Ones to Watch in 2026: Euro RX1

Martin Enlund

‘Sendlund’ as he is fondly referred to in the paddock has been quietly carving out a burgeoning reputation for himself in the dual-surface discipline in recent years. Last season, the swift Swede carried over his impressive form on the Scandinavian scene as he made his debut at international level in Euro RX1.

Contesting three of the six rounds, the 25-year-old posted an eye-catching eight top five qualifying performances out of 12 – five of them inside the top two – and whilst the final result never quite reflected his palpable potential, he now has ample opportunity to put that right over the course of a full campaign in the headlining category...

Casper Jansson

Much like Enlund, countryman Casper Jansson has been busy turning heads in both his native Scandinavia and Nitrocross – clinching a trio of titles in the latter in recent years.

The 20-year-old does his talking on the track, and will head into battle behind the wheel of an ex-Hansen Motorsport Peugeot 208 run by Hedströms Motorsport – a potent package with which he is aiming to reach the podium, at the very least...

Fabien Pailler

A bit of a ‘ringer’ in this selection, admittedly, because Pailler is no rising star of rallycross – the Frenchman has been there and done it all before. Well, nearly all.

Twice a title-winner on the domestic Supercar scene, the Frenchman came oh-so-close to similarly clinching the European Championship crown five years ago, losing out by just four points to Bakkerud. In 2026, he returns for the first time since that near-miss, and he is hoping his ex-Prodrive Renault Mégane could be the missing piece of the puzzle... 

Anton Seppä 

Škoda star Seppä is a graduate of the prestigious Flying Finn Academy, and he certainly lives up to the sobriquet. Making his maiden appearance in Euro RX1 at his home event in 2025, the 20-year-old was immediately in the mix in the high-calibre field, grabbing fourth position in the intermediate ranking to earn a front row starting slot for the semi-final.

While his challenge unfortunately ended there due to an opening lap clash, Seppä returns in Rīga eager to pick up from where he left off – and with silverware in his sights...

Andor Trepák 

The reigning Hungarian champion embarks upon his first full campaign of European  competition with just two prior starts under his belt on the international stage – but in his most recent outing, on home soil at Nyirád last summer, he made quite the impression...

On his Euro RX1 bow, Trepák went fastest in Q1, with a time that similarly outpaced all of the World Championship protagonists save for Kristoffersson. Having since gone on to lift the laurels in the national series and produced rapid lap times during the pre-season group test in Latvia, the 20-year-old is out to prove he can reproduce that outstanding form across the course of the season.

Joni Turpeinen

The youngest driver in the field at just 17, Turpeinen gets his big break in 2026 – and it is richly-deserved. A standout performer on his debut in Euro RX1 at Höljes last year – vying for victory in some of the most challenging conditions seen in the sport in recent memory – he re-appeared on home soil at the KymiRing and in the Istanbul Park finale, where he came within a whisker of reaching the rostrum for the first time.

The following day, the Finnish teenager similarly starred on his World RX debut, as one of only two Euro RX1 ‘wild cards’ to advance to the final, in which he again took the chequered flag fourth. Since recruited by SET Promotion, he will line up alongside compatriot Juha Rytkönen, whose experience he will doubtless leverage as he continues to develop his craft.

Following the opening round of the campaign at the historic Biķernieku trase in the Latvian capital of Rīga on 9-10 May, Euro RX1 participants will go on to lock horns at Nyirád in Hungary (30-31 May), Höljes in Sweden (4-5 July), Mondello Park in Ireland (18-19 July), Lohéac in France (29-30 August) and finally Lousada in Portugal, where the champion will be crowned on 12-13 September.