Rytkönen makes World RX return with Betomik Racing.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Juha Rytkönen has announced his return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship with the Betomik Racing team. 

Rytkönen's rallycross journey began in 2018, where he immediately marked himself out as one to watch. He contested the autocross class of the Finnish Championship, where he made history by taking maximum points from the season, winning every single race he started to lift the title at the first time of asking.

With all the boxes ticked, the Finn stepped up to the Supercar category a year later behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta RX. 

Taking into account the adaption period with switching cars, he was quickly on the leader's pace and claimed victory in the final round at Honkajoki was enough to secure his second title in as many seasons.

Last year, Juha continued his progression up the rankings, making the switch to World RX at the Kouvola double-header with GRX-SET behind the wheel of a Hyundai i20 Supercar. 

He impressed from the offset, claiming fourth in the intermediate standings, then going on to win his semi-final, and finish second behind multiple World Champion Johan Kristoffersson – outpacing the likes of Timmy Hansen and Niclas Grönholm in the process. 

Rytkönen was on the pace again the following day, only for a track limits penalty to rule him out - but his results over the course of the weekend were enough to place him 12th in the classification. 

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

He returned to top-flight rallycross earlier this month when he entered the RallyX Nordic double-header at OuluZone and claimed a double podium finish behind the wheel of the Betomik Racing prepared Ford Fiesta fighting the likes of Niclas Grönholm. 

 

The 29-year-old will be one to watch closely this season, as he prepares for a World RX return with Mikko Ikonen's led squad, having confirmed his return for the Catalunya curtain-raiser and Nürburgring rounds, with further outings to follow later in the campaign.  

"It was a big relief to get everything sorted out, and it is fantastic to be back in the FIA World Rallycross Championship after such a great start last year. The tracks will be new for me so it will be a steep learning curve, but I’m ready to do my job," Rytkönen said.

"I don’t have any major targets, but of course it would be great to make it into as many finals as possible. The most important thing is to get all the kilometres and data out of the races. The results will come if we can drive solid races without big problems."

"We will definitely enter four events in World RX this season," he adds. "The first two in Barcelona and at the Nürburgring are certain, and we will decide the remaining two later on. The aim is to drive even more rounds if we can make it happen..."

RallyX Nordic title battle heats up as World RX stars join the fray

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic

It's race week! Words all motorsport enthusiasts love to hear. This weekend, the RallyX Nordic season continues at Oulu Zone, with the Finnish double-header, that is set to have a major impact on the ongoing title fight. 

Coming off the back of a hugely successful weekend at the iconic Höljes circuit in Sweden a few weeks ago, Niclas Grönholm is back for more RallyX Nordic action. Having secured consecutive wins on his season debut, the Finn is joint-fourth in the standings despite missing the opening double-header and will hope to get the better of his rivals on home soil in OuluZone this weekend. 

Fresh from the oceans of Senegal, Johan Kristoffersson will have his work cut out for him, as he has a giant target painted on his back. The Swede currently leads the Supercar standings after a victory and two second-place finishes at the opening four rounds of the RallyX Nordic season. 

Kristoffersson will have one target on his mind - to consolidate the top spot in the standings. 

The Swede's nearest rival, Fraser McConnell is just 13 points behind after a challenging weekend in Höljes, whilst Sondre Evjen is only four points further back and will be a mission to close the gap. 

Grönholm will be joined on track by fellow countrymen and World RX racer Juha Rytkönen. The Finnish national rallycross champion took a surprise second place on his debut at Kouvola last year and is an exciting addition to the field. 

Finnish RX racer Jere Kalliokoski will also make his season debut this weekend, along with Juri Tuuri. 

The high-octane action-packed racing will be broadcast live, free and in high-definition at tv.rallyx.se, with the racing set to get underway on Saturday, 5 June and concluding on Sunday, 6 June.

Rytkönen to make World RX return with the Ferratum Team.

PHOTO CREDIT: ferratum Team. 

Reigning Finnish rallycross champion Juha Rytkönen will make his World RX return with the Ferratum Team at the World RX of Barcelona-Catalunya on 17-18 October. 

Rytkönen, well known for his success in the Finnish rallycross championship made his World RX debut in Kouvola two weeks ago, and impressed right off the bat having won a heat race and a semi-final, before claiming a second-place finish behind Kristoffersson in round three of the championship. 

Following on from his debut in round three, Juka won two more heat races in the Finland double-header and only failed to make the final as a result of a track limits penalty in the semi-final. 

Having driven the GRX SET team's Hyundai i20 at the World RX of Finland, Juha will return to the championship with the Ferratum Team in Barcelona behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta that Jani Paasonen has used for the first two race weekends of the 2020 season, and again this weekend in Latvia. 

Rytkönen has already tested the car in Finland last week and will return to action at the World RX of Barcelona-Catalunya.

"Rallycross requires a lot of resources, both money and partners, for a layman. I really appreciate the cooperation opportunity with Ferratum. For me, it indicates that we did the right things with our team and our hard work paid off," Rytkönen said. 

"I want to show my support to Ferratum by driving the best I can. I have always thought that this is what I want to do, and I want to be at the top. I did not expect the start to be this good, though."

"In the future, I want to establish my position in rallycross, and especially in the world championship level."

Whilst the team remains mum on further plans with the Finn, Motorsport.com has learnt that Juha is likely to complete the season with the Ferratum Team. 

Written By - Junaid Samodien