The race locations have changed and track conditions have varied, but one driver has unsurprisingly finished atop the podium in each of the first two rounds of the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship.

He is, of course, Johan Kristoffersson and his back-to-back wins to open this season’s World RX schedule at Barcelona-Catalunya and Montalegre are just a small sampling of the success the reigning champion has experienced during his current historic run in the series—an unprecedented nine victories in 11 races.

Now, the super Swede returns to the track where it all started.

The World RX of Belgium was the site of Kristoffersson’s first win of last season, and he once again heads to the Jules Tacheny Circuit in Mettet as the favorite to walk away with the overall victory this Sunday.

Watch the 2018 Coyote World RX of Belgium LIVE on FloRacing

Date: Sunday, May 13 | Race Start: 8 AM CDT

However, that’s not to say the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver is not feeling the pressure from his biggest rivals.

Kristoffersson holds a nine-point lead in the series standings following his wins at Barcelona-Catalunya on April 15 and at Montalegre in Portugal on April 29. EKS Audi Sport’s Andreas Bakkerud sits second overall at 44 points, while Petter Solberg trails his fellow Norwegian by one point in third place.

“It is definitely tougher this year,” Kristoffersson said. “Peugeot was right on the pace in all kinds of conditions in Portugal and Audi worked their way into the pace as well on the Sunday. Fortunately, I was very strong so we could come out on top still, but it was difficult."

Last weekend it was a @STCCOfficial podium, this weekend it's time for @MettetRX where I want more of the same! ??? pic.twitter.com/JfJkJkmiPZ

— Johan Kristoffersson (@JohanKMS88) May 9, 2018

The final at Montalegre was affected by sleet and blizzard-like conditions, and while weather isn’t expected to play a major factor this weekend, the Jules Tacheny Circuit is known for its technically challenging layout. 

The zig-zagging 1.149km track contains a number of low-speed turns and hairpin corners that can cause excessive heat to drivers’ tires before transitioning to the gravel sections. 

Prior to last year’s win in Mettet, Kristoffersson had finished outside of the top five in back-to-back races at the track. 

Along with the tricky course, he’s also not overlooking the efforts of teams further back in the standings.

“We saw in Catalunya-Barcelona and Portugal that Hyundai have started doing some quick lap times and GCK Renault may come to be quicker later in the season,” he said. “We will have to keep pushing.”