« Tillbaka 2020 års-rallycross

20-06-30 Äntligen racedags för Johan Comebacken i VM får vänta ytterligare någon månad, men kommande helg är det i alla fall dags för säsongspremiär för Johan Kristoffersson. - Härligt att få komma in i rallycrossformatet igen, med starter, jokervarv och trafiken runt omkring, säger den tvåfaldige världsmästaren inför helgens RallyX Nordic i Höljes. Normala år är första helgen i juli lika med VM och folkfest i Nordvärmland. Nu har VM-tävlingen flyttat till slutet av augusti, men luckan fylls av All-Star Magic Weekend, de två första deltävlingarna i RallyX Nordic. Den andra skillnaden är att folkfesten uteblir. Rallycrossfansen får följa tävlingarna via live-stream. - Det är förstås mycket roligare med alla fantastiska fans på plats, men nu är läget som det är och vi ska försöka bjuda på fin underhållning till alla där hemma, säger Kristoffersson. Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS-föraren kommer till start med den KMS-byggda Polo GTI RX som Sondre Evjen ska tävla med i EM senare under säsongen. - Det är bra för oss att få komma igång med vår organisation, ett genrep inför VM, men minst lika viktigt är att få bilen i tip top-skick för Sondre inför EM, säger stallchefen Tommy Kristoffersson. Mycket jobb har lagts ner i verkstaden och under två testdagar på Westom-banan. - Bilen har blivit mycket bättre. Potentialen finns där, men som alltid när man testar nya saker så drar det med sig en del småstrul, barnsjukdomar man måste bli av med, berättar Johan som har gjort 60-70 varv under testdagarna. - Alldeles för lite egentligen, men det har känts bra att vara igång igen. Och än bättre blir det när tävlandet rullar igång på torsdag. - Jag älskar att känna tävlingsnerven, att jämföra tider och analysera racen! Första tävlingen avgörs under torsdagen, med kval och finaler. På lördag körs två kvalomgångar i deltävling 2, med fortsättning under söndagen. VM-förarna Niclas Grönholm och Robin Larsson bjuder på motstånd, med fler utmanare i form av till exempel Oliver Solberg och Pontus Tidemand. - Det är ett starkt gäng och naturligtvis vill jag vinna över dem, men mest värdefullt just nu är att få köra bil. Fredagen är vilodag för Kristoffersson, med möjlighet att se gamla legender som Marcus Grönholm och Per Eklund i den särskilda inbjudningsklassen. - Det ska bli skitkul! Jag håller ju en extra tumme för Eklund. När det gäller rutin är det i alla fall ingen som slår honom, säger Johan, som har många barndomshyss på sitt samvete i samarbete med den numera 74-årige motorsportslegendaren. Någon duell med Johans pappa Tommy blir det inte för Per. Kristoffersson senior nöjer sig med sin roll som teamchef och kock i denna rekordsena säsongspremiär, under det märkligaste av år. - Inte sedan jag var 10-12 år har det varit så här händelsefattigt i mitt idrottsliv, säger Tommy, som förstås ändå har haft en del av att oroas över under våren. Ekonomiskt har det varit en osäker period, i svallvågorna efter många länders nedstängning. - Våra uppdragsgivare, Volkswagen och BAUHAUS, har tagit ett jätteansvar för vår överlevnad. Det förtroendet har byggts av att vi i alla år har levererat resultat. Därför känner vi oss nu ännu mer taggade att göra något bra av det här, avslutar Tommy Kristoffersson. 20-06-29 Nils Andersson klar för rallycrosspremiär Efter en lång väntan är det nu äntligen Rallycrosspremiär för unge Arvika-föraren Nils Andersson då RallyX Nordic drar igång torsdagen 2 juli i Värmländska Höljes. Nils som de senaste två åren vunnit RallyX Nordics Crosskart klass bestämde sig i vintras för att det var dags att växla upp till vanlig bil. Efter att ha testat olika discipliner och diskuterat med sponsorer föll till slut valet på Supercar Lites och Rallycross. Innan premiären har försäsongstesterna inriktats på att lära sig hantera den nya bilen. Nu återstår att få med sig erfarenhet av att tävla med en fyrhjulsdriven Rallycrossbil. ”Äntligen är det dags att tävla, det har varit en lång väntan. Jag har försökt förbereda mig på bästa möjliga sätt inför premiären, även om det inte varit så enkelt under Covid-19 Pandemin. Under våren har jag kört virtuell bilsport och fystränat för att vara i form till tävlingsdags. Teamet har renoverat bilen och innan start har jag kört flera testdagar för att lära mig omställningen från Crosskart till Rallycross”, säger Nils Andersson. ”Startfältet i tävlingen är riktigt tufft och det finns säkert 10st segerkandidater i startlistan. Alla bilarna i klassen är exakt likadana så det är väldigt små marginaler som avgör. Starten är viktig i Rallycross, och än viktigare i den här klassen då det är svårt att köra förbi. För min egen del är jag ödmjuk inför uppgiften, men självklart siktar jag på att vara med och fightas om finalplatserna”, säger en förväntansfull värmlänning. Tävlingen som körs helt utan publik kommer att Live-sändas på webben. ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend, Höljes Höljes, 02-05 juli, 2020 Onsdag 1 juli, träning Torsdag 2, RallyX Nordic deltävling 1 Lördag – Söndag 4 - 5 juli, RallyX Nordic deltävling 2 20-06-29 Vässad Tidemand taggad för Höljes All-Star Magic Weekend Den första helgen i juli är helig för motorsportintresserade - det är då "The Magic Weekend" äger rum i värmländska Höljes och bjuder in världens rallycrosselit till ett av årets populäraste evenemang. Även om det inte blir VM-jippo just den här helgen i år så blir det ändå race när RallyX Nordic har flyttat sin säsongspremiär. Tack vare internationell livestream kan alla världens motorsportfans njuta av eventet och Pontus Tidemand är mer än redo att ge allt. När världen stegvis öppnar upp igen efter global lockdown, är det Sveriges rallycross-Mecka Höljes som står värd för årets första stora rallycrosstävling. Höljes 'All-Star' Magic Weekend hålls under samma helg som rallycross-VM vanligtvis körs och med mer än 90 tävlande i fem olika klasser (Legends, Supercar, Supercar Lites, CrossCar/Crosskart och Crosskart Junior) utlovas precis samma höga nivå på action. Pontus deltar i Supercar-klassen och kör för Hedströms Motorsport i en VW Polo Supercar, en bil som han börjar bli lite bekant med efter några tester på torrt underlag. - Det är en fantastisk bil, den fränaste jag kört i de här sammanhangen, berättar Pontus och berömmer samtidigt det för honom nya teamet: - Hedströms Motorsport är taggat till tänderna för att äntligen få dra igång säsongen och det är riktigt skön stämning med bara några dagar till start. Vi har gjort riktigt bra förberedelser och alla inblandade ger allt för att vi ska få så bra förutsättningar som möjligt till ett bra resultat i helgen. Höljesbanan är en av mina favoriter och jag känner att tempot finns där. Jag är redo att gå på max när startskottet smäller av. Det ska bli kul att köra igen! Motståndet blir däremot tufft när Pontus bland annat ställs mot dubbla rallycrossvärldsmästaren Johan Kristoffersson, tidigare RallyX Nordic-mästarna Oliver Solberg och Thomas Bryntesson och RX2-vinnaren Oliver Eriksson. - Det kommer helt klart bli tufft med så många skillade förare. Men det är också det som gör grejen, man vill ha hård konkurrens både för sin egen skull och tittarnas för att hålla spänning och motivation på topp. Jag tror och hoppas på en rysare till fight från första till sista heat, säger Pontus. Med rådande restriktioner för COVID-19 blir det förstås denna gång ett event utan publik, men istället erbjuds ett format med pay-per-view via en global livestream och en storpublik världen över väntas bänka sig framför skärmen under helgen. Målet är att erbjuda ännu mer action, höjdpunkter och bakom kulisserna-material än någonsin tidigare under ledning av välkända motorsport namn såsom Andrew Coley, Hal Ridge, Neil Cole och Molly Pettit. Höljes 'All-Star' Magic Weekend 2020 avgörs 2-5 juli och sändningstiderna för livestreamen (som nås via rallyx.se) ser ut som följande: Torsdag 2 juli 09:30-18:30 Fredag 3 juli 14:00–18:00 Lördag 4 juli 13:00-18:00 Söndag 5 juli 09:30-18:00 20-06-28 Jonathan Pailler wins World RX Esports at Höljes-Sweden France’s Jonathan Pailler scored a debut win in round three of the FIA World Rallycross Championship’s Esports Series at Holjes-Sweden (28 June) as Timmy Hansen moved into the points lead. Pailler, the European Rallycross Championship