Rytkönen was not exactly an unknown quantity at
international rallycross’ highest level prior to World RX of Türkiye (9-10
November), having finished second to Kristoffersson on his top-flight debut on
home soil at Kouvola in 2020 and similarly sped to the runner-up laurels behind
PGRX team-mate Steven Bossard in the French Championship’s headlining Supercar category
this year.
Still, in such a high-calibre field – with six
of the nine protagonists having contested the full campaign – the Finn knew he
would have his work cut out at Istanbul Park Circuit, but he wasted little time
in showcasing his speed.
After getting the better of Bossard and Klara
Andersson to take the lead in heat one on the opening day prior to picking up a
puncture, Rytkönen completed a commanding PGRX one-two finish in heat two. He
then fell just under three-quarters-of-a-second shy of progressing to the
final, as a fierce intra-team scrap enabled Timmy Hansen to narrowly pip the
Hyundai duo to third place in the first of the semi-finals.
The next day, the Suonenjoki native produced a Kristoffersson-esque
display to dominate his heat one race, before finding himself bundled into the barriers
following contact with Bossard at the beginning of heat two. Undeterred, he made
a textbook launch from the outside of the front row of the grid in the
semi-final to assume a lead he would not relinquish, going on to take the
chequered flag some 8.4 seconds clear of his closest rival.
When pole-sitter Ole Christian Veiby subsequently
stalled at the start of the all-important final, Rytkönen immediately seized
the initiative, thereafter expertly keeping seven-time world champion Kristoffersson
at bay throughout to deservedly seal a famous maiden triumph by a whisker over
three seconds.
“It’s difficult to find the words to describe
this feeling,” the 33-year-old reflected. “I’m so happy, and as surprised as
anybody by the performance we showed. I want to thank PGRX for all the trust
the team has placed in me this year.
“We had some problems early on Saturday, which
made it tricky for me to settle into a rhythm, but Sunday went much better from
the outset. I felt fully comfortable in the car, and that allowed me to push to
the limit.
“I think the wet weather also played in my favour, because we had a lot of rain
over the second half of the season in the French Championship this year. That
meant I had a pretty good idea of what I needed to do to get the best out of the
car in limited-grip conditions.
“Up against the very best drivers in the world, we had the pace to fight for victory
and that’s what we did. I’m massively proud to have won in front of rallycross’
two most recent world champions. Hopefully I can come back again very soon.”
Japan
Poland
Turkey