Johan Kristoffersson began his 2026 FIA European Rallycross Championship campaign exactly where most of his rival3s feared he would: on the top step of the podium.

The reigning world champion delivered victory at the Euro RX of Latvia, leading home Kristoffersson Motorsport team-mate Ole Christian Veiby for a perfect 1-2 finish at Biķernieki after a dramatic opening weekend packed with action, pressure and no shortage of elbows-out rallycross.

With 30 Supercars in contention for glory on Sunday, the season opener delivered one of the strongest elite rallycross fields seen since 2018. Across qualifying, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final, the grid produced close racing, big moments, mechanical drama and a clear early message: KMS may be back in Euro RX, but the competition is certainly putting up a fight.

Kristoffersson had been made to work hard throughout Saturday’s qualifying sessions, with rivals refusing to make life easy for the benchmark of the discipline. He returned on Sunday at the top of the standings, but his path to victory was far from straightforward.

Q4 immediately tested the Swede. A poor start left Kristoffersson struggling to get away from the line, with the field already charging towards turn one before he was fully up to speed. By the final corner of the opening lap, however, he had hauled himself back onto the rear of the pack and quickly set about recovering lost ground.

An early joker on lap two gave Kristoffersson clean air, allowing him to begin reeling in the cars ahead. He eventually closed onto the rear bumper of Juha Rytkönen and finished the session in second place, doing enough to secure top qualifier honours with 174 points.

Rytkönen ended qualifying second overall on 165 points, narrowly ahead of Andreas Bakkerud on 164, while KMS team-mate Veiby sat fourth. SET Promotion’s Joni Turpeinen completed the top five heading into the knockout stages.

The quarter-finals delivered more drama. Kristoffersson again found himself under pressure from the start, with Finnish talent Turpeinen getting the jump on the eight-time world champion. Behind them, heartbreak struck for home hero Jānis Baumanis after contact with Ollie O’Donovan left him with race-ending damage. O’Donovan was subsequently shown the black flag, while Baumanis was forced out in front of a disappointed home crowd.

At the front, the race became a straight fight between Kristoffersson and Turpeinen. The young Finn produced one of the drives of the weekend as he attempted to keep Kristoffersson behind, but the Swede eventually found a way through to take the heat win. Turpeinen progressed alongside him, with Casper Jansson also advancing to the semi-finals.

Elsewhere in the quarter-finals, Andor Trepák, Zoltán Koncseg and Juha Rytkönen made it through to the semi-finals, while Bakkerud, Rokas Baciuška and Maiko Tamm also secured progression. Veiby, Patrick O’Donovan and Ulrik Linnemann completed the semi-final line-up, with Rytkönen’s day also featuring a scare after a fire during the quarter-final phase.

Kristoffersson lined up on pole for the opening semi-final, alongside long-time rival Bakkerud, with Turpeinen, Baciuška, Jansson and Tamm completing the grid.

When the lights went out, Bakkerud produced another superb launch, leaving Kristoffersson fighting through traffic once again. The Swede quickly muscled his way back into contention and began to hunt down the Norwegian, who stayed out in the hope that a later joker would pay off.

Kristoffersson took his joker on lap three and emerged into clear air, immediately pushing to close the gap. Bakkerud responded one lap later, but as the pair charged through the final sector side-by-side, Kristoffersson narrowly edged ahead. Bakkerud kept the pressure on, but Kristoffersson held firm to win the semi-final, with Bakkerud and Turpeinen also progressing to the final.

In the second semi-final, Trepák started from pole with Veiby alongside him, while Patrick O’Donovan and Koncseg occupied the midfield and Linnemann and Rytkönen completed the grid.

Trepák launched well in his Mégane and looked set to take control into the opening corner, but contact involving Rytkönen dropped him to the rear and effectively ended his hopes of reaching the final. From there, Veiby took command, moving to the front and controlling the race as Rytkönen and Patrick O’Donovan also secured their places in the final.

That set up a heavyweight final grid, with both KMS cars on the front row. Kristoffersson and Veiby started ahead of Rytkönen and Bakkerud, while Turpeinen and Patrick O’Donovan completed the six-car line-up.

When the lights went green, Kristoffersson made the start he needed. Bakkerud launched well and attempted to sweep around the outside, but Veiby played the team role perfectly, guarding the inside and allowing Kristoffersson to escape into the lead.