driver, joined the World RX Esports event run on DiRT Rally 2.0™ in partnership with Esports specialist Motorsport Games, and DiRT video game publisher Codemasters, for the first time in the Swedish round and delivered fast pace throughout qualifying. He qualified for the final by finishing P3 in semi-final one, then stayed out of trouble in a rain-hit, action-packed final with a lap one joker lap to claim victory in a Peugeot 208 WRX. Three different drivers took a fastest time in qualifying; Norway’s Sivert Svardal, Sweden’s Timmy Hansen and Great Britain’s Tom Blomqvist, round two winner Blomqvist fastest in Q3 and Q4 to take the TQ (top qualifier) position for the semi-finals. By taking the TQ, Blomqvist also moved into the series points lead, and he won semi-final one from pole position to take pole for the final. The endurance racing star made a great start from pole position in the final, but he clipped the infamous turn one kerb at the Holjes circuit, which forced his Peugeot 208 into the path of brothers Timmy and Kevin Hansen, and Svardal, all four cars going off the circuit. Pailler, starting from P5 on the grid, was able to dive into the joker while Timmy Hansen took the lead. Pailler climbed to P2 when Svardal took his joker on lap three, then into the lead when Timmy Hansen took his joker on lap four. Hansen dropped back into the chasing pack, battling with Svardal, Kevin Hansen and Blomqvist for the final two laps, with positions changing at every corner. Blomqvist finished P2 with Timmy Hansen P3, Kevin Hansen P4 and Svardal P5. “This first World RX Esports race was a big learning curve for me to learn about the car characteristics, compared to what Fabien and I usually race online. I started driving on Thursday evening with the Dall'olmo brothers and it really wasn't easy but lap after lap I managed to get closer to their times. When I saw the Hansen brothers' and Blomqvist's lap times I really wasn't confident, but the two first qualifiers went really well with a clean track. In Q4 I managed to stay with Timmy and get into his rhythm. With nothing to lose in the final I managed an undercut in turn one to take the joker and come out third. I then realised that in the wet I could keep up with them and go faster. I focused on driving clean and making no mistakes and it paid off. I really didn’t expect to win but it’s a great surprise, especially given the level,” said Pailler. FIA World Rally Championship star Hayden Paddon, from New Zealand, returned for his second World RX Esports series round and made the semi-finals but fell just short of a place in the final, driving an Audi S1. He finished ahead of Fabien Pailler, from France and Norway’s Henrik Krogstad in semi-final two. In semi-final one, Failrace (Audi S1) was unable to capitalise on a strong start after contact from Lithuania’s Rokas Baciuska. The GCK Renault Megane driver was later handed a five second penalty for the incident. Russia’s Matvey Furahzkin (Peugeot 208), Great Britain’s Max Coates (BMW Mini) and Monster Energy’s Tessa Whittock missed out on a place in the semis. There were also semi-finals and a final for the Sim category at Holjes-Sweden, with France’s Killian Dall’olmo delivering a strong fight-back performance in the wet final to climb through the field after a slow start and claim his second victory in a row, in front of his older brother Quentin Dall’olmo and Great Britain’s John Harris. The final round of the World RX Esports series will be at Cape Town-South Africa on Sunday 12 July. World RX Esports Series Round 3 – Holjes-Sweden, Sunday, 28 June. Relive all the action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwULzXVvyYM&feature=youtu.be RESULTS – Pro Final 1. Jonathan Pailler (FRA) 2. Tom Blomqvist (GBR) 3. Timmy Hansen (SWE) 4. Kevin Hansen (SWE) 5. Sivert Svardal (NOR) STANDINGS – 1. Timmy Hansen (SWE) 73 2. Tom Blomqvist (GBR) 67 3. Kevin Hanssen (SWE) 61 4. Shane van Gisbergen (NZL) 55 5. Henrik Krogstad (NOR) 52 RESULTS – Sim Final 1. Killian Dall'olmo (FRA) 2. Quentin Dall'Olmo (FRA) 3. John Harris (GBR) 4. Daniel Johansson (SWE) 5. Lukas Meteja (CZE) STANDINGS – 1. Killian Dall’olmo (FRA) 37 2. Quentin Dall’olmo (FRA) 36 3. Lukas Mateja (CZE) 25 4. John Harris (GBR) 23 5. Daniel Johansson (SWE) 11 20-06-26 Ready to Race! The countdown is on to Höljes' 'All-Star' Magic Weekend Less than a week to go until live motorsport returns in Europe Star-studded entry list for first major post-lockdown event Global livestream to showcase 26+ hours of high-octane action Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle – subscribe here! There is less than a week to wait. Less than a week until the starting lights go out on the first major rallycross event of 2020. Less than a week until some of the biggest names in the sport – several coming out of retirement especially for the occasion – descend on Höljes in Sweden to battle wheel-to-wheel for glory. Less than a week...until the eagerly-anticipated ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend (2-5 July). As the world gradually begins to open up again, Höljes is preparing to stage Europe’s first high-profile motor racing event since lockdown. More than 90 competitors have signed up to take part across the five classes – ‘Legends’, Supercar, Supercar Lites, CrossCar/Crosskart and CrossCar Junior – and fittingly, amongst them are some heavy-hitters indeed. In the invitational ‘Legends’ class – for drivers who are no longer active but whose past achievements make them incontestable titans of the sport – two-time FIA World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm will take on 74-year-old former FIA European Rallycross Champion Per Eklund, fellow rallycross heroes Andreas Eriksson and Stig-Olov Walfridson and rallying and rallycross star Henning Solberg. It is the kind of tantalising line-up that has never been seen before – and arguably, never will be again. In the Supercar category, double FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson will mark his return to the discipline following a sabbatical season in the FIA World Touring Car Cup. The ‘Super Swede’ will be up against a host of fellow title-winners, including reigning FIA Euro RX and RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires Champion Robin Larsson, former RallyX Nordic Champions Oliver Solberg and Thomas Bryntesson, two-time RX2 Series Champion Oliver Eriksson and ex-FIA Junior World Rally and WRC 2 Champion Pontus Tidemand. There will be two notable ‘debuts’ in the 22-strong Supercar field, as both JC Raceteknik’s Ben-Philip Gundersen – last year’s RallyX Nordic Supercar Lites Champion – and Jamaican ace Fraser McConnell (Olsbergs MSE) make their maiden appearance in the class, while GRX Taneco’s Niclas Grönholm reached the World RX final at Höljes in 2019 and will be fired-up to kick-start his 2020 campaign with victory. Supercar Lites promises to be fiercely-contested, too, as a gaggle of young chargers rev up to duel doorhandle-to-doorhandle around the iconic Värmland circuit. Defending Höljes winner Thomas Holmen will take on local specialist Linus Östlund, leading lady Nathalie Petersson – back after a bruising rookie season in 2019 – rapid rallycross returnee Henrik Krogstad, highly-rated Swedes Marcus Höglund, Martin Enlund and Nils Andersson and fast Finn Jesse Kallio, who came, saw and conquered in his only previous RallyX Nordic outing on home soil at Kouvola last summer. Five-time FIA World Rally Championship runner-up Thierry Neuville and reigning FIA World Rallycross Champion Timmy Hansen headline the 40-strong CrossCar/Crosskart entry, as the Belgian and Swede team up under the new LifeLive Nordic banner. Ten CrossCar Juniors complete the line-up, as for the first time RallyX Nordic welcomes competitors as young as 12 – proving that the future of the sport is every bit as bright as its present and past. “After many weeks of planning, we are all tremendously excited to get the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend underway,” enthused Jan-Erik Steen, CEO of RallyX Nordic promoter, RX Promotion. “A tireless effort has been put in by all involved, and the result is that we have a mouth-watering entry list, huge interest from all around the world and a broadcast arrangement