Home heroes aiming to turn the screw on championship leader

Damian Litwinowicz might be two-from-two in the FIA European Rallycross Championship heading to Hell (17-18 June), but there are a whole host of local heroes aiming to unseat the championship leader in round three of the 2023 Euro RX3 campaign in Norway.

In a fiercely-disputed field, honours have been shared during the heat races and semi-finals so far this season, but when it has come to the all-important finals – where the big points are handed out – Litwinowicz has subtly raised his game in both Hungary and Portugal to claim back-to-back victories, his Montalegre success marking his first at Euro RX3 level.

That means the Pole arrives in Hell – where last year, he ascended the rostrum for the second time in the category – holding a ten-point advantage over his closest pursuer in the chase for the coveted crown, but a third consecutive triumph is far from guaranteed.

The reason? Some of his closest pursuers call the undulating and demanding Lånkebanen circuit their home track, with Espen Isaksætre as well as Škoda stars Jens Hvaal and Martin Kjær all determined to put on a show for the enthusiastic Norwegian fans and halt Litwinowicz’s winning run.

Isaksætre has already got the better of his Volland Racing stablemate in several heats this year in his maiden campaign in the all-conquering Audi A1, and has hassled him to the chequered flag in both finals to-date. The 29-year-old similarly has prior podium form in Hell, having raced to third place on his Super1600 debut there back in 2014.

Hvaal was a revelation on his own Euro RX3 bow at Germany’s Nürburgring last November, while Kjær’s performance to finish fourth at Montalegre earned him the Cooper Tires ‘Racer of the Weekend’ accolade – and the Larvik native is no stranger to giant-killing exploits.

Other likely protagonists include Nils Volland – a rostrum-finisher in Portugal and a driver increasingly knocking on the door of a breakthrough victory – and fellow Audi racer João Ribeiro, who has established himself as a consistent front-runner in his sophomore season in the series.

One thing’s for sure – they will all be going Hell for leather for glory in Norway this weekend...