Nils Andersson celebrated his 2023 RX2e triumph at Sweden’s Bilsportgala last weekend – as the Team E star outlined his intentions to successfully defend his crown...
Nils Andersson celebrated his title triumph in last season’s FIA RX2e Championship at Sweden’s annual Bilsportgala last weekend (20 January) – as the Team E star outlined his intentions to successfully defend his crown in 2024.
Although he has yet to win a round in the fiercely-contested series – which features on the undercard to the FIA World Rallycross Championship – Andersson proved himself last year to be the master of consistency, as the only driver to advance to the final in all five outings, book-ending his campaign with second-place finishes in Norway and Germany.
That was sufficient to secure the 24-year-old Arvika native the main prize, and at the Bilsportgala ceremony in Jönköping, he received a number of additional accolades, including the public-voted ‘Junior Rallycross Driver’ of the Year’ award as well as a special scholarship from the Essebro-Anecto Memorial Fund, set up in memory of the young Swedish karters who sadly lost their lives in an aeroplane accident at Milan’s Linate Airport in 2001.
“It was a real honour to be recognised by the Swedish Federation and Bilsport for my achievements last year, and a big surprise to receive the scholarship,” Andersson acknowledged. “It was an unforgettable evening!
“The championship was always my goal last season, right from the start, and that stayed in the back of my mind throughout. There were a lot of races where maybe I could have taken a few more risks to try to win, but I knew how important it was to secure the points and stay focussed on the bigger picture so I held myself back.
“Often, it was a case of playing the percentages between when to go for a move and when to err on the side of caution. As an example, I was happy to follow [Tommi] Hallman throughout both the semi-final and the final in Germany, knowing he was not in the fight for the championship and that I was ahead of my main rivals. I was similarly mindful of looking after the tyres to make sure I avoided punctures – at the end of the day, that’s all it would have taken in the final at the Estering to cost me the title.
“It was a really tough and enjoyable battle throughout the season with Isak [Sjökvist] and Mikaela [Åhlin-Kottulinsky], and I think the key to my success was consistency and keeping calm. Even if it came at the expense of winning races, I knew I needed to stay smart, and it was good to see that approach pay off in the end.
“It’s always super-close in a single-spec series, when everybody has the same equipment at their disposal and the same opportunity to win. The margins are so fine that it’s hard to make a difference, which means it all comes down to the tiniest details, but in 2024, I’m aiming to become RX2e’s first double champion – and this time, I want to win some rounds along the way!”