that is set to bring viewers more live rallycross action from a single event than ever before. “The start of a season is always something to look forward to, but the three-month pause has left everybody hungrier than ever for real-life racing – and that is what we are proud to present. The drivers are ready, the cars are ready, Höljes is looking superb and now all that remains is for fans to settle down on the sofa and tune in for what will unquestionably be the motorsport event of the year so far.” The joint brainchild of RallyX Nordic promoter RX Promotion and Höljes’ organising club Finnskoga MK, and supported by the Swedish arm of international broadcasting heavyweight NEP, the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend will follow a purely digital, pay-per-view livestreaming model to adhere to current COVID-19 restrictions. The commitment is to bring more rallycross action, highlights and ‘insider’ content than ever before to fans all around the world, with a global English-language feed, a presenting team composed of Andrew Coley, Hal Ridge, Neil Cole and Molly Pettit and no geoblocking. Prominent Swedish streaming platform StayLive will host the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend, with the attractively-priced subscription package offering more than 26 hours of live action and interviews for just 249 SEK (c. €24,99). Subscribers will also gain complimentary access to all 2019 RallyX Nordic races as a bonus. You can sign up here. Part of the proceeds of this crowdfunding initiative will go towards supporting Höljes to ensure many more Magic Weekends are possible in the future. Should they wish, fans can make additional donations here. Livestream Schedule Thursday, 2 July 09h30 – 18h30 Friday, 3 July 14h00 – 18h00 Saturday, 4 July 13h00 – 18h00 Sunday, 5 July 09h30 – 18h00 *All times are in CET Official Entry Lists Supercar NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR 1 Johan Kristoffersson SWE VW Dealer Team Bauhaus Volkswagen Polo 3 Ben-Philip Gundersen NOR JC Raceteknik Audi S1 4 Robin Larsson SWE KYB Team JC Audi S1 5 Lars Andersson SWE Hedströms Motorsport Ford Fiesta 9 Christer Dalmans SWE Hedströms Motorsport Volkswagen Polo 11 Oliver Solberg SWE PS 110 procent AB Citroën DS3 12 Anders Michalak SWE Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta 16 Oliver Eriksson SWE Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta 17 Mats Öhman SWE JC Raceteknik Audi S1 27 Dennis Olsson SWE MKIV RX Volkswagen Scirocco 33 Enzo Ide BEL JC Raceteknik Audi S1 35 Fraser McConnell JAM Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta 45 Pontus Tidemand SWE Hedströms Motorsport Volkswagen Polo 48 Lukas Walfridson SWE Helmia Motorsport Renault Clio 51 Thomas Bryntesson SWE Thomas Bryntesson Volkswagen Polo 61 Andreas Carlsson SWE ACRX Renault Clio 68 Niclas Grönholm FIN GRX Taneco Hyundai i20 88 Daniel Thorén SWE TiKRX Volkswagen Polo 99 Dan Öberg SWE MKIV RX Volkswagen Scirocco 105 Linus Westman SWE LIWE RX Ford Fiesta TBC TBC TBC ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport SEAT Ibiza TBC TBC TBC ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport SEAT Ibiza Supercar Lites NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR 8 Gustav Johansson SWE VGracing Supercar Lites 10 Martin Jonsson SWE Alfta Racing Team Supercar Lites 11 Mats Oskarsson SWE MORX Supercar Lites 14 Nils Andersson SWE TiKRX Supercar Lites 18 Linus Östlund SWE Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites 21 Marcus Höglund SWE Marcus Höglund Supercar Lites 33 Nathalie Petersson SWE Natha’s Motorsport Supercar Lites 47 Jesse Kallio FIN Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites 52 Simon Olofsson SWE STS RX Supercar Lites 56 Thomas Holmen NOR STS RX Supercar Lites 60 Martin Enlund SWE Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites 77 Henrik Krogstad NOR #YellowSquad Supercar Lites 90 Jimmie Walfridson SWE JC Raceteknik Supercar Lites 91 Niklas Aneklev SWE Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites 999 Dan Skoc?dopole CZE #YellowSquad Supercar Lites CrossCar/Crosskart NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR 5 Thierry Neuville BEL LifeLive Nordic TN5 7 Jimmy Kujanpää SWE sodertornsvakuum.se Speedcar 11 Jimmie Österberg SWE Österberg Motorsport Speedcar 13 Viktor Andersson SWE Viktor Andersson Casmat 15 Julle Ljungdahl SWE TiKRX Speedcar 20 Jimmy Bergander SWE Jimmy Bergander Speedcar 21 Timmy Hansen SWE LifeLive Nordic TN5 22 Kobe Pauwels BEL LifeLive Nordic TN5 33 Johnny Andersson SWE Johnny Andersson Casmat 40 Marcus Hellman SWE Marcus Hellman Speedcar 47 Jimmy Karlsson SWE JK Racing Sweden RX01 51 Linda Johansson SWE Json Motorsport Speedcar 53 Mattias Ohlsson SWE Mattias Ohlsson Casmat 62 Robin Nord SWE Carcontrol Speedcar 66 Max Rundberg SWE Json Motorsport Speedcar 67 Isac Egonsson SWE Carcontrol Speedcar 69 Charlie Agerheim SWE Agerheim Motorsport Speedcar 70 Marcus Agerheim SWE Agerheim Motorsport Speedcar 85 Petter Hane SWE Carcontrol Speedcar 92 Peter Lundmark SWE Peter Lundmark Speedcar 96 Kim Koivio SWE Kim Koivio Speedcar 97 Mathias Jansson SWE Mathias Jansson YMS 100 Andreas Persson SWE Helmia Motorsport YMS 105 Simen Ødegården SWE Helmia Motorsport YMS 110 Thomas Eek Murstad NOR MURSTAD MOTORSPORT YMS 118 Fredrik Eriksson SWE Fredrik Eriksson EDGE 124 Sebastian Enholm SWE Enholm Motorsport Speedcar 125 Sindre Trøyerud NOR Trøyerud Motorsport Semog 127 Fredrik Avelin SWE Team Avelin YMS 133 Elias Svensson SWE Elias Svensson Casmat 161 Patrik Hallberg SWE Patrik Hallberg Speedcar 170 Isak Reiersen SWE JC Raceteknik Juniorteam YMS 175 Timmy Enlund SWE Enlunds Motorsport EDGE 183 Oskar Andersson SWE Enlunds Motorsport Casmat 189 Algot Hammarqvist SWE A.Hammarqvist_motorsport Speedcar 190 André Bendixen NOR Bendixen Motorsport Kamikaz 222 Roger Lunde SWE Roger Lunde Casmat 605 Mattias Andersson SWE Mattias Andersson Speedcar 666 Magnus Westman SWE Magnus Westman YMS 916 Roger Eriksson SWE Roger Eriksson YMS CrossCar Junior NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR 5 Thomas Martens BEL LifeLive Nordic TN5 10 Erik Andersson SWE Carcontrol Speedcar 21 Rasmus Persson SWE Carcontrol Speedcar 34 Erik Nilsson SWE Hagströms Entreprenad AB Casmat 99 Lukas Andersson SWE Lukas Andersson Speedcar 124 Frida Enholm SWE Enholm Motorsport Speedcar 128 Oliwer Lidman SWE Oliwer Lidman YMS 184 Elias Kalliokoski FIN Vesa Kalliokoski Speedcar 199 Alex Gustafsson SWE JC Raceteknik Juniorteam Speedcar 200 Raoul Dahlqvist FIN Dahlqvist RX Speedcar 20-06-26 Fyra förare till start i Höljes! - Hedströms motorsport är vässat till tänderna inför RallyX Nordic-premiären Med mindre än en vecka kvar till start av ALL-STAR MAGIC WEEEND kan vi vi avslöja. Det blir inte mindre än fyra förare till start för Hedströms Motorsport. Lägg till detta ett team som är topptrimmat och bättre förberett än någonsin, så kan ni lita på att Hedströms kommer att leverera! Rallylegenden och vinnaren av Svenska Rallyt, Kenneth Eriksson, har haft ett finger med i spelet när bilarna optimerats inför säsongen. Det kan Peter Hedström avslöja efter ett par månaders tystnad. - Kenneth har varit med på test och varit ett riktigt grymt bollplank och har hjälpt till mycket med sin kunskap. Kenneth vet vad han talar om och vi har tagit ett kliv fram tillsammans med honom och Öhlins som levererar stötdämparna, berättar Peter. Själv är dock Peter inte med bland de fyra förarna i denna sena premiär. Han väljer i stället att coacha sina fyra förare mot topplaceringar. Ni har säkert redan sett att en av dem är gamle rally-esset och showmannen av stora mått, Henning Solberg. - Jag är verkligen spänd inför att rejsa igen och vad kan vara bättre än att komma till Höljes och köra mot gamla vänner och konkurrenter igen, säger Henning Solberg. Henning kommer att delta i ALL STAR LEGENDS-klassen och möter där bland andra Marcus Grönholm, Stecka Walfridson och inte minst Per Eklund, 74 år ung! Med sig i en likadan VW Polo Supercar har Henning sin styvson Pontus Tidemand, som med dubbla VM-guld i rally i bagaget, ett i JVM och ett i WRC2, gör comeback i rallycross. Pontus rankar teamets VW Polos som det bästa han kört i Supercar. - Pontus har verkligen fått till ett bra tempo i körningen, han är teamets