Swedish star Anton Marklund dominated the final round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium to claim victory and end the season on a high.
 
Having secured his third career Euro RX title at the penultimate round of the campaign in Portugal three weeks earlier, Marklund and SET Promotion headed to one of the most famous motor sport venues in the world with no objective but to end the year in style.
 
Second in heat one, a team debrief ahead of heat two reiterated the plan: an all-out attack on victory, and thereafter, driving the SET-run Hyundai i20, Marklund led from the front, winning heats two and three before also being victorious in the progression race and semi-final, to secure pole position for the final.
 
In the main event, under late afternoon Belgian sun, Marklund won the dash to turn one, led the chasing pack through the famous Eau Rouge Formula 1 corner and hairpin at the Raidillon turn, before he stormed through the five-lap race to claim victory.
 
His third win of the campaign capped off a brilliant season for the team, in which Marklund’s third Euro RX crown also marked the 10^th FIA European Championship title for the SET Promotion squad.
 
Anton Marklund (SWE) #92:
 
“Enjoy is really the right word for this weekend. We had no pressure at all, just trying to enjoy and do what we do best – which is to push the maximum always. It’s been difficult to try and handle the situation right in the last couple of races, to do things right and not put myself in bad situations, and now we could just come here and give it our all. Somehow that’s a bit easier than trying to be smart and it was really enjoyable. In heat 1 it was still the same Anton Marklund like it had been the last two or three races, where I had to play it a bit more safe, but my team told me I needed to wake up a bit, just to go out there and kill it. That’s what we did and I think this is the kind of pace we could have shown also in Portugal and Latvia if I had been willing to take a bit more risk. We claimed the championship in Portugal so we did the job well and it was really great to win the race here.”
 
Aleksi Koskinen, SET Promotion Euro RX1 Team Manager:
 
“This weekend is exactly what we wanted to end the season. All of the guys in our small team have been at this game a long time, but this year has been a total pleasure for all of us. We got the championship title in the bag in Portugal, then came here to just take the win. Anton was a bit conservative in heat one, as if he was still driving thinking of championship points, so we had a chat about if it was the real Anton Marklund driving the car. After that he really showed us what he can do – Anton was brilliant this weekend and deserved to take this win. I’m really pleased for the whole team!”

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.

Finnish driver Tommi Hallman secured the 2022 Nitro Rallycross Championship NRX NEXT Europe series title in style by winning the final two rounds of the campaign at the ERX Motor Park in Minneapolis, USA (October 1-2).
 
The reigning RallyX Nordic Supercar Lites Champion hadn’t originally planned to race Stateside in 2022, but when the final double-header of the season in Finland was cancelled and moved to ERX, he did everything he could to attend the event.
 
Without the budget to ship his regular Supercar Lites car to the US, Hallman rented a different machine to make his first-ever trip to America and remain in contention for the NRX NEXT title, following back-to-back wins at Strangnas in Sweden in the summer.
 
The team overcame technical niggles to begin the weekend and Hallman qualified on the second row of the grid for the final in round five on Saturday. In the main event Hallman delivered arguably the drive of his career, overtaking two cars in the first two corners of the race to claim the lead, then making it to the end of the encounter in the same position despite picking up a puncture in the closing stages.
 
Hallman’s third win of the campaign put him within touching distance of the title and by qualifying for the final in round six of the series on Sunday, he put the championship crown beyond the reach of his rivals. But, with a race still to win, he again took the lead of the final on the opening lap and pulled away at the front to secure his most dominant win of the season, underlining his title in style.
 
The Finn’s success comes two weeks after Anton Marklund claimed the FIA Euro RX1 crown in Portugal, marking his own third Euro RX crown and SET Promotion’s 10^th FIA European Rallycross Championship title.
 
Tommi Hallman (FIN) #87:
 
“I had to go flat out all weekend every time on track and it’s amazing to get this championship title. That was such a good weekend, it started not so well with some small issues, but the mechanics did an amazing job and the car was working perfectly in the final on both days. It was a pleasure to drive and to race on this track, which was very different to what I am used to back in Europe, was very exciting. I really want to climb to the higher classes in this amazing sport, of course that is always dependant on the budget, but we’re working very hard for the future.”
 
