Juha Rytkönen pulled off arguably the surprise of the season on the last day of the 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship campaign in Türkiye on 10 November, as he sensationally pipped world champions Johan Kristoffersson and Timmy Hansen to the top step of the podium.
Rytkönen arrived at Istanbul Park Circuit with just seven prior appearances under his belt at the sport’s highest level – the most recent of which dated back more than three years. Behind the wheel of his sustainably-fuelled, internal combustion-engined Hyundai i20, he then endured a difficult opening day – missing out on a spot in the final following a fierce fight with PGRX team-mate Steven Bossard – but the potential was clear to see.
The Finnish ‘wildcard’ reproduced that stellar speed in Sunday morning’s warm-up – as the only driver to threaten the pace-setting KMS – HORSE Powertrain cars – and again in heat one, in which he scampered to a runaway win. His heat two bid came unstuck when he found himself forced into the barriers on the exit of the first corner, but a dominant victory in a very wet semi-final earned him a front row grid berth for the all-important final.
When pole-sitter Ole Christian Veiby subsequently stalled at the start, Rytkönen bolted into the lead, and after fending off an early challenge from Kristoffersson – who barely 24 hours earlier had clinched an unprecedented seventh career crown – the Suonenjoki native eased away to take the chequered flag more than three seconds to the good.
“I’m speechless, and really surprised. Big thanks to the team for putting their faith in me. Yesterday was a difficult day for us, but today went much better and to beat two world champions in the final is a really special feeling. It’s amazing!”
reflected the 33-year-old, who had similarly impressed by reaching the rostrum on his world championship debut on home soil at Kouvola in 2020
The result not only made it two new World RX winners in as many days – following Veiby’s breakthrough triumph on Saturday – it also marked the first time since 2021 that Kristoffersson concluded a weekend without having stood on the top step of the podium.
On this occasion, the Swede – the most successful driver in the championship’s ten-year history – was obliged to settle for second place, with fellow world champion Timmy Hansen rounding out the rostrum in third in his electric Peugeot 208 RX1e, after brother and Hansen World RX Team stablemate Kevin Hansen eased off the gas to let him past on the run to the line.
The younger of the Swedish siblings nonetheless did enough to cement the runner-up position in the title table for the second consecutive campaign, with Veiby winding up third in the standings after proving unable to recover from his start-line drama. A further loss of time following contact with the tyre barriers left the Norwegian a frustrated sixth in the final, half-a-second behind CE Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment’s Niclas Grönholm.
Despite falling short in its quest to secure a one-two finish in the Drivers’ classification, KMS nonetheless had plenty of reason to celebrate, as the Swedish squad completed the defence of its Teams’ world championship crown.
The 2025 World RX season will begin with the series’ inaugural ice-racing event at Trois-Rivières in Canada on 23-25 January.
FINAL RESULT
1. Juha RYTKÖNEN (FIN) PGRX (ICE) 5 laps
2. Johan KRISTOFFERSSON (SWE) KMS – Horse Powertrain (ICE) + 3.026s
3. Timmy HANSEN (SWE) Hansen World RX Team (EV) + 12.428s
4. Kevin HANSEN (SWE) Hansen World RX Team (EV) +14.465s
5. Niclas GRÖNHOLM (FIN) CE Dealer Team (EV) + 18.783s
6. Ole Christian VEIBY (NOR) KMS – Horse Powertrain (ICE) + 19.370s
Full results can be found at www.fiaworldrallycross.com
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