spjutspets, vi har testat en hel del och jag är tillsammans med sponsorerna övertygade om att vi ger honom det som behövs för att va i topp, menar Peter Hedström. Christer Dalmans debuterade i teamet redan 2016 och är nu med på startlinjen för femte säsongen. Allt började som en kul 50-årspresent med provkörning av en av teamets Supercars, men det har blivit en hel del tävlingar sedan dess för Malungsbon. - Christer blir farlig i Höljes, jag har sett hans utvecklingskurva här på testerna och han har slagit personbästa efter personbästa under våren, avslöjar Peter Hedström. Ny rookie i teamet är Lars Andersson Han kommer ratta den Ford Fiesta Supercar som Christer debuterade i för fyra år sedan. - Lars har bra potential att bli riktigt snabb, det såg jag tidigt, han hanterar bilen bra och kommer garanterat utvecklas snabbt, säger Peter om sin nya adept. I avsaknad av tävlingar så har tester hunnits med i betydligt större omfattning än tidigare. Fokus har legat på fjädring och dämpare, då motorn i teamets VW Polos fick sig en optimering redan förra året. - Jag vågar säga att vi aldrig varit så bra förberedda, vi har kört tio testdagar, varav tre i april, där vi framförallt har finputsat på väghållningen i bilen, fortsätter Hedström. Peter som själv inte kört en meter än i rallycrossbil detta år, tar rollen som förarcoach och sammanhållande i teamet under ALL STAR MAGIC WEEKEND. - Det känns mycket spännande att kunna få lägga allt fokus på att rådda med teamet, avslutar Hedström. Nästa veckoslut är det alltså dags att bänka sig framför TV:n, datorn, telefonen eller annan smart enhet för kalasunderhållning i dagarna fyra. Det är ett publikfritt Höljes i år, så vi säger ”Stay Home, Stay Safe, and Enjoy The Magic Race!” 20-06-24 World RX adds Finland to 2020 calendar The 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy will include new events at Kouvola in Finland at the end of August. Finland has been added to the calendar as the championship prepares to return to racing in a season disrupted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first three weekends of racing in Sweden, Finland, and Latvia, will each consist of two rounds. The newly added CapitalBox World Rallycross of Finland will form rounds three and four of the championship that is now projected to take place over eight weekends from August to December. The remaining events in the 2020 World RX season are expected to run with the usual event format of one event over two days. All events in 2020 will run within the prevailing national health and safety requirements for mass gatherings and individual event organisers will provide information on spectator attendance closer to their race date. The Finnish event will be run behind closed doors and without spectators. Finland last featured in World RX in 2014 when the fourth round of that year’s FIA World Rallycross Championship was run on the undulating track at Kouvola. The event was won by Tanner Foust, the first American to win a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of motorsports events at IMG, said: “I’m delighted that we can add events in Finland. Everything from the initial idea, to getting a contract, has taken just a few weeks and illustrates the best kind of lateral thinking and cooperation from the event organiser, our World RX competitors, the IMG World RX team and the FIA to recognise an opportunity and make the most of it.” The Finnish rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship will be organised by SET Promotion. “We were excited when the opportunity arose to organise a FIA World Rallycross Championship event in Finland and thanks to some exceptional partners we have been able to make it a reality. Our main focus will remain on the safety of everyone involved and we are looking forward to producing an amazing event with the necessary restrictions in place. It’s fantastic to see World RX back in Finland after six years. We know that many of the teams and drivers have good memories of the track and we will do the best we can to make this a great race,” said SET Promotion’s Event Manager, Sami Puumalainen. FIA World Rallycross Championship 2020* World RX of Sweden, Holjes, 22-23 August World RX of Finland, Kouvola, 29-30 August World RX of Riga-Latvia, Riga, 19-20 September World RX of Benelux, Spa-Francorchamps, 03-04 October World RX of Portugal, Montalagre, 10-11 October World RX of Barcelona-Catalunya, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, 17-18 October World RX of Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina Circuit, 30-31 October World RX of Germany, Nurburgring, 12-13 December *Subject to FIA approval 20-06-22 Solberg set for Magic Weekend Eighteen-year-old Oliver Solberg will dust down and fire up the family RX Supercar for the All-Star Magic Weekend at Höljes on July 2-5. The Swedish teenager is looking forward to taking on some of rallycross’s biggest names at his home event. The family Solberg squad will run the same DS RX Supercar Oliver used to stun Goodwood Festival of Speed regulars with a spellbinding run up the world’s most famous hillclimb and then finish a stunning second at Monster Energy’s Gymkhana GRiD in Poland. Son of double World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg, Oliver said: “Everything is a little bit different this year and we have to be really thankful for people making events like this; it was the same with Rally Sweden Lockdown in Torsby earlier this month. “For sure, this Magic Weekend will be different to the one we saw before, but the main thing is that we are going to be racing and that is fantastic news.” And that racing will be intense, with the likes of a pair of Grönholms (Marcus and Niclas), Andreas Eriksson, Swedish rally legend Per Eklund, Oliver’s own great uncle Stig-Olov Walfridsson and, making it even more of a family affair, his 27 year-old cousin Lukas Walfridsson. “Running behind closed doors, it will be strange to race without the fans,” said Oliver, who began his first World Rally Championship campaign this year, “but I don’t think we’ll notice while we’re driving – there’s always enough to keep you focused in the car!” Back in rallycross action for the first time in more than a year, Oliver will call on the same skills that helped him to win the 2018 RallyX Nordic Championship at the wheel of the 600bhp DS RX Supercar aged just 16. The Monster Energy-backed driver will look to turn around family fortunes at the challenging Höljes track. “It’s a great place to race,” said Oliver, “and the competition is always really close, but it’s a race my dad never won – maybe this would be a good time to change that for the Solberg family.” 20-06-19 ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend entry list officially revealed Supercar, Supercar Lites, RallyX Nordic, Supportklasser More than 90 competitors set to do battle in rallycross season curtain-raiser World and European RX Champions and WRC hero headline high-quality field Global, non-geoblocked livestream to bring action to viewers all around the world Subscriptions now on sale here, offering fans attractive ‘Early Bird’ discounts The entry list for next month’s ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend at Höljes in Sweden (2-5 July) – the first major motor racing event of the year in Europe – has been officially revealed, with some of the biggest names in the sport headlining an impressive, 90-plus field. Interest in the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend has been sky-high ever since the innovative event was announced just under a month ago. The joint brainchild of RallyX Nordic promoter RX Promotion and Höljes’ organising club Finnskoga MK, and supported by the Swedish arm of international broadcasting heavyweight NEP, it will follow a purely digital, pay-per-view livestreaming model to adhere to current COVID-19 restrictions. The commitment is to bring more rallycross action, highlights and ‘insider’ content than ever before to fans all around the world, with a global English-language feed, a presenting team composed of Andrew Coley, Hal Ridge, Neil Cole and Molly Pettit and no geoblocking. Entries have come in thick-and-fast across all classes. Double FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson, fellow