Although he could not secure the championship title, Thomas Eek Murstad managed to finish on the podium for the third consecutive season in the CrossCar category. This was a top-tier achievement, even though the Norwegian driver might have hoped for a very different outcome.

Indeed, with the exception of Isak Reiersen and Jimmie Österberg, no one had previously managed to finish in the top three of the RallyX championship three times in a row.

Once again, Murstad’s 2024 campaign was highlighted by two victories and a total of four podiums, and it was only by the narrowest of margins that the Speedcar driver fell short of his goal.

Only sixth in the standings after the first two races of the season, Murstad still managed to go into the final round in Buxtehude as the championship leader.

Unfortunately, two consecutive eliminations in the semi-finals in Germany ended his hopes, and he had to settle for third place in the overall standings, behind Elias Svensson and Ronalds Baldins.

“In 2023, I missed out on the title by just one point, but that allowed us to approach the 2024 season with even more determination, and once again, it showed that we were working in the right direction,” says Thomas.

While Murstad struggled to find his rhythm early in the season, with two consecutive semi-final eliminations at Tierp, he quickly bounced back by securing four consecutive podium finishes in Kouvola and Älvsbyn.

“At Tierp 1, during the Rally Sprint event, my speed was good but still not close to what I was truly capable of. Unfortunately, I lost the rear brakes in the semi-final. As anyone can imagine, that’s not the ideal situation when you’re behind the wheel of a CrossCar.”

“Naturally, I slid off before hitting the wall. In the second race, I had no better luck, as I spun out in the semi-final right after the jump. That’s how I missed the opportunity to score significant points from the start,” explains the driver from Notodden.

“I managed to get back into the game in Finland by securing my first win. That naturally had a positive impact on my confidence, and I was able to string together some very strong performances, scoring big points and adding wins and podiums.”

Although the Danish race at Nysum allowed him to regain the lead in the overall standings, the second race of the weekend was to prove extremely costly for the Norwegian driver.

“In Nysum, I would say my performances were decent, but far from optimal. In Race 1, my joker lap strategy wasn’t ideal, and I found myself stuck in traffic. Then, the next day, I was side by side with Elias Svensson in the semi-final. Neither of us wanted to back down, and as we all know, that’s when a wheel-to-wheel contact in CrossCar can lead to trouble.”

Both drivers were forced to retire in Nysum 2, with only a point separating them heading into the final race in Buxtehude a week later.

“At that point in the championship, I still had a one-point lead over Elias and was determined to hold on to it. I had the pace at Estering, but the first corner of the track wasn’t really my friend throughout the weekend.”

“I also ran into some problems during the qualifying rounds, with an accelerator cable that came loose and windshield wipers that never worked when I really needed them.”

“Still, I made it to the semi-finals of Race 1, and things were looking good until a car made a mistake right in front of me. I couldn’t avoid it, and I ended up in the barriers.”

“Naturally, that was a tough moment to digest because I felt the title slipping away. The emotions were so intense at that point of the weekend that I knew I needed to clear my head. I took a long walk to return with better energy for the next day’s race.”

“I knew that in order to win the title, I would need to score the maximum 30 points, but the semi-finals didn’t go as I had hoped. I realized that even holding on to second place in the championship was going to be very difficult. In the end, even though I scored the same number of points as Ronalds Baldins, I had to settle for third place in the overall standings.”

However, Thomas Eek Murstad would quickly manage to put that frustration behind him a few weeks later.

“It’s definitely frustrating to finish like this when I was so determined to win the championship. When I saw that prospect slipping away in Germany, I didn’t want to talk to anyone because the disappointment was so strong.”

“However, a few weeks later, I managed to take my revenge by winning the Norwegian Championship title. I won’t hide it, it was a great way to end my season. I’ve come close to the title in RallyX several times, but this time, at least the balance tipped in my favor in my own national championship.”