Reigning RallyX Supercar Lites Champion Tommi Hallman will race in the Nitro Rallycross Championship this year with a SET Promotion-owned Supercar Lites machine in the NRX NEXT category.
 
The Finnish 21-year-old impressed last year in his debut Supercar Lites season. Racing as part of his family-run team, Hallman won four times and claimed three further podiums in seven rounds on the way to the title, competing against some fast rising stars of the discipline.
 
This season, he will compete in the six-round NRX NEXT European Championship, within the Nitro rallycross series, at events in the UK, Sweden and Finland. The first rounds take place at Lydden Hill in the UK, the venue of the first ever rallycross event in 1967, next week (June 18-19). The top drivers from the series will be invited to race in the American final early next year.
 
Before racing a single-make Supercar Lites machine, Hallman had made his first steps into rallycross with the successful RX Academy concept in 2019 and came within a single point of winning the title in the single-make series. For 2022, his hopes are just as high, to challenge for the title in the new rallycross series.
 
While Hallman will again run as his own effort in 2022, he continues to compete under the wider SET Promotion umbrella, as the Finnish team continues to support young drivers on an upward career trajectory.
 
Tommi Hallman (FIN) #87:
 
“I can't wait for the season to start, it's so exciting to jump into a new series. Nitro has already proved what it can bring to the sport in the US and I'm thrilled to take part in their first season in Europe. The tracks seem super cool with some spectacular jumps – I can’t wait! I've watched races from Lydden Hill from the TV for many years and it's such an iconic venue, it feels amazing to go racing there for the first-time next week. I'm expecting the level of competition in NRX NEXT to be tough, but at the same time I have good confidence with my pace and the car from last year. I've only done a few laps of testing but straight away I felt like at home behind the wheel. I have a long relationship with SET Promotion and it feels natural to continue something that's worked so well before. I also want to thank my partners, old and new, for their belief in me. Like in everything that I enter, my only goal is to win.”
 
Kalle Pinomäki, SET Promotion:
 
“Tommi first impressed us when he took part in RX Academy, and what he achieved last year with a limited budget was very impressive too. Everyone at SET is excited to follow Tommi’s next adventure, and will continue to support him as he builds his rallycross career. There are some big names racing in the NRX NEXT class this season, but there’s no reason why Tommi can’t be challenging at the front of the field if he can deliver the pace consistency we know he is capable of.”
 
NRX NEXT European Calendar 2022
 
R1/2 – Lydden Hill, UK – June 18 - 19
R3/4 – Strangnas, Sweden – July 30 - 31
R5/6 – Kymiring, Finland – August 27 - 28

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About SET Promotion   SET Promotion is one of the most successful teams in the action-packed sport of rallycross, with nine FIA European Rallycross Championship titles to its name. Run by brothers Jussi and Kalle Pinomäki,, SET’s structure offers a unique internal ladder of opportunity for drivers starting out in the sport to the very top in the growing FIA World Rallycross Championship.   #PoweredBySET   SET Promotion information here.

Swedish driver Anton Marklund dominated the opening round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship at Nyirad in Hungary with SET Promotion to the seize the championship lead.
 
As Euro RX returned to the old-school Nyirad circuit – renowned for its varied corners, elevation changes and high-commitment sections – for the first time since 2013, SET Promotion and double-European Rallycross Champion Marklund hit the ground running with the fastest time in Heat 1.
 
Thereafter, driving the Hyundai i20 RX1, Marklund stormed to race victory in every session within the new Euro RX format to secure pole position for the all-important final, which he led from start to finish to secure the race win.
 
The result not only returned Marklund to the top step of the podium for the first time since 2018, but also to the head of the championship standings, ahead of the second of six rounds at Holjes in Sweden on the first weekend in July.
 
Anton Marklund (SWE) #92:
 
“This is the perfect start to the season. It was quite a relief to win the final in the end, everything was very tight, especially when then grip level was increasing and more or less everybody was really increasing the pace. We were being hunted, I felt the pressure before the final, we were giving it everything so I’m very pleased that we can start the season like this. I love this track, when I went out in first free practice, I felt ‘this is how it should be’. It has a bit of everything, I really enjoyed driving here and the team made a great effort to make the car work so well.”
 
Aleksi Koskinen, SET Promotion Euro RX1 Team Manager:
 
“We had a plan coming here, but this is rallycross and there are so many variables that you never know how things are going to really go. But, things went as we hoped. Anton drove very well, he used his experience to manage the races and performed how we know he can. He delivered the lap times when we needed and it’s fantastic to win the first round of the championship. It was almost the perfect weekend, of course there are always areas to improve but we can be very happy with this start to the season and we’re all looking forward to the next round in Sweden.”
 