Contact in the opening corners dropped Bakkerud back to fourth, while O’Donovan also lost ground after a slow getaway. By turn three, Kristoffersson had already created breathing room at the front, opening a gap of more than a second as Veiby, Turpeinen, O’Donovan and Bakkerud fought behind.

The job was not as simple as it looked. Kristoffersson lost radio communication after turn two, leaving him without his spotter and forcing him to make his own strategy calls from inside the car.

Veiby continued to play the perfect team-mate, keeping the chasing pack behind and allowing Kristoffersson to control the race from the front. Kristoffersson watched the pack in his mirrors, judged the joker timing himself, and took his joker on lap five before rejoining ahead of the chasing group.

By the penultimate lap, the KMS 1-2 was secure. Kristoffersson led Veiby home to give the team a perfect start to the season and send a clear message to the rest of the field.

Behind them, the battle for the final podium place delivered one of the standout moments of the weekend. Seventeen-year-old Turpeinen was forced to defend from former European champion Bakkerud in the closing stages, with the Norwegian throwing everything at the young Finn.

Bakkerud switched left and right along the back section of the circuit, applying constant pressure, but Turpeinen refused to crack. The SET Promotion driver crossed the line just ahead to claim a sensational podium on his Euro RX debut, underlining his status as one of rallycross’ most exciting young talents.

Bakkerud finished fourth on his full-time Euro RX return after a weekend in which he repeatedly lit up the field with his starts and racecraft. Patrick O’Donovan came home fifth, while Rytkönen completed the final classification in sixth after early contact left him unable to challenge for the podium places.

With Latvia complete, attention now turns to round two of the FIA European Rallycross Championship, with the Euro RX of Hungary set to take place from 31 May at the iconic Red Cauldron of Nyirád. With KMS already on top and a packed field of challengers ready to respond, the fight is only just getting started.

Johan Kristoffersson, Kristoffersson Motorsport, said: “We are very, very happy. We had a tough weekend in terms of the launches, so we have been chasing those launches all weekend. I think our engine guy had a big relief after the final, finishing 1-2.

“I want to say a huge thanks to the team. It was a late decision to come here and there have been a lot of sacrifices from people to come and work for us at such short notice, so I am super happy to be here and very happy to deliver the result the guys deserve after preparing the car for us.

“On track, the car was really amazing. There are a few parameters that are not 100 per cent correct, which puts us on the back foot, but once we are in clear air it is very strong. We also had some struggles with the radio. I had no radio in the final, so it was quite calm and quiet for six laps. I was looking in my mirrors to see when OC took the joker, and I had to make my own strategy.”

Ole Christian Veiby, Kristoffersson Motorsport, said: “After how this weekend started, with us struggling with the launches, to finish 1-2 feels great. I think we have been strong on track and we have definitely been the two strongest cars out there all weekend.

“We showed some improvement on the launches during the day and changed a few things, which helped us end up one or two places higher. I would have liked to fight a bit more with Johan, but after I was hit on the opening corner, my rear wheel was bent and the exhaust was squeezed, so I had no power.

“But we managed to secure a 1-2, so that is a really good team effort. The boys have done a great job preparing everything for this race.”

Joni Turpeinen, SET Promotion, said: “It feels unbelievable to finish on the podium. I don’t know how I managed to do it. The tyres were so warm after the semi-final and it was really hard to drive the final.

“It feels crazy to be standing on the podium in the opening round.”

James Nixon, FIA Category Manager for Off-Road and Hill Climb, said:
“The Euro RX of Latvia has shown exactly why we have been so excited about this championship. The atmosphere in the paddock has been fantastic all weekend, there is a real buzz around rallycross again, and to have 30 Supercars fighting in the top category is a massive statement.

“For me, this weekend shows that the direction we are taking is the right one. The level of competition has been incredible, the racing has been close, and you can feel that teams, drivers and fans are really buying into what we are building.

“It has also been brilliant to see Euro RX4 and Euro RX5 join the championship here in Latvia. These categories are all about giving young drivers a proper pathway, and the standard has been seriously impressive already. There is a lot of talent coming through, and I’m really excited to see where these drivers can go over the next few seasons.”

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Click here to download the video highlights from the Euro RX of Latvia 

Click here to view the final classification from the Euro RX of Latvia.

Click here to view the provisional championship standings.