World RX race-winner Niclas Grönholm and two-time FIA European Rallycross Champion Robin Larsson all feature on the Supercar list, alongside another former RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires title-holder in the shape of Thomas Bryntesson as well as leading rallying and rallycross ace Pontus Tidemand. Amongst the 22 high-calibre entries, there is also an intriguing two-car addition from World RX team ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport, although no drivers have yet been specified… The single-make Supercar Lites class promises to be similarly fiercely-contested, with 15 ultra-quick competitors from local hero Linus Östlund to multiple RX2 Series podium-finisher Jesse Kallio, defending Höljes winner Thomas Holmen, Martin Enlund – who stunned observers during Sweden’s World Championship round last year – and a fired-up Henrik Krogstad, returning to the fray following a season on the sidelines. The supporting CrossCar/Crosskart category features a capacity 40-strong line-up, with ten more stars of the future set to do battle in the new-for-2020, entry-level CrossCar Junior class, open to drivers as young as 12. At the other end of the age spectrum are the ‘Legends’, whose first four entrants – two-time FIA World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm, 1999 FIA European Rallycross Champion Per Eklund and Euro RX event-winners Andreas Eriksson and Stig-Olov Walfridson – were unveiled earlier this week. Not only that, but with just under a fortnight until the action begins and a number of ‘TBCs’ still on the list, more surprises seem assured… Prominent Swedish streaming platform StayLive will host the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend, with ‘Early Bird’ subscription deals available here until midnight on Thursday, 25 June for just 199 SEK (c. €19,99). After this date, the package price increases slightly to 249 SEK (c. €24,99). Subscribers will also gain complimentary access to all 2019 RallyX Nordic races as a bonus. Part of the proceeds of this crowdfunding initiative will go towards supporting Höljes to ensure many more Magic Weekends are possible in the future. Should they wish, fans can make additional donations here. Official Entry Lists Supercar NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR 1 Johan Kristoffersson SWE VW Dealer Team Bauhaus Volkswagen Polo 3 Ben-Philip Gundersen NOR JC Raceteknik Audi S1 4 Robin Larsson SWE KYB Team JC Audi S1 5 Lars Andersson SWE Hedströms Motorsport Ford Fiesta 9 Christer Dalmans SWE Hedströms Motorsport Volkswagen Polo 12 Anders Michalak SWE Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta 16 Oliver Eriksson SWE Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta 17 Mats Öhman SWE JC Raceteknik Audi S1 27 Dennis Olsson SWE MKIV RX Volkswagen Scirocco 33 Enzo Ide BEL JC Raceteknik Audi S1 35 Fraser McConnell JAM Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta 45 Pontus Tidemand SWE Hedströms Motorsport Volkswagen Polo 48 Lukas Walfridson SWE Helmia Motorsport Renault Clio 51 Thomas Bryntesson SWE Thomas Bryntesson Volkswagen Polo 61 Andreas Carlsson SWE ACRX Renault Clio 68 Niclas Grönholm FIN GRX Taneco Hyundai i20 88 Daniel Thorén SWE TiKRX Volkswagen Polo 99 Dan Öberg SWE MKIV RX Volkswagen Scirocco 105 Linus Westman SWE LIWE RX Ford Fiesta TBC TBC TBC PS 110 procent AB TBC TBC TBC TBC ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport SEAT Ibiza TBC TBC TBC ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport SEAT Ibiza Supercar Lites NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR 8 Gustav Johansson SWE Gustav Johansson Supercar Lites 10 Martin Jonsson SWE Alfta Racing Team Supercar Lites 11 Mats Oskarsson SWE MORX Supercar Lites 14 Nils Andersson SWE TiKRX Supercar Lites 18 Linus Östlund SWE Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites 21 Marcus Höglund SWE Marcus Höglund Supercar Lites 33 Nathalie Petersson SWE Natha’s Motorsport Supercar Lites 47 Jesse Kallio FIN Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites 52 Simon Olofsson SWE STS RX Supercar Lites 56 Thomas Holmen NOR STS RX Supercar Lites 60 Martin Enlund SWE Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites 77 Henrik Krogstad NOR #YellowSquad Supercar Lites 90 Jimmie Walfridson SWE JC Raceteknik Supercar Lites 91 Niklas Aneklev SWE Olsbergs MSE Supercar Lites 999 Dan Skoc?dopole CZE #YellowSquad Supercar Lites CrossCar/Crosskart NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR 7 Jimmy Kujanpää SWE sodertornsvakuum.se Speedcar 11 Jimmie Österberg SWE Österberg Motorsport Speedcar 13 Viktor Andersson SWE Viktor Andersson Casmat 15 Julle Ljungdahl SWE TiKRX Speedcar 20 Jimmy Bergander SWE Jimmy Bergander Speedcar 22 Kobe Pauwels BEL LifeLive Nordic TN5 33 Johnny Andersson SWE Johnny Andersson Casmat 40 Marcus Hellman SWE Marcus Hellman Speedcar 47 Jimmy Karlsson SWE Swedish Götene Motorklubb RX01 51 Linda Johansson SWE Json Motorsport Speedcar 53 Mattias Ohlsson SWE Mattias Ohlsson Casmat 62 Robin Nord SWE Carcontrol Speedcar 66 Max Rundberg SWE Json Motorsport Speedcar 67 Isac Egonsson SWE Carcontrol Speedcar 69 Charlie Agerheim SWE Agerheim Motorsport Speedcar 70 Marcus Agerheim SWE Agerheim Motorsport Speedcar 85 Petter Hane SWE Carcontrol Speedcar 92 Peter Lundmark SWE Peter Lundmark Speedcar 96 Kim Koivio SWE Kim Koivio Speedcar 97 Mathias Jansson SWE Mathias Jansson YMS 100 Andreas Persson SWE Helmia Motorsport YMS 105 Simen Ødegården SWE Helmia Motorsport YMS 110 Thomas Eek Murstad NOR MURSTAD MOTORSPORT YMS 118 Fredrik Eriksson SWE Fredrik Eriksson EDGE 124 Sebastian Enholm SWE Enholm Motorsport Speedcar 125 Sindre Trøyerud NOR Trøyerud Motorsport Semog 127 Fredrik Avelin SWE Team Avelin YMS 133 Elias Svensson SWE Elias Svensson Casmat 161 Patrik Hallberg SWE Patrik Hallberg Speedcar 170 Isak Reiersen SWE JC Raceteknik Juniorteam YMS 175 Timmy Enlund SWE Enlunds Motorsport EDGE 183 Oskar Andersson SWE Enlunds Motorsport Casmat 189 Algot Hammarqvist SWE A.Hammarqvist_motorsport Speedcar 190 André Bendixen NOR Bendixen Motorsport Kamikaz 222 Roger Lunde SWE Roger Lunde Casmat 605 Mattias Andersson SWE Mattias Andersson Speedcar 666 Magnus Westman SWE Magnus Westman YMS 916 Roger Eriksson SWE Roger Eriksson YMS TBC TBC TBC LifeLive Nordic TN5 TBC TBC TBC LifeLive Nordic TN5 CrossCar Junior NO. DRIVER NAT. ENTRANT CAR 5 Thomas Martens BEL LifeLive Nordic TN5 10 Erik Andersson SWE Carcontrol Speedcar 21 Rasmus Persson SWE Carcontrol Speedcar 34 Erik Nilsson SWE Hagströms Entreprenad AB Casmat 99 Lukas Andersson SWE Lukas Andersson Speedcar 124 Frida Enholm SWE Enholm Motorsport Speedcar 128 Oliwer Lidman SWE Oliwer Lidman YMS 184 Elias Kalliokoski FIN Vesa Kalliokoski Speedcar 199 Alex Gustafsson SWE JC Raceteknik Juniorteam Speedcar 200 Raoul Dahlqvist FIN Dahlqvist RX Speedcar 20-06-19 #YellowSquad unveils Magic Weekend line-up #YellowSquad is finally kicking off its 2020 campaign by fielding a pair of Supercar Lites machines for next month's RallyX Nordic Magic Weekend rallycross event on July 2-5 at Höljes, Sweden. Norwegian driver Henrik Krogstad will pilot one of the team's Ford Fiesta Supercar Lites cars for his #YellowSquad debut, and immediately starts as a favourite for success. He took the RX2 International Series by storm in 2018 by finishing third in the championship in his rookie season, driving a similar car to the one he'll race for #YellowSquad in a few weeks' time. #YellowSquad also hopes to field a second Fiesta at Höljes for 16-year-old rallycross prodigy Dan Skocdopole. Despite his young years Dan already has experience of the RallyX Nordic championship, having raced in the Supercars class during last year's season finale at Tierp. Now he'll be making his long-awaited debut in a Supercar Lites car, beginning his journey aimed at becoming the youngest FIA World Rallycross Championship winner ever. With #YellowSquad's primary campaign in RX2 postponed until August due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it has embraced the opportunity to participate in the blockbuster Magic Weekend event on home soil. It's the first round of the RallyX Nordic championship and also the first high-profile rallycross event taking place in 2020. To comply with government regulations