Kalle Pinomäki, SET Promotion:
 
“We are very happy for Tommi and impressed with how he is developing as a driver. He just continues to surprise. There were some big names racing in NRX NEXT this year and he was the class of the field. SET has supported Tommi from a distance this year but not been so involved - on the ground it has been him and his small crew, who have worked really hard to even get to the races. They have a small budget, especially compared to their rivals, but have used it very well and we are delighted for them to have achieved this dream result. We can’t wait to see what is next for Tommi in his career”
 
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.

At the penultimate round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship for 2022 at Montalegre in Portugal, Swedish driver Anton Marklund and SET Promotion secured the Euro RX1 championship title.
 
The team entered the weekend with a healthy lead in the standings, but had a difficult opening day, with a start issue in Heat 1 meaning Marklund had to fight through the pack in the first race of the event, before contact from another driver when racing for the win in Heat 2 sent the Hyundai i20 RX1 into a spin.
 
An amazing save from Marklund ensured he finished P2 in the session, by just over a second, despite spinning through 180 degrees on track, before the Swede set the fastest time in Heat 3 on Sunday morning.
 
But, despite making it to the final in the competitive field the SET team didn’t have an outright advantage, and Marklund lost out in the first corner, getting forced wide to the outside of turn one.
 
Managing the race situation, Marklund came home fourth and despite it being only the second time in five races that he did not stand on the podium, the position was enough to secure his third Euro RX Championship crown, with still the final round of the season to take place at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium next month.
 
Marklund’s crown also marks the tenth title in Euro RX history for the SET Promotion team, run by Finnish brothers Jussi and Kalle Pinomäki.
 
Anton Marklund (SWE) #92:
 
“To be honest, it’s a big, big relief to win the title here. There was a lot of people telling me that I am already the champion before coming here but I have been in motorsport too long to take a victory like that for granted. We just tried to stay focused. This has been one of the tougher weekends for us, we didn’t really get it to work like we know we can, and we also had some action on track, so it has been really tough. Then to go through turn one in the final and the steering wheel got blocked and we were coming out last – let’s say it was a bit nerve-wracking inside the car, but it’s an amazing feeling to win the championship here with a race to go. Together with SET and my guys – Adam, Johan and Laurent, it’s really been a pleasure to be working with everyone this year. I am usually a bit of a control freak, wanting to see what’s going on with the car and all that, if there is a problem or not, but as soon as I’m coming into the tent I can leave the car to them because they know exactly what they are doing and that’s also helping me to perform. It will be amazing to go to the last race in Spa and just drive with no pressure, because I really want to win that last race of the season.
 
Aleksi Koskinen, SET Promotion Euro RX1 Team Manager:
 
“It’s very hard not to think about the championship situation when you enter a weekend knowing that you could secure the title, but as a team we simply just focused on the next race and getting the best result we could in Portugal this weekend. In the end, we didn’t get the result in this race that we wanted, it wasn’t the easiest weekend at all actually – we had a real fight on track, but, to win the championship is amazing and our goal for the season has been achieved. We have had a great atmosphere this year, and it’s been a pleasure for us to work together with Anton and his guys. I first worked with Anton in the Marklund Motorsport team in 2014, so to win this with him in 2022 is special for me personally too. And we still have one race to go, where will be working extra hard to try and finish the year in style.”
 
Jussi Pinomäki, SET Promotion Team Principal:
 
“We are so proud of the small team we put together for this season to work together with Anton. To win a race in the European Championship is always special, but to win the title is even more so. That was our goal, together with Anton, for this year. He has been very, very good as a driver, and our guys, together with the people Anton has brought to this operation have been strong as a complete team. Kalle (Pinomaki) and I have been less involved on event this year than before, but we have been very comfortable that the team has been in safe hands and for SET to have claimed a 10th Euro RX title has not really sunk in. Well done to everyone.”
 
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

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.

Swedish driver Anton Marklund was once again the class of the field in the fourth round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship at Riga in Latvia, and in a weekend of challenging conditions and tough competition, came away with another podium finish to extend his margin at the head of the championship.
 
