For the first time in his career, Tommi Hallman will be competing at the Montalegre circuit this weekend as the RallyX season gets underway. It’s an opportunity that the 24-year-old Finn doesn’t want to miss.
Indeed, the driver, who is riding an impressive streak of 23 consecutive podium finishes across all categories, is determined to take the top step with his FC2—a car he first got behind the wheel of late last season in the Nitrocross series.
“The goal is clear: to start the season with a win. Otherwise it wouldn’t be worth the trip! The results have been strong in recent seasons, so anything less than first place is out of the question,” says the Finnish driver, who will represent the SET Loenbro team.
With 17 drivers from eight different countries entered in the Open 4WD category, Hallman is expecting fierce competition.
“The series looks promising, there’s a lot of potential. The standard is high – probably the toughest I’ve ever faced in my career. It’s going to be close, the field is stacked. A lot of drivers have what it takes to win. In that kind of environment, even the smallest mistake can cost you dearly,” explains Hallman.
Along with the late confirmation of Patrick O’Donovan, who will make his RallyX debut this weekend driving an FC2 for Team Faren, Hallman knows that the two races on Saturday and Sunday will be anything but a walk in the park.
“Among the guys I’m watching closely are Mitchell deJong and Casper Jansson – guys I’ve raced against in the U.S. You also have to include Oliver Eriksson, who was involved in the development of the FC2 and knows the car inside out. Fraser McConnell is another big threat – he’s won several events in the US recently and of course we can’t overlook Tanner Foust, who is simply a legend in our sport.”
While Hallman is no stranger to the FC2, having competed in four Nitrocross rounds, he’ll have to adapt to a very different environment at Montalegre.
“In the USA we’ve been using a different brand of tyres to those used in RallyX. I got used to the FC2 with relatively hard compounds, whereas now I’ll have to get used to the Nova tyres. They’re very similar to the ones used in the World Championship when Cooper was the supplier. They’re much softer, which means we’ll have to make some adjustments to the car and change our driving style accordingly”
Although Hallman has never raced officially at Montalegre, he has had the opportunity to familiarise himself with the circuit through his work with the CE Dealer Team, carrying out several demo runs. That experience could prove valuable as he takes on the challenges of this weekend.
“It is a very special track – really unique. There are big kerbs that you hit at really high speeds. The first half is tarmac and the second half is dirt, so the surface stays consistent. It’s a fast track, but it’s very technical,” says Hallman.
“Once this opening weekend is over, we’ll have a clearer picture of how the FC2 stacks up against traditional Supercars. That will help us assess our chances of entering more events this year.”