Johan Kristoffersson (VW Polo Mk6) won the third round of the 2026 FIA European Rallycross Championship – Euro RX of Sweden – at Höljes today (July 5). He won the RX1 Final ahead of his teammate Ole Christian Veiby (VW Polo Mk6) to score a one-two finish for Kristoffersson Motorsport. For Kristoffersson, it was his second win of the season after taking victory in the opening round in Latvia. Casper Jansson (Peugeot 208) finished third to score his first podium in the European Championship. In RX3, Rytis Gurklys (Audi A1) was victorious, while Filip Melon (Peugeot 208) won the RX4 category.
Sunday morning started for RX1 with the remaining Qualifying 4 (Q4). However, it became more of a gamble after the Race Director declared a ‘Wet Race’ from the fourth race onwards. A few drivers were lucky enough to complete their Q4 race in dry conditions. Ole Christian Veiby set the fastest time ahead of Juha Rytkönen (Hyundai i20), with both racing on a dry track. Rytkönen eventually secured the Top Qualifier ahead of Veiby, while Fabien Pailler (Renault Mégane Mk4) and Andreas Bakkerud (Ford Fiesta Mk7 ST) finished third and fourth. The top four in the ranking also earned pole position for their respective Quarter-Finals. The top eight was completed by Ulrik Linnemann (VW Polo Mk5), overnight leader Patrick O’Donovan (Peugeot 208), Johan Kristoffersson and René Münnich (SEAT Ibiza Mk5), who would start from the front row in the Quarter-Finals.
In the first Quarter-Final, Turpeinen made the better start from the second row and took the lead ahead of Rytkönen. Front-row starter Linnemann, on the other hand, completely missed his start, but eventually won the battle with Nils Volland (Audi S1) for third place to qualify for the Semi-Final.
Ole Christian Veiby and Patrick O’Donovan occupied the front row of the second Quarter-Final. João Ribeiro (Hyundai i20) made the best start from the third row, closely followed by Peter Hedström (Peugeot 208), who passed him in the beginning of the second lap. Hedström then stayed in the lead after completing his joker lap in the penultimate lap. Veiby climbed to second ahead of Martin Enlund (Ford Fiesta Mk8 ST). The positions remained unchanged in the final lap, meaning Patrick O’Donovan, who suffered a puncture, finished fourth and was eliminated before the Semi-Finals.
Up next was the third Quarter-Final, with Fabien Pailler sharing the front row with Johan Kristoffersson. The latter made the better start, while Pailler dropped to fourth. However, he fought his way back into second by the penultimate lap to secure his place in the Semi-Final. Lithuania’s Paulius Pleskovas (Škoda Fabia Mk3) claimed the remaining qualifying spot.
Andreas Bakkerud then led the fourth Quarter-Final from start to finish to claim a place in the Semi-Finals. René Münnich and Casper Jansson were the other drivers to progress.
In the first Semi-Final, with Turpeinen and Kristoffersson on the front row, Kristoffersson won the start while Turpeinen immediately opted for the joker lap. At the end of the opening lap, Linnemann overtook Turpeinen, while Rytkönen, running second, also took the joker but managed to retain his position when rejoining the main track. That left pole sitter Turpeinen down in fourth and out for the Final. The top three remained unchanged for the rest of the race, with Kristoffersson, Rytkönen and Linnemann qualifying for the Final.
In the second Semi-Final Hedström started from pole alongside Bakkerud, with Veiby and Münnich on the second row. Bakkerud made the better start and led it from Veiby, third-row starter Casper Jansson and Münnich after Turn 2. Veiby continued to pressure Bakkerud until taking the joker in the penultimate lap. As Jansson had completed his joker a lap earlier, he moved into second ahead of Veiby. Bakkerud then took his joker in the final lap, but all three cars came together at the merge. Jansson came out in front, followed by Veiby and Bakkerud as they headed towards the velodrome. They crossed the finish line in that order. As a result, Jansson, who had started the Semi-Final from the third row, secured a front-row starting position for the Final.
In the Final, Jansson lined up on the front row alongside pole sitter Kristoffersson. Rytkönen and Veiby occupied the second row, while Bakkerud and Linnemann completed the grid on the third row. When the lights went green, Kristoffersson led into Turn 1, where Rytkönen attempted to move into second but instead chose the joker behind Veiby. Kristoffersson was followed by Jansson and Bakkerud as the only drivers not to take the joker on the opening lap. Over the following laps Veiby closed the gap to the leading trio. Bakkerud dropped to fifth after completing his joker in the penultimate lap. When the top two finally took the joker, Veiby moved into second behind his teammate to complete a one-two finish for Kristoffersson Motorsport at Höljes. Casper Jansson came in third to score his first-ever RX1 podium in the European championship. Rytkönen finished fourth ahead of Bakkerud and Linnemann in sixth. At the halfway stage of the championship, Kristoffersson leads with 104 points. Bakkerud and Veiby are second and third with 85 and 84 points respectively.
Following two fastest times and one second-fastest time during Saturday’s RX3 Qualifying, Julien Meunier (Audi A1) remained Top Qualifier. Second in the ranking was Rytis Gurklys, meaning both title contenders were placed in separate Semi-Finals. Norway’s Markus Røsrud (Škoda Fabia Mk2) was fastest in Q4 and qualified third overall.