in Sweden, the Magic Weekend event is a closed-doors meeting. The renowned 'Happy Street' that's usually brimming with fans enjoying the action will unfortunately be empty but instead fans can watch all the action on organiser RX Promotion's crowdfunded live stream, which costs €19.99 when purchased before June 25. #YellowSquad will be also pioneer a stringent COVID-safe approach to team operations that goes above and beyond recommendations set out by motorsport's governing body, the FIA. Henrik Krogstad “I'm extremely excited. I can't wait. I feel prepared and I'm feeling good. Just to be racing in these difficult times is great by itself. To have it in Höljes, and with a big event like this, with a high-quality broadcast, it will be very good. “I don't really know what my speed is going to be like now, so it's hard to know what kind of expectations to have. But, of course, I'm always driving for the win and the best result I can get. I really hope to fight for a victory. “I really believe in this #YellowSquad team and having two drivers working together, trying to get the best results possible. I know the Hansens have put everything in order for us drivers to succeed. I really believe in this team and the spirit it has.” Kevin Hansen Team Principal “We are a team that is prepared, a team that is hungry for success, and a team that is determined to embrace a teamwork mentality. This delay has given us extra 'free' time to develop the team further and build a stronger foundation. So #YellowSquad will be very strong from the beginning of the season: we are prepared and we believe in our two drivers. “In the absence of being able to work together in person, we have worked remotely on the driver's physical regime. It's very essential as there was a lot to be gained there, especially when they come out on track. The preparation and training they've put in is very nice to see. “Henrik has also been doing a lot of sim racing, and we have been working on some things we saw during the Esports events that he had to improve on. Unfortunately Dan wasn't able to participate in those events but he has done some other driving in his country, in the Czech Republic, so I'm sure he has been preparing in his way as much as possible. It's a driver line-up that is now better prepared than they would have been for the original season opener at Barcelona in April.” 20-06-18 KYB Team JCs Robin Larsson klar för RallyX Nordic i Höljes – JC Raceteknik till start med sju förare Tidigare presenterade JC Raceteknik sex förare till rallycrosspremiären. Nu är det även klart att VM-föraren Robin Larsson förstärker teamet under RallyX Nordic i Höljes. – Det är första gången JC Raceteknik kommer ha fyra Supercars på startlinjen, och det blir en häftig uppställning, säger teamchef Joel Christoffersson. Under våren presenterade värmlandsbaserade JC Raceteknik sin VM-satsning KYB Team JC, där Robin Larsson och Janis Baumanis ingår. Nu är det klart att fjolårets Europamästare och RallyX Nordic-vinnare Robin Larsson kommer till start under de inledande två deltävlingarna i RallyX Nordic. Covid-19 har gjort att FIA World Rallycross Championship har tvingats flytta fram. Istället för The Magic Weekend första helgen i juli kommer istället de två första deltävlingarna av RallyX Nordic köras på Höljesbanan 2-5 juli. Tävlingarna går under namnet All Star Magic Weekend och består av fem klasser: Supercar, Supercar Lites, CrossCar, CrossCar Junior samt Legends där tidigare rallycrosslegender gör upp. Restriktionerna gör att tävlingen körs inför tomma läktare, medan publiken istället kan följa helgen genom en livesändning https://bit.ly/2N6lxpP. Tillsammans med JC Raceteknik kommer sju förare till start. KYB Team JCs Robin Larsson gör återigen entré i RallyX Nordic med en Audi S1 Supercar. Samtidigt som han har sällskap av Mats Öhman, rookien Enzo Ide och Supercar-debutanten Ben-Philip Gundersen. I Supercar Lites kommer Jimmie Walfridson, samtidigt som JC Raceteknik Juniorteams Isak Reiersen och Alex Gustafsson tävlar i CrossCar respektive CrossCar Junior. Joel Christoffersson, teamchef JC Raceteknik och KYB Team JC: ”Det blir kul att Robin gör oss sällskap i Höljes. Hela teamet känner att vi måste komma igång igen och starta säsongen, så deltävlingarna i Höljes blir en perfekt möjlighet att få värma upp inför den kommande säsongen i VM. Självklart är det också viktigt att kunna ge alla sponsorer och rallycrossfans lite glada nyheter. Robin har inte testat den nya bilen än, så vi får se den första dagen lite mer som ett test. Samtidigt vet vi att han älskar Höljes, och vi kommer självklart kriga för pallplatser. Totalt kommer vi till Höljes med sju förare i fyra klasser. Det är första gången JC Raceteknik kommer ha fyra Supercars på startlinjen, och det blir en häftig uppställning. Vi räknar med att det kommer vara ett väldigt hårt startfält, men kommer jobba för en pallplats i våra fyra klasser. Jag tror att jag talar för både förare, teamen och alla fans när jag säger att vi har saknat rallycrossen. Det var länge sedan sist nu och vi ser fram emot att träffa alla igen. Även om publiken inte kan vara med oss runt banan så hoppas vi på ett bra stöd hemma i TV-sofforna, och att många väljer att se sändningen online.” Robin Larsson, Supercar: ”Det är kul att rallycrossen drar igång igen och det blir full fart direkt skulle jag tro. Man har hunnit bli lite ringrostig sedan sist, men så känner nog de flesta av oss. Jag och teamet kommer göra ett mindre starttest, men bortsett från det blir det rakt in i tävling med den nya bilen. Så vi ser det som bra träning inför att VM drar igång. Som vanligt går jag in för vinst, men samtidigt är det svårt att säga. Det blir många bra förare och en tuff konkurrens, Johan [Kristoffersson] till exempel är inte där med målet att komma tvåa. Flera av oss har inget fullt RallyX Nordic-mästerskap att tänka på, men jag tror att många horn kommer växa när det väl är dags…” 20-06-17 Grönholm and Eklund headline ‘Fab Four’ early ‘Legends’ entries Magic Marcus’ to pilot Hyundai i20 Supercar at ‘Magic Weekend’ Former European Champion Eklund returns to action aged 73 Eriksson looking forward to racing his ‘fellow rallycross dinosaurs’ Walfridson to return to the scene of his greatest triumph Livestream subscriptions open here, offering Early Bird discounts Marcus Grönholm and Per Eklund headline the first wave of ‘Legends’ announced for next month’s ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend at Höljes in Sweden (2-5 July), as fellow rallycross heroes Andreas Eriksson and Stig-Olov Walfridson similarly prepare to return to the track for what promises to be a very special event indeed. After making his name in rallying – claiming two Drivers’ World Championship titles, 30 WRC victories and a staggering 542 stage wins at the highest level – Grönholm switched disciplines in 2008 as he joined the FIA European Rallycross Championship, triumphing on his maiden appearance at Höljes and going on to win five times from eight starts in the Global Rallycross Championship in 2011 and 2012 in an Olsbergs MSE-run Ford Fiesta. The Finn competed on Rally Sweden in 2019 but has not raced a rallycross Supercar in eight years. At Höljes next month, at the age of 52 and behind the wheel of son Niclas’ GRX Taneco Hyundai i20, that will all change. Eklund is a name synonymous with rallying and rallycross. The former Saab factory driver won the Swedish round of the WRC in 1976 and finished fifth in the FIA World Rally Championship in 1982. He made his debut in rallycross in 1971 and won both Sweden’s first ever event in the discipline as well as Höljes’ inaugural race. In 1999, he was crowned FIA European Rallycross Champion in Division 1 (now Supercar), and he placed inside the top three in the overall standings on five further occasions. ‘Pekka’, as he is affectionately known, is also two times a winner of the iconic Pikes Peak hillclimb challenge – once overall and once in-class. The Swede last raced competitively in 2015, entering the World RX event at Höljes – finishing an eminently respectable 23rd out of 35 contenders at almost 70 years of age – and reaching the RallyX Nordic final at Arvika in a Volkswagen Beetle. Now, his beloved Beetle is set to ride again in his hands at