While Casper Jansson didn’t enjoy much luck during the Open 4WD finals, the young Swedish driver managed to turn things around on Saturday by claiming his second win in three races in the FC2 final.
It was the perfect way for the talented Uppsala native to bounce back after his spectacular crash last month at Montalegre. Focused on rebuilding his FC2 machine over the past several weeks, Jansson was able to reap the rewards of the hard work done behind the scenes.
Fourth in the intermediate classification for Open 4WD after securing a third-fastest time in Q3, the OMSE team driver was able to calmly execute his race strategy in the FC2 final following the successive retirements of Oliver Eriksson and Tommi Hallman.
“There’s no doubt this victory feels really good. Winning the FC2 final is a satisfying achievement. We struggled a bit at the start of the weekend, but we managed to dial in a good setup from Q3 onwards. Ending the day on a high note is encouraging heading into Race 2. I could have also made the podium in Open 4WD, but that’s part of racing—you have to take it in stride,” explained Casper Jansson.
Though it may seem simple at first glance, the Valkenswaard track is deceptively tricky—something that urged the young driver to approach it with caution.
“The track is very narrow; you have to keep your cool and avoid even the smallest mistake. The surface evolves massively with every session, which makes it even more challenging. You constantly need to adapt in real-time when you’re out there.”
Despite paradoxically scoring the most points in Open 4WD last month in Portugal, Jansson is now hoping to replicate the same level of success he showed in FC2.
“Our main focus is still on Open 4WD, but it’s not easy. The Supercars are faster in some sections, while we’re faster in others. Finding the perfect balance is really difficult. To match the pace of a Supercar you have to push 110% every lap and that’s hard to maintain, especially on a track like Valkenswaard. I feel that this layout favors the real Supercars a bit more, but we have to deal with it. On Saturday we had a great start in the final, so we’ll be looking to build on that momentum and fight for pole position.”