swede admits that the RallyX Nordic championship is a good experience builder. 

"It's a good experience for me, as I play around with a little bit with setup through the heats/sessions and you know, also learn a lot of things, technically, what's going on with the car. Because there are sometimes a lot of things going on with the car," he adds. "So then I have to dig into and understand what's actually going on."

"We've changed the engine, we have changed a lot of strategies, and also the turbo pressure and anti-lag and all this stuff. We've changed a lot this weekend."

RallyX Nordic title fight goes down to the wire at Arvika

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic

The 2021 RallyX Nordic Championship will reach a dramatic conclusion next week at Arvika, Sweden, as Johan Kristoffersson heads into the final round of the season top of the Supercar standings, and on course to clinch the title in his Kristoffersson Motorsport-run VW Polo. 

27 points clear of his nearest rival - fellow World RX rival Niclas Grönholm, who will not be competing at Arvika - and a further two ahead of EKS JC's Sondre Evjen, with the Norwegian the only driver mathematically capable of denying Kristoffersson the title.

Meanwhile, fourth-placed Fraser McConnell will be hoping for a better turn of fortune in Sweden having claimed his first Supercar victory at the season-opener earlier this year. 

The Jamaican is just one of several other potential race-winners on the entry list. 

Hedströms Motorsport is fielding a formidable squad, with Anders Michalak and Peter Hedström joined by World RX regular Anton Marklund and Dan Öberg – who recently stepped up to the top tier after impressing in RallyX Nordic and Euro RX last year.

Elsewhere, Philip Gehrman will be behind the wheel of an Audi S1 for the first time, whilst Kevin Eriksson makes a guest appearance for Olsbergs MSE in a Honda Civic.

One-off outings for Patrick Guillerme, Daniel Thorén, and Stene Johansen further bolster the Supercar category while regulars Enzo Ide and Andreas Carlsson complete a fiercely competitive line-up in the flame-spitting headline class.

Where to Watch The Season Finale?

All five classes will be broadcast live, free and in high-definition at tv.rallyx.se, with the racing set to get underway on Friday, 13 August and concluding on Sunday, 15 August.

McConnell targets all-electric glory after signing up for inaugural RX2e Championship.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA RX2e Championship

Fraser McConnell is the latest rising star confirmed to be on the grid when the inaugural FIA RX2e Championship gets underway at Barcelona on July 23/24.

The Jamaican driver will be targeting the top step when the lights go green on the first-ever FIA electric rallycross championship, with the pioneering series already earmarked as the future of the sport.

McConnell, who has been catching the eye at the wheel of an OMSE-run Ford Fiesta MK8 in RallyX Nordic this season, will be one of the men to beat when the cutting-edge series debuts at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Having made his rallycross bow in the North American ARX2 series back in 2018, he stepped up to the international stage in 2019 and finished fourth in the FIA World Rallycross Championship-supporting RX2 series - most notably completing a spectacular round-the-outside pass on OMSE team-mate Jesse Kallio at the Barcelona curtain-raiser.

He won the ARX2 title during the same season and progressed to the RallyX Nordic Supercar class a year later, running at the sharp end alongside eventual champion Oliver Eriksson and World RX star Johan Kristoffersson on his way to securing a second-place finish in the overall standings.

McConnell is undoubtedly one of the most highly-rated upcoming drivers currently competing in rallycross, and he is ready to make his mark on the international stage once again.

"I'm so excited to announce that I will be competing in RX2e, and I can't wait to get behind the wheel in Barcelona," McConnell said. "This championship is really pushing the boundaries of electric technology in sport, and we have already seen that these machines can produce quality racing. This is the future of rallycross, so I want to get a head-start!"

"I am super excited to find out what I can do in the car, and I hope to be competitive right from the off. QEV and OMSE have done a great job bringing the championship together, and I'm looking forward to getting started."

"Satisfied" Grönholm doubles up with Höljes win.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic

Niclas Grönholm is "satisfied" after securing back-to-back Supercar wins in Höljes over the weekend. 

Level on points with Fraser McConnell after Q1 and Q2 on Saturday, Grönholm picked up where he left off by setting the fastest time in Q3. 

Having had the superior pace all weekend. The question remained: Would Niclas have the pace for a clean sweep in qualifying? Soon, we'd get the answers to these questions.

Despite keeping his nose clean during the final qualifying race, it was Anton Marklund who sprung a surprise to claim the top spot in Q4 but based on the points tally over the four qualifying sessions, it was Grönholm clinched the Top Qualifiers honors. 

