RX2e Driver of the Year: Tommi Hallman

Not even Johan Kristoffersson could match Tommi Hallman’s level of dominance in 2023. The flying Finn might not have won the FIA RX2e Championship – he only entered two of the five rounds, after all – but by triumphing in both of his appearances, he unquestionably marked himself out as a potential future champion in the fiercely-contested single-spec series.

Hallman’s pedigree was well-known before he arrived in the RX2e paddock at Lydden Hill in the UK last summer – and if he briefly lulled his competitors into a false sense of security by lapping ‘only’ second-quickest in free practice, he soon turned up the wick when it mattered, setting the pace in three of the four heats to comfortably top the intermediate ranking.

The SET Promotion star then easily had the measure of reigning champion Viktor Vranckx in the pair’s semi-final, before beating the Belgian again to prevail in the all-important final.

It was a similar story a month later in Germany, as Hallman won all-bar one heat at the Estering and confidently fended off champion-elect Nils Andersson in both the semi-final and final to maintain his 100 per cent record in RX2e on the day that he celebrated his 23rd birthday. Two of the other drivers he vanquished that weekend were World RX regulars Niclas Grönholm and Klara Andersson.

His maximum points haul from the two events was sufficient to secure the Kuopio native seventh position in the title standings – notably ahead of Vranckx, who contested one more round than him.

Hallman has hinted that he is targeting a full-season assault in RX2e in 2024, as he bids to keep climbing the ladder towards his ultimate goal of a seat at the very highest table – the FIA World Rallycross Championship. For his rivals, it is an ominous prospect.