Andersson went into the event holding an
11-point advantage over countryman Isak Sjökvist in the hunt for honours, and
the pair ended the opening day of competition tied for second place in the
Ranking behind Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, despite a grassy moment for the
championship leader at the beginning of heat two.
The Team E ace then won both of his remaining
two heat races on Sunday to further eke out his advantage, as #YellowSquad adversary
Sjökvist found himself under attack from local hero Gustavo Henriques in heat
three and having to give best to Marko Muru in heat four, dropping him to fourth
in the intermediate classification.
From pole position in the first of the two
semi-finals, Andersson needed to finish third or better to seal the deal – but
he did rather better than that. A commanding display saw the Swede take the
chequered flag first once again, and in so doing, he put the destiny of the
laurels beyond reach. With the pressure relieved, he then produced a peerless
performance to lead the final throughout as he celebrated his championship
triumph in style.
“It’s so great – that was the celebration I had
been hoping for all day!” grinned the 24-year-old Arvika native. “The tension
is always the worst part. I secured the championship with a podium last year, so
this time, I really wanted to go for the win. It was so tight in the final and
the others put enormous pressure on me throughout – I had to properly send it
in the joker!
“It’s really tricky to balance racing and
working on the same weekend, needing to separate my job as team manager for KMS
while also driving. To manage that pressure like this makes me very proud.”
Having won the second semi-final, Sjökvist
proceeded to keep Andersson honest for much of the final. He subsequently survived
a clash with Åhlin-Kottulinsky after running wide exiting Turn Two on the last
lap to secure an unrivalled 12th career podium in the all-electric
single-spec series – and the runner-up spot in the standings for the third
consecutive year.
A challenging second day ultimately cost Åhlin-Kottulinsky
third position in the title table to Marko Muru, who showcased some
scintillating raw speed over the weekend and only narrowly missed out on
reaching the rostrum in the final, winding up fourth behind RX2e rookie Luka
Wlömer, who continued to impress as he recorded a second consecutive top three
finish.
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