The 2021 specification World RX Hyundai Supercars have had superior starts (launches) all weekend, and in the semi-final, Niclas enjoyed a trouble-free run from the lights to flag, ahead of second-placed McConnell. Whilst Kristoffersson fought back to overhaul Krisztian Szabo to book a spot on the front row in the final. 

From pole position, Grönholm had another impressive start to cover off turns 1 and 2, whilst those behind battled for position with fast-starting McConnell taking the inside line for turn 2 forcing Kristoffersson into a lap one joker. Thereafter, Niclas controlled the pace to the flag.  

With a desire to win, Kristoffersson pulled off an incredible pass on Andreas Bakkerud to keep some pressure on Grönholm. Soon after, he picked off McConnell who took the joker lap, but his efforts to catch the Finn were ultimately in vain as the Hyundai driver comfortably controlled the pace to cross the line 0.400 seconds ahead of the three-time World RX champion. 

"I’m definitely more satisfied with this win than on Thursday!" Grönholm said. "To be honest, the first laps I didn’t know what the gap was behind, they didn’t tell me but it got to the stage where Jussi [Pinomäki] said we need a bit more, luckily I found it and managed to push without making any silly mistakes so that’s something to be satisfied with."

"For sure it feels nice to get these two victories so I’m happy but as always, the hard work continues."

Kristoffersson admits "I did what I could" to challenge Niclas Grönholm in the Supercar final.

"The lap times were just not enough when Niclas got into the rhythm, but it was a difficult place to be in the final starting in the second position, and I have two Hyundai's on the inside. Our starts haven't been good enough, but it was good-ish," Kristoffersson said.

"Niclas had a very good start and I was able to slot in there. Then McConnell came from the outside. I didn't plan to joker on the first lap because of the exact situation that happened. Then tried to get my head down, but it was just not enough. I did everything I could. Right now, it feels shit. I am happy in one way because I could challenge-ish Niclas, but not really because I know that he is controlling it a little bit. The plan was not to make Niclas feel comfortable in the final. I did what I could!"

Round one race winner, Fraser McConnell, brought his Olsbergs MSE Fiesta home in third to keep his championship hopes alive, with Krisztian Szabo finishing in fourth ahead of Enzo Ide, and Andreas Bakkerud who made history for not only winning qualifying races but also making the final in the fully electric STARD Ford Fiesta.  

Kristoffersson’s second-place finish in Höljes means he retains the lead in the Supercar standings, 13 points ahead of McConnell and a further 5 points clear of Sondre Evjen whilst Grönholm sits in joint-fourth with Ide following his two-round appearance in Sweden.

Will Niclas Grönholm return for the three remaining rounds of the RallyX Nordic championship? 

"You never know. Let's see what happens!" Grönholm said. "There are a lot of things going on not only rallycross, so we need to see if it's possible, but for sure racing is always fun."

Grönholm and McConnell share overnight TQ honors in Höljes.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic.

Niclas Grönholm and Fraser McConnell draw level on points midway through qualifying for Round 4 of the RallyX Nordic championship in Höljes.

Both drivers picked up 90 points from their two qualifying heats, both claiming a win and the fourth-best time, which see them on equal points at the top of the Supercar class intermediate standings. 

Changeable conditions did not impact the on-track action, as McConnell stamped his authority on Q1, with a mighty strong start out of blocks with Grönholm and Anton Marklund slotting in behind. Thereafter, the Jamaican showed blistering pace in his Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta Supercar to win by a margin of 3.055 seconds in Q1.

Having set the fourth-fastest time in Q1. Niclas Grönholm launched a fightback in Q2, and despite not getting the perfect start. He drew level with Fraser and squeeze Marklund and Kristoffersson to back off and slot in behind. On the run into turn 2, the Finn took the joker lap with an aim to benefit in clear air. 

Marklund, who was right on the bumper of McConnell spun off from second-place, dropping to the rear of the field on the first lap clearing the way for Szabo, Grönholm, and Kristoffersson behind. 

With a clear pace advantage, Niclas latched onto the rear of Krisztian Szabo who strategically jokered on lap 2 to make life easier for his team-mate. The ice-cool Finn started chipping away at Fraser's lead in the wet conditions, and as McConnell jokered. Who emerged in the lead? None other than Niclas Grönholm who won Q2. 

Three-time World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson had a day to forget after suffering from a turbo hose issue, which slowed him down quite considerably in Q1. After two qualifying sessions, Johan is six points behind Grönholm and McConnell in the intermediate standings, with his immediate championship Sondre Evjen a point further back in fourth. 

What will happen on day 2 is anyone guess? But it's all to play for tomorrow!