In the first RX3 Semi-Final, Meunier started from pole but was beaten off the line by Sámuel Kovács (Škoda Fabia Mk3). The Frenchman opted for an early joker on the second lap but rejoined behind André Sousa (Audi A1), who had already completed his joker on the opening lap. On the third lap, the championship leader was forced to slow down and eventually only finished sixth. Kovács took the win ahead of Sousa, with Røsrud finishing third. The second semi-final featured an all-Lithuanian front row with Gurklys and Audrius Kragas (Škoda Fabia Mk2). Gurklys won ahead of Dylan Dufas (VW Polo Mk6), while Libor Teješ (Audi A1) held off Kragas in a close battle to claim the final qualifying position.
In the RX3 Final, Gurklys won the start from pole ahead of Kovács and Teješ, while Sousa’s race ended at Turn 2. Teješ took the joker on the second lap, allowing Dufas to move into third. Kovács passed through the joker lap section on the fifth lap and rejoined as third. Kovács completed his joker on the fifth lap and rejoined in third. When Gurklys and Dufas took their jokers on the final lap, Gurklys retained the lead, while Kovács moved into second as Dufas rejoined in fifth. Gurklys claimed his first victory of the season ahead of Kovács, with Røsrud completing the podium. Thanks to his victory, Gurklys takes over the championship lead from Julien Meunier. The Lithuanian now leads with 88 points, holding an 18-point advantage over the Frenchman on 70.
In RX4, Marius Solberg Hansen (Renault Clio Mk5) was the Top Qualifier in his debut race in this new category. He won the first Semi-Final ahead of Andréa Bénézet (Renault Clio Mk5) while Filip Melon won the second Semi-Final. In the Final Melon made the better start to take the lead ahead of Solberg Hansen. Bénézet opted for the joker on the opening lap and was running fourth at the end of lap one. He climbed to third when Ivo Gabrāns (Renault Clio Mk5), who had been running third, took the joker. In the penultimate lap, Bénézet moved into second after overtaking Solberg Hansen at the merge. Melon, meanwhile, enjoyed a comfortable advantage and went on to secure victory ahead of Bénézet. It was Melon’s second win of the season after also winning the previous round in Hungary. Gabrāns eventually claimed the final podium position after Solberg Hansen retired. Bénézet remains the championship leader at the halfway point with 74 points, two ahead of Melon on 72.
The next round of the 2026 FIA European Rallycross Championship takes place in just two weeks’ time when the series returns to Mondello Park in Ireland for the first time since 1996.
Results
Euro RX1 – Final: 1. Johan Kristoffersson (S), VW Polo Mk6; 2. Ole Christian Veiby (N), VW Polo Mk6; 3. Casper Jansson (S), Peugeot 208; 4. Juha Rytkönen (FIN), Hyundai i20; 5. Andreas Bakkerud (N), Ford Fiesta Mk7 ST; 6. Ulrik Linnemann (DK), VW Polo Mk5.
Euro RX3 – Final: 1. Rytis Gurklys (LT), Audi A1; 2. Sámuel Kovács (H), Škoda Fabia Mk3; 3. Markus Røsrud (N), Škoda Fabia Mk2; 4. Libor Teješ (CZ), Audi A1; 5. Dylan Dufas (F), VW Polo Mk6; 6. André Sousa (P), Audi A1 – DNF.
Euro RX4 – Final: 1. Filip Melon (PL), Peugeot 208; 2. Andréa Bénézet (F), Renault Clio Mk5; 3. Ivo Gabrāns (LV), Renault Clio Mk5; 4. Haotian Deng (CHN), Renault Clio Mk5; 5. Albert Ako Kokk (PL), Renault Clio Mk5; 6. Marius Solberg Hansen (N), Renault Clio Mk5 – DNF.
Euro RX5 – Final: 1. Diego Martínez (E); 2. Valentin Comte (F); 3. Martin Juga (EST); 4. Armin Raag (EST); 5. Bryan Neumayer (D); 6. Teddie MacPherson (GB).
Standings
Euro RX1 (3/6): 1. Johan Kristoffersson (S), 104; 2. Andreas Bakkerud (N), 85; 3. Ole Christian Veiby (N), 84; 4. Juha Rytkönen (FIN), 72; 5. Joni Turpeinen (FIN), 65; 6. Casper Jansson (S), 54; etc.
Euro RX3 (3/6): 1. Rytis Gurklys (LT), 88; 2. Julien Meunier (F), 70; 3. Sámuel Kovács (H), 49; 4. Markus Røsrud (N), 39; 5. Libor Teješ (CZ), 38; 6. Dylan Dufas (F), 30; etc.
Euro RX4 (3/6): 1. Andréa Bénézet (F), 74; 2. Filip Melon (PL), 72; 3. Albert Ako Kokk (EST), 47; 4. Ivo Gabrāns (LV), 42; 5. Thomas Quincé (F), 40; 6. Haotian Deng (CHN), 37; etc.
Euro RX5 (3/6): 1. Martin Juga (EST), 68; 2. Armin Raag (EST), 61; 3. Valentin Comte (F), 61; 4. Diego Martínez (E), 51; 5. Tim Braumüller (D), 47; 6. Marko Muru (EST), 32; etc.