Former FIA Euro RX3 European Champion Kobe Pauwels may not have had the success he was hoping for at the Montalegre circuit at the end of March, but that hasn’t shaken his confidence heading into the next rounds of the season.
Despite finishing fourth in the intermediate standings in the first race of the weekend, Pauwels saw his hopes dashed in the semi-final after a contact from behind ended his run.
The following day, a third-place finish in Q1 once again demonstrated the Mygale driver’s pure speed. But a retirement in Q2 dropped him to tenth in the intermediate classification. Much like Joonatan Ylilammi, who slipped to 13th after Q3, Pauwels couldn’t reverse the momentum and suffered another early semi-final exit.
A disappointment, no doubt – but not nearly enough to shake the calm and fiercely competitive pilot from Leopoldsburg.
“Of course there’s a bit of frustration, but for a first RallyX outing with the Mygale chassis, we actually showed a lot more speed than we expected. That’s especially true considering how little we knew going into Montalegre but whether it was the car or the technical environment, the work we’ve done has already allowed us to be on pace – and that’s really encouraging for what’s to come.”
At the wheel of a chassis built to strict FIA regulations, Pauwels expected a tougher challenge.
“We knew we’d be slightly underpowered compared to the competition, so our expectations weren’t too high – even though we ended up in a strong position after qualifying in Race 1. In the semifinals we were second, right behind the leader – who went on to win the final.”
“So our pace was clearly there. Unfortunately, a contact from a driver right behind me was enough to end my race. That moment ruined our chances of making the final. He was later disqualified, but that didn’t change our result. It’s frustrating, of course, but that’s part of rallycross. You accept it and move on.”
An experienced competitor in Super1600 and RX3, the former European Champion had no regrets about returning to Montalegre at the wheel of a classic CrossCar.
“No, I don’t miss the Super1600 – really! From the very first free practice on Friday I knew that I’d made the right decision in choosing this CrossCar program. The event was simply fantastic. Montalegre is a real rallycross track and the gravel section is just unbelievable to handle in a CrossCar-we’re sliding sideways from start to finish.”
More than anything, Pauwels-now also an official Aston Martin circuit driver-was thrilled to be back in a rallycross format that continues to deliver pure racing excitement.
“In circuit racing, once you’re behind, the race is often lost. In rallycross it’s different – you always have to keep fighting. And that’s what we’ll continue to do. We’ve shown that we have a strong pace and that we have a real chance to compete. It won’t be easy, but we’ll keep pushing. Just making the final would’ve been a solid result in Portugal, but we can feel that the podium is already within reach.”
That first podium could well come at Valkenswaard, where Pauwels will compete in the second round of the 2025 RallyX season at the end of April.
“We already know that the Mygale chassis has proven itself in Belgium, the UK, the Baltic States and Scandinavia. For us, Montalegre was just our first outing on southern European tracks and we’ve already seen that the speed is there. It proves that we’ve got a solid base. Sure, there’s still a lot to do – but that’s why we chose RallyX. Now we’re going to give it our all at Valkenswaard to make further progress and hopefully reach our top form as soon as possible.”