Kristoffersson was back to his supreme best in the "most difficult rallycross final" he'd ever driven
Photography by FIA
Words by Alasdair Lindsay, Head of Digital Strategy
When it rains, it pours.
The FIA World Rallycross Championship elite found themselves in a familiar situation in Höljes. The Magic Weekend, as World RX’s Sweden round is colloquially known, were struggling to stay afloat as Johan Kristoffersson opened the taps as wide as they’d go.
Johan Kristoffersson turned up. He won every heat. Rain of biblical proportions fell and turned Höljes into a mudbath – and he continued winning anyway.
World RX cars are not known for going in a straight line much. But even on the straights no-one could keep their cars pointing the right way: the run to turn one on the final looked like a scene from a particularly wet Safari Rally, not a rallycross event.
Juha Rytkönen was one of several to aquaplane in a straight line at the start, his petrol-powered Hyundai i20 smacking into the side of Niclas Grönholm’s PWR RX1e and slowing them both down.
That gave Kristoffersson a free pass to escape the turn two madness, where Timmy Hansen felt he had no option but to dive out of the queue and into the joker lap – only to also get tapped by Rytkönen.
The fastest section of the lap, where cars have to throw out the anchors to slow down for turn nine right-hander after the long flat-out run exiting the turn six hairpin, illustrated Kristoffersson versus the rest most vividly. As the seven-time world champion cautiously and neatly tiptoed through the soaking transition from gravel to asphalt, Grönholm flew through the background at a rate of knots, lucky not to end up beached on the exit of turn nine. The rest of the field also rocked up to turn nine sideways, desperately grabbing at the handbrake get turned in.
Johan Kristofffersson's car can be told apart from the rest by being the only one pointing directly towards the apex of turn one
A spin at the end of lap two for Grönholm and the Hansens getting stuck behind Patrick O’Donovan for the next two laps meant the race was run, though the drama wasn’t over: Kevin Hansen aquaplaned into a spin through the fast downhill run towards turn nine, completing a full 360° pirouette, but finished it pointing the right way and pressed on without any time loss at all. In the end his save of the season was futile: his car ground to a halt one lap from the end.
All the while Kristoffersson – now back in an electric Polo, having swapped from the petrol-powered version KMS had used at the season opener in Portugal – was metronomic out front, winning the race by over five seconds.
Grönholm remains atop the drivers’ championship standings for now – but Kristoffersson’s dominance at his home round has put him right into the thrust of the title race, second in the standings.
“These are definitely very important points, but everything in my mind right now is that crazy final,” said Kristoffersson.
“I’ve been in Höljes when there was a lot of water and heavy rain, but this was so far the most crazy final I’ve ever driven here. The first two laps were really difficult trying to read the conditions, but at the same time I struggled to find the rhythm and I knew that it was going to be super hard for the guys behind with their windscreens covered in mud.
Conditions were the wettest and muddiest ever seen in a World RX final
“I think that was the most difficult rallycross final I’ve ever driven!”
Though Kristoffersson dominated, Grönholm and Timmy Hansen – who collected third place ahead of Rytkönen – were relieved, the rain masking the lack of pace both had struggled with throughout the weekend.
“It was crazy,” said Grönholm. “I’ve never driven in these kinds of conditions.”
Hansen concurred: “It was carnage! Once I saw there was a big gap in front and I was holding third, I was just praying in every water splash where I was fully aquaplaning that I could keep it on the apex.”
Round three of the season at Nyirád in Hungary takes place next week.
Tags: Holjes, Johan Kristoffersson, World RX, World RX 2025, World RX Sweden
Publish Date July 7, 2025 DirtFish
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