the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend. Like his fellow ‘Legends’, Eriksson also started out in rallying before turning his attentions to rallycross in 2005 – and transferring his trademark all-out style from the forests to the circuit. The Swede placed third overall in the European Championship in 2007, but since 2011 has focussed his efforts on running Olsbergs MSE, one of the most successful operations in the discipline’s history and 2014 Teams’ World Champion. A regular race-winner in both World and European competition, the outfit has additionally secured multiple championship titles in the United States and earned an astonishing 19 X Games medals, including podium sweeps at the world’s leading action sports contest in 2011 and 2013. Eriksson himself showed a solid turn-of-speed as he returned to the cockpit during OMSE’s #RXQuarantine event last month, and the 47-year-old will pilot a Ford Fiesta Supercar at the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend. Last but not least in our ‘Fab Four’, Walfridson is a member of the illustrious Walfridson motorsport dynasty, whose defining career moment came at Höljes in 2009 when he won the European Championship round at the Swedish track in his Helmia Motorsport Renault Clio. The two-time Swedish Rallycross Champion’s last race was also at Höljes in 2015, when he placed inside the top half of the Intermediate Classification in the 35-strong World Championship Supercar field. Now 57, ‘Stecka’ is ready to put his foot to the floor one more time… Quote, Unquote Marcus Grönholm said: “This is not a comeback – I promised my family that I would stop permanent racing already some time ago – but as a one-off event, with fast cars and many great drivers, Höljes will be great fun and I’m looking forward to enjoying every bit of it in our GRX Hyundai i20 Supercar. Also, I’ll get to compare my lap times with Niclas, and I am sure he will give me a hard time chasing him…” Per Eklund said: “I’m excited. I have so many fond memories of Höljes. I helped to build the circuit and then won the first event held there, which was a winter race. For somewhere that’s literally in the middle of nowhere, there is so much passion for this little track amongst fans and I think what the organisers are doing with the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend is so good for Finnskoga MK and for the sport of rallycross in general. “We’ve been flat-out in the workshop recently, and now we need to go flat-out preparing for the event because I see some of my ‘Legends’ rivals have been getting a bit of practice in, so I have some catching-up to do! It’ll be fun to see all the boys again. I raced against the Walfridson family and had a lot of enjoyable battles with ‘Stecka’, too. I might be the oldest driver in the field, but hopefully I can still give them a good fight…” Andreas Eriksson said: “It’ll be a lot of fun to take on my fellow rallycross ‘dinosaurs’ in the ‘Legends’ class, and it will be interesting to see who’s still ‘got it’ after all these years! When I drove the final in our #RXQuarantine event at Höljes last month, it really gave me a taste for competition again, although I have had to assure my wife that this will be strictly a one-off! “My speed was pretty good in the Lites car in that race, so now I’m really looking forward to stepping into a Supercar again because with 600bhp, the Fiesta is a whole different beast. I can’t wait to go wheel-to-wheel with these guys and I can promise all the action-starved fans watching at home via the livestream that they are going to enjoy one hell of a show!” Stig-Olov Walfridson said: “I stopped racing full-time in 2013, but then came back for a one-off event at Höljes in 2015, which is the last time I drove competitively. I tested there recently in the Clio, which went quite well – though I quickly realised that at 57, I don’t have so much power in my arms anymore! “The ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend will be a lot of fun, although when the helmet goes on, there’s always an element of competition – particularly amongst us old guys! Höljes is obviously special to me as my home track, but it’s special to so many other people in the rallycross community too. I’m excited to go racing there again.” The joint brainchild of RallyX Nordic promoter RX Promotion and Höljes’ organising club Finnskoga MK, and supported by the Swedish arm of international broadcasting heavyweight NEP, the eagerly-anticipated ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend will be the first major motorsport event of the year in Europe and will follow a purely digital, pay-per-view livestreaming model to adhere to current COVID-19 restrictions. The commitment is to bring more rallycross action, highlights and ‘insider’ content than ever before to fans all around the world, with a global English-language feed, a presenting team composed of Andrew Coley, Hal Ridge, Neil Cole and Molly Pettit and no geo-blocking. Prominent Swedish streaming platform StayLive will host the event, with early bird subscription deals available here until midnight on Thursday, 25 June for just 199 SEK (c. €19,99). After this date, the package price increases slightly to 249 SEK (c. €24,99). Subscribers will also gain complimentary access to all 2019 RallyX Nordic races as a bonus. Part of the proceeds of this crowdfunding initiative will go towards supporting Höljes to ensure many more Magic Weekends are possible in the future. Should they wish, fans can make additional donations here. The final entry lists for all five classes at the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend – Legends, Supercar, Supercar Lites, CrossCar/Crosskart and CrossCar Junior – will be published after the closing date of 18 June. 20-06-17 Stecka är tillbaka på banan – Kör All Star Legends i Höljes! Stig-Olov "Stecka" Walfridson la hjälmen på hyllan 2013. Två år senare gjorde han ett inhopp under rallycross-VM i Höljes. Nu är han åter tillbaka bakom ratten och kommer möta ett gäng "gamla" rallycrossrävar när Finnskoga MK arrangerar den helt puplikfria All Star Magic Weekend 2-5 juli. – Det här är en kul grej och kommer bli både skoj och intressant. Jag ska göra det bästa jag kan, men har inte kört något på fem år. Så det kommer vara lite ovant, säger Stecka. Under fyra dagar bjuds det på bland annat två deltävlingar av RallyX Nordic bestående av klasserna Supercar, Supercar Lites, Crosscar och Crosscar junior. Dessutom kommer en All Star Legend-klass med i nuläget fyra offentliggjorda rallycrosslegender köra. Det är i den klassen Stecka kommer fightas i Lukas Walfridsons Supercar-bil mot bland annat Per Eklund, Marcus Grönholm och Andreas Eriksson. Fler förare offentliggörs framöver. På grund av Coronapandemin tillåts inte någon publik på plats. Istället kommer det gå att följa tävlingen live online mot en avgift, där pengarna går direkt till Finnskoga MK 20-06-10 Seven Up! OMSE unveils driver line-up for 'All-Star' Magic Weekend Swedish squad announces ‘Magnificent Seven’ for rallycross season-opener Eriksson, McConnell and Michalak to represent the team at Supercar level Kallio, Östlund, Aneklev and Enlund to join forces in Supercar Lites category Olsbergs MSE has today revealed its driver line-up for next month’s ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend at Höljes in Sweden (2-5 July), which will incorporate the opening two rounds of the 2020 RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires campaign. The eagerly-anticipated ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend – the first international rallycross event of the year – is a joint venture between RallyX Nordic promoter RX Promotion, Höljes’ organising club Finnskoga MK and the Swedish arm of international broadcasting heavyweight NEP. With ‘closed doors’ a necessity in the current climate, it will follow a purely digital, pay-per-view livestreaming model to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions, with part of the proceeds of the crowdfunding initiative going towards safeguarding Höljes’ future. Swedish powerhouse OMSE has confirmed seven entries across the headlining Supercar and Supercar Lites categories. Two-time RX2 International Series Champion Oliver Eriksson – who was denied