Solid season-opener for #YellowSquad at the Magic Weekend
The opening round of the FIA RX2e Championship kicked off in dramatic fashion at Höljes, 6-7 July, with the #Yellowsquad crew collecting a solid haul of points despite the tricky conditions.
After a long off-season, the #Yellowsquad team kickstarted another thrilling RX2e season with a strong driver line-up in Isak Sjökvist and Molly Taylor.
Finishing runner-up in the standings last year, home favourite Sjökvist narrowly missed out on the championship title last year, but with that experience now under his belt he firmly has his sights set on taking the crown in 2024.
Partnering Sjökvist in Höljes was Molly Taylor, who returns to #Yellowsquad for two rounds of RX2e action this year. In 2023, Taylor did a partial RX2e campaign, whilst also competing alongside Kevin Hansen in Extreme E, taking on the tracks at Mettet in Belgium and the season finale at Estering in Germany.
Höljes marked a new challenge for Taylor, while Sjökvist has seen consistent third-place finishes on home soil. The pair got off to a tricky start on Saturday, however, as the team worked to adjust the set-up of the car and the drivers adapted to the track.
Sunday marked a strong comeback for the #YellowSquad team, as Sjökvist took wins in both Heat 4 and the Semi-Final, putting him on the front row for the Final. In the sister car, Taylor pulled a phenomenal overtake in her Semi-Final race to take the last spot in the Final in her first appearance at a Magic Weekend.
The #YellowSquad duo set off in hot pursuit of a podium to start the season but contact in Turn 1 would deny Sjökvist the opportunity to compete at the front of the pack. Taylor got through the opening laps trouble free, and a third-place finish looked within the Australian’s grasp, before a mistimed joker lap sealed her fate in fourth position.
Isak Sjökvist, #YellowSquad driver, said: “It was a bit of a tricky season opening in Höljes, but we still managed to secure a P2 in the overall standings after the Heats. After that I rode the momentum and took a clear win in my Semi-final with over eight seconds to the driver behind.
“I started in the second spot for the final and had a great feeling that we could have at least a drive for a podium, but I got taken out in the first corner. Gutted that we did not even get the chance to race for it in the Final, but motorsport can be brutal and I’m sure we will reset and bounce back even better to Hungary.”
Molly Taylor, #YellowSquad driver, said: “P4 in Höljes! The weather made things very interesting on Sunday. We were in a good position for third, but a mistake by me on the joker timing put us in fourth, so a lesson learned there.
“In any case, to be fighting for podium places is better than I could have expected from my first time here. After feeling a bit frustrated on Saturday, I felt like we made really good steps forward and am feeling super motivated by our progress. They call Höljes the Magic Weekend and they weren’t wrong.”
Eric Färén, #YellowSquad Team Principal, said: “We struggled a little bit at the start to find the right set up and for the drivers to get comfortable, but by the end of Saturday we started to find the right kind of speed. On Sunday the conditions changed completely with the rain but we adapted well.
“Both drivers qualified for the Final, with Isak on the front row before he was pushed out. He didn’t get a fair chance to fight for the win, but I think he would have given a good fight for win which was a good recovery from him across the weekend.
“Molly progressed well through the weekend too, and almost took a podium in her first event at Höljes. Fourth was still a strong result and it was great to see her fighting with the pack and working hard along with the rest of the team. Overall, I’d say it’s looking promising for the next races.”
The 2024 FIA RX2e series will be supporting four rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Next up on the calendar is Hungary (27-28 July), followed by Belgium (17-18 August), with the season finale in Portugal (07-08 September).
