One of the undisputed stars of the 2023 Euro
RX3 campaign, Nils Volland is hopeful of battling for championship glory in the
category in 2024, as he bids to exploit all the knowledge he has gained to add
another European title to the family record books.
Notwithstanding an almost complete lack of
prior experience, Volland burst onto the FIA European Rallycross Championship
scene last year in fine style, finishing runner-up to eventual champion Kobe
Pauwels in Norway en route to sixth in the overall standings, despite
missing the opening round.
Buoyed by that promising start, he laid down an
immediate marker to his rivals by winning the first heat of 2023 in Hungary,
only for his weekend to unravel following a number of mistakes on the second
day of action at Nyirád.
The German battled back to claim a podium finish
at Montalegre, before excelling once again in Hell, as he achieved a clean
sweep of quickest heat times and dominated both his semi-final and the all-important
final behind the wheel of his Volland Racing Audi A1 to tally a maximum score.
Volland went on to secure third spot in the title
table at season’s end, after accruing an impressive seven heat victories – four
more than championship-winning team-mate Damian Litwinowicz – and an unrivalled
12 fastest race laps, underlining his eye-catching raw speed.
With more mileage now under his belt, the
23-year-old Bavarian is aiming to put everything together for a concerted
challenge next year, as he endeavours to follow in the footsteps of his father
Rolf – European Autocross Champion in 1990, 1993 and 1994 – by adding another major
crown to the family’s résumé.
“I didn’t make life easy for myself at the beginning
of the season,” muses Volland, who recently triumphed in the 2023 French
Rallycross Championship finale at Dreux. “I was too tentative into the first
corner in Hungary, and I paid the price for that reticence.
“Looking back now, I can see that dealt a blow
to my confidence right from the outset, but I reflected on it a lot and learned
and developed significantly over the subsequent rounds, which I think showed in
my results.
“If I can continue to progress in that area, there’s
no reason why I shouldn’t be capable of fighting for the European title. I don’t
want to put myself under any undue pressure and certainly can’t afford to take
anything for granted, but naturally, I think I need to set my sights a bit
higher for next season...”
Portugal
Sweden
France