Marklund’s weekend didn’t get off to the perfect start, when he was spun in the first corner of the first race, and had to fight back. Fifth overall time was strong damage limitation, before the double Euro RX Champion delivered race wins and the best times in heat two and heat three with the SET Hyundai i20 RX1 to climb to the top of the ranking positions.
 
Thereafter, Marklund won the progression race and semi-final to set up a victory challenge in the final, but a slightly sub-optimal start away from the line left the Swede in second position after the tricky opening corners.
 
The former World RX podium finish pressured leader Sondre Evjen for track position, and almost made an overtake work after the pair both took their joker laps, but feeling better to save the car and not risk going off the first by trying an optimistic move on the slippery circuit, Marklund settled for second and a third podium from the first four rounds of the 2022 campaign.
 
Thanks to the result and strong points haul, the SET driver moves into a 26-point lead, with two rounds in Portugal and Belgium remaining.
 
Anton Marklund (SWE) #92:
 
“I’m really pleased with the weekend in Riga, we were struggling a bit in heat 1 after we got hit in turn one, but managed to anyway set the fifth fastest time and then work our way into the weekend by being quickest in heat 2 and heat 3. Unfortunately in the final I didn’t really manage to pull off the best start and we were stuck behind Sondre, he made a mega lap when he was going into the joker, which meant I was not able to undercut him on the joker lap. But, we are in a fight to win the championship so I didn’t push too hard either to pass him and today we had to be happy with P2. Huge congratulations to Sondre for winning the event. I feel sorry for Janis (Baumanis), having his car breaking down is never the way you want to have a competitor end their weekend and I hope he will come back strong in Portugal so we can continue our fight for the championship. For us we’re moving in the right direction, hopefully we can have a strong weekend in Portugal and then see what happens at the final race in Belgium.”
 
Aleksi Koskinen, SET Promotion Euro RX1 Team Manager:
 
“We are very pleased, yet again, with our pace from the weekend in Riga. In the wet Anton and the car were very, very good, and also in the dry, apart from after the incident at the first corner in Heat 1, Anton was the fastest here again. But sometimes, being the fastest is not enough in rallycross. However, this weekend was different to how it went in Norway a few weeks ago, here it was about being sensible, Evjen did a good lap when he needed to, and we have a bigger picture to think about, so Anton used his experience to not lose his head and get good points in the bag. We are happy, but not satisfied, we will work very hard to try and get back onto the top step of the podium in the final two rounds of the year.”
 
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

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.

Swedish driver Anton Marklund set the pace throughout the third round of the 2022 campaign at Hell in Norway, on the back of maximum points hauls in rounds one and two, but the Finnish team and European Rallycross Championship leading driver were denied the chance to make it three from three by a puncture in the final.
 
Marklund topped the time sheets in each of the three heat races to head the overall ranking classification, then won his races in both the progression round and the semi-final to secure pole position for the final, racing on a circuit where the Swede has historically had strong pace.
 
However, at the start of the final race on the 1-kilometer undulating circuit, Marklund received contact to the SET Promotion Hyundai i20’s front-right wheel, causing an immediate puncture that deflated the former European Rallycross Champion’s victory hopes.
 
While Marklund pressed on as best he could during the five-lap encounter and made it to the finish in P4, the team was left wondering what might have been.
 
However, such was the performance through the weekend that Marklund dropped only a single point in the Euro RX1 standings for four-wheel-drive 600bhp machines, and continues to lead the points table heading into the fourth of six rounds at Riga in Latvia next month.
 
Anton Marklund (SWE) #92:
 
“We had an almost perfect weekend here in Norway, winning all three qualifications, progression race and the semi-final. I was where I wanted to be, on pole position in the final, but it sadly ended quickly when I picked up a puncture already in the first corner. But apart from that, I had so much fun out there and thanks to the team, who were spot on and gave me a rocket of a car all weekend!”
 
Aleksi Koskinen, SET Promotion Euro RX1 Team Manager:
 
“The weekend went pretty much perfectly for us, right up until the first corner of the final. Anton has been brilliant in Hell against tough opposition on another different track and hardly put a wheel wrong. What happened at turn one in the final was unfortunate, but sometimes these things happen. The important thing is to keep our heads high, keep looking forward and fight back at the next race. If it wasn’t for the downs the ups would not feel so good, and we’re determined to score a top result next time in Riga!”

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

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.