FIA Euro RX1 2022 Calendar
 
R1 – Nyirad, Hungary – May 21 - 22
R2 – Holjes, Sweden – July 2 - 3
R3 – Hell, Norway – August 13 - 14
R4 – Riga, Latvia – September 3 - 4
R5 – Montalegre, Portugal – September 17 - 18
R6 – Spa, Belgium – October 8 - 9

Find full Euro RX information can be found on the FIA World Rallycross Championship website.
 
Click media-use images for high resolution versions.

About SET Promotion   SET Promotion is one of the most successful teams in the action-packed sport of rallycross, with nine FIA European Rallycross Championship titles to its name. Run by brothers Jussi and Kalle Pinomäki,, SET’s structure offers a unique internal ladder of opportunity for drivers starting out in the sport to the very top in the growing FIA World Rallycross Championship.   #PoweredBySET   SET Promotion information here. World RX / Euro RX information here.

Two-time FIA European Rallycross Champion and World Rallycross Championship podium-finisher Anton Marklund will race a Hyundai i20 RX1 for SET Promotion in the 2022 Euro RX series.
 
Swedish driver Marklund has competed in European and World Rallycross Championship events since 2011, and has claimed two titles, in the TouringCar category in 2012 and the headline Euro RX1 division in 2017.
 
SET Promotion first entered Euro RX events in 2003, and has scored nine titles, over 50 wins and more than 100 podiums as part of its rich history in the series.
 
In various guises, SET and Marklund have competed directly against each other in both Euro RX and World RX campaigns in recent seasons, and have now joined forces for 2022, with the goal of challenging for the Euro RX crown.
 
The Euro RX1 series will run over six rounds in 2022, five events accompanying rounds of the World Rallycross Championship and the first round run as a standalone event at the historic Nyirad Circuit in Hungary, next month.
 
Marklund tested the SET Hyundai i20 RX1 (formerly Supercar) in Finland recently, while more running is planned ahead of the Euro RX season getting underway.
 
Anton Marklund (SWE) #92:
 
“Since even before I started racing in rallycross myself, I have seen SET Promotion always competing at the top of the category they are in. From the outside, SET has always looked very professional. We started to discuss what we could do this year at the end of last season, and finally have decided to work together this year. There will be a lot of cars and drivers at a very high level in the European Championship so it will be far from easy, but the target for this season is to challenge for the title. I’ve driven the car in a small test already and I have to say I was quite surprised with how good it was on the gravel. In general, the car and team share the same philosophy that I have had myself for the last couple of years, so it feels very good and hopefully we can continue that preparation all the way to the first race. I’m really looking forward to Holjes as my home event, and the round in Norway as it is pure fun to drive there. I’m also looking forward to going back to Hungary, I raced there in 2013 and it’s an amazing track. Kicking off the season at an old-school circuit will be great.”
 
Aleksi Koskinen, SET Promotion Euro RX1 Team Manager:
 
“It’s a very exciting year that we have ahead of us. This is a new role for me as Team Manager, and a new position for Anton as he returns to a full European Championship season with our Hyundai. Anton and I worked together in 2014 and 2015 in the World Rallycross Championship with Marklund Motorsport, and it’s been great to see his development as a driver through the years. We’ve put a really strong team together for this year, full of experienced people and we have one goal. Without doubt that is to fight for another championship title for both Anton and SET Promotion. The level will be high in Euro RX this year and I’m looking forward to some great battles.”
 
Jussi Pinomäki, SET Promotion Team Principal:
 
“SET Promotion feels very at home in the European Rallycross Championship. As a team we have enjoyed many years of very good competition in the championship, and much success. We don’t ever take that for granted however and a lot of hard work has gone into preparing for this season with Anton. Aleksi will oversee the Euro RX campaign as Team Manager, he has been a big part of SET for a number of years and has a lot of experience. The level will be high in Euro RX, but when you combine the experience of the team together with Anton’s clear ability and experience as a driver at the highest level in rallycross, I think we can expect to enjoy a lot of close racing.”
 
FIA Euro RX1 2022 Calendar
 
R1 – Nyirad, Hungary – May 21/22
R2 – Holjes, Sweden – July 2/3
R3 – Hell, Norway – August 13/14
R4 – Riga, Latvia – September 3/4
R5 – Montalegre, Portugal – September 17/18
R6 – Spa, Belgium – October 8/9

Find full Euro RX information can be found on the FIA World Rallycross Championship website.
 
Click media-use images for high resolution versions.

About SET Promotion   SET Promotion is one of the most successful teams in the action-packed sport of rallycross, with nine FIA European Rallycross Championship titles to its name. Run by brothers Jussi and Kalle Pinomäki,, SET’s structure offers a unique internal ladder of opportunity for drivers starting out in the sport to the very top in the growing FIA World Rallycross Championship.   #PoweredBySET   SET Promotion information here. World RX / Euro RX information here.

Reigning RX Academy Champion Rasmus Tuominen impressed on his debut weekend in the FIA European Rallycross Championship for Super1600 at Barcelona in Spain by claiming a podium finish, driving a Renault Twingo for multiple champions SET Promotions as his RX Academy prize drive.
 
The opening two rounds of the delayed Super1600 season took place as part of a double-header weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the event was held behind closed doors.
 
Finnish 19-year-old Tuominen got his weekend off to a solid start in Q1 on Saturday morning with third fastest time in the competitive front-wheel-drive Euro RX category. P8 and Q2 and P2 in Q3 followed, and second position in the semi-final ensured a final start. Taking an early joker lap, Tuominen made a critical well-executed overtake during the six-lap race to climb to third before the finish, and score a debut podium, the 98^th ever Euro RX Super1600 podium for the SET Promotion team.
 
Using the experience learned from day one, Tuominen aimed to build on his performance in the second round on Sunday, and the 2019 RX Academy Champion again set the third best time in Q1. He was fourth fastest in Q2, but was handed a penalty for an on-track incident in Q2, before contact at turn two in Q3, where the SET Promotion Renault Twingo rubbed side-by-side with another competitor which sent the Twingo into the air in unfortunate circumstances, before rolling onto its roof.
 
Hard work by the SET crew got the Twingo fixed in record time, and Tuominen made it to the grid for the semi-finals. The effort was almost rewarded with a place in the final, until a broken power steering hose, a legacy of the Q3 accident, cost just enough time to just miss out on a final qualifying position.
 
Tuominen lies sixth in the Euro RX Super1600 championship. The third and final round will join the final round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship at the Nürburgring on December 12-13.
 
Rasmus Tuominen (FIN), RX Academy Champion and Euro RX Super1600 driver:
 
“I was a little nervous going to the first pre-starts on Saturday, but started to get the confidence with the car and from there it went really well. We improved every time we went on track, thanks to work from Topi [Toomas Heikkinen] as my spotter and driver coach too, and to finish on the podium was amazing. On Sunday I was really focused on what I needed to do at the starts, and on track. Things went well in Q1 and Q2, but in Q3 I made a bit of a bad start and after that had some contact which caused a small roll. The guys did awesome work to fix the car so I could drive it again, but in the semi-final I got squeezed in the first corner. From there I focused on my own race and we were looking like we would be going into the final, but the power steering failed on lap four and the last lap was really hard to drive. Overall the weekend was really good, I learned a lot and I have pretty positive feelings going to the Nürburgring.”
 
Toomas Heikkinen, SET Promotion Super1600 Crew Chief and Spotter
 
“I knew that Rasmus was quick, like all the RX Academy Champions have been, that he could have good pace and have a good weekend. We had a good Saturday, we didn’t have any drama, Rasmus put up some good lap times and he managed to climb to the podium. On Sunday it was a bit of a different story, I think the driver did everything correct, and the roll in Q3 was unfortunate. That was a shame, but there are a lot of positives and I think there is a lot more to come from Rasmus moving into the future. He kept his head down all weekend, delivered consistent lap times and made no big mistakes. He has nothing to prove so I think it will be much easier for us to go to the next one.”

Find full event information can be found on the FIA World Rallycross Championship website.
 
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About SET Promotion   SET Promotion is one of the most successful teams in the action-packed sport of rallycross, with nine FIA European Rallycross Championship titles to its name. In 2020, SET Promotion operates the event-winning team GRX Taneco in the FIA World Rallycross Championship and cars in the supporting classes, including the FIA European Rallycross Super1600 Championship. Run by brothers Jussi and Kalle Pinomäki,, SET’s structure offers a unique internal ladder of opportunity for drivers starting out in the sport to the very top in the growing FIA World Rallycross Championship.   #PoweredBySET   SET Promotion information here. World RX / Euro RX information here.