last year’s RallyX Nordic title in agonising fashion, following suspension failure less than a lap from the chequered flag in the Tierp finale – will pilot the team’s race-winning Ford Fiesta for the first time, alongside Fraser McConnell and Anders Michalak. Both the Jamaican and Swede will be making their competitive Supercar class debut at Höljes. McConnell enjoyed a breakout 2019, winning the ARX2 title in the United States and placing fourth in RX2, with two podium finishes to his credit. Michalak makes the jump after a number of seasons at Supercar Lites level, and put 55 laps under his belt in his new challenger during a test day last month. Jesse Kallio, Linus Östlund, Niklas Aneklev and Martin Enlund will represent OMSE in Supercar Lites at the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend. Kallio boasts a 100 per cent record in RallyX Nordic after winning in a one-off appearance on home soil at Kouvola last summer, while Östlund is the local hero and twice reached the rostrum from three starts at Höljes in 2019. The Swede also sped to victory in the team’s #RXQuarantine race day simulation last month. Aneklev is continuing to progress in both pace and experience after switching from two wheels to four last year, and Enlund might be the OMSE ‘new boy’, but the teenage sensation stunned on his RX2 debut at Höljes, posting the four fastest laps of the race in his semi-final in a head-turning recovery drive. Quote, Unquote Oliver Eriksson (SWE), Supercar, said: “As racers, we obviously all want to race, and to now actually get the opportunity to do that for real feels fantastic. I want to have fun and really make the most of the weekend – and it goes without saying that I’ll be aiming to win! The Fiesta has proven itself to be a great car with victories at the top level last year in the World Championship and RallyX Nordic, so I can’t really blame the equipment if I don’t perform – no pressure, haha! “There are some really big, international names in the field so the competition is sure to be tough, but that’s exactly what I like to see – you always want to race against the best guys, because that’s how you can prove you are one of them. “I’ve been working hard every single day since we last competed back in November, and our little #RXQuarantine race day simulation really reignited the spark for me. I feel ready for this and I’m going in all guns blazing. Win it or bin it – nothing in-between!” Fraser McConnell (JAM), Supercar, said: “It’s going to be super exciting. Esports aside, it will be my first race weekend since November, and the first time in seven months that I’ve driven anything so fast or competitive, though I’ve been doing a lot of go-karting over the last week or so in preparation. “I also have some rally car testing coming up soon just to get back into the groove in four wheel-drive, because stepping up to race a Supercar for the first time is going to require a lot of focus and commitment – but I’m doing everything I can back at home to make sure I’m as ready as possible. “I’m going to take my time to get used to it, but I’m also going to Höljes to do my best and not give an inch. I’ll be up against a former world champion and some of the class’ outright front-runners, but I’m determined to rise to the challenge and racing with the best is the perfect way to do that. I’m counting down the days. I can’t wait!” Anders Michalak (SWE), Supercar, said: “I have to say, a rallycross Supercar is an amazing piece of kit to drive – even better than I’d thought it would be. When you hit the throttle, it just takes off like a rocketship! You need to learn to be patient with the power to really extract the most from the car. “I obviously won’t have had much time behind the wheel before going racing, but I’ve been comparing my data and on-boards with the other OMSE drivers from last year, which helps me to see where I still need to improve. I’m clearly on a learning curve, but Oliver, Kevin [Eriksson] and Sebastian [Eriksson] all have a lot of experience of the car and have been a really big help and my pace during the test at Höljes was very good – everything felt positive. “It’s certainly going to be cool – and a little bit daunting – to go up against a two-time world champion in my first event. Maybe I can give him a few tips! Haha, I’m joking, of course, but it will be fun, and if I can learn as much as possible and gain some more experience over the course of the weekend, I think that will be a success.” Jesse Kallio (FIN), Supercar Lites, said: “Obviously it would have been nice to take part in the #RXQuarantine event with my OMSE team-mates, but it just wasn’t possible unfortunately. What I have been able to do is focus seriously on my training and I’ve lost some weight – physically, I feel really good. I think I’m in better shape than ever approaching the new season, and now I’m really excited to finally be going racing again! “The ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend looks set to be a really high-profile event, and it’s been more than half-a-year since we were in South Africa for the RX2 finale, so I can’t wait to climb back behind the wheel. The Supercar Lites class entry already looks very competitive, so it certainly won’t be easy, but when I go racing, I always race to win – and I’ve kind of got a bit of a record to uphold in RallyX Nordic now...” Linus Östlund (SWE), Supercar Lites, said: “I must say, the #RXQuarantine was one of the best starts to a season I’ve ever had! My pace was strong and we were consistent with it, which was really encouraging. It’s been such a long ‘off-season’ – much longer than any of us ever expected – and it was good to go racing again without any pressure. That will come in a few weeks’ time... “I’m really stoked to be able to race properly again. This is the only major rallycross event taking place in the whole of Europe right now, and it seems to get bigger and better with every announcement, which is generating a lot of interest and excitement. The Supercar Lites class looks like it will be really strong – you can’t discount anybody. RallyX Nordic is always competitive, and this year will be no different – there’s no margin for error at all. “Höljes is like my second home, and I obviously know the track really well. It would be so cool to win at such a prestigious event as the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend – that would definitely be the biggest achievement of my career so far.” Niklas Aneklev (SWE), Supercar Lites, said: “It’s been the longest ‘off-season’ I can remember, but the break has allowed me time to really focus on my development as a driver, and getting back behind the wheel for our #RXQuarantine race day simulation last month really gave me a taste for competing again and whetted my appetite for more. “From everything I’ve seen and heard, the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend looks like being an awesome event with full grids, superstar drivers and a lot of interest and exposure all around the world. We obviously won’t be racing in front of the fantastic crowd we are used to at Höljes, but hopefully everyone will follow the event via the livestream. “It will be really fun and, when you look at the starting field, you can see just how close and competitive it’s going to be. It will be brilliant to be a part of it, and hopefully it will be my most successful rallycross event yet!” Martin Enlund, (SWE), Supercar Lites, said: “The #RXQuarantine event was certainly a good warm-up, and now I’m really looking forward to properly starting the season. I’m feeling well-prepared and ready to get back in the car and go racing again – it’s been far too long! I’ve really missed the buzz and the excitement that you only get from a real race weekend, and I can’t wait to feel that again. It’s going to be fun, and I really hope everybody tunes in to watch. “I took part in the World RX esports event in Abu Dhabi last month, which helped me to keep sharp and, combined with our OMSE race day simulation, hopefully that means I’ll be race-ready by the time the real action comes around. “I have no doubt that the competition is going to be tough, with a lot of talented and quick drivers in the Supercar Lites field. I’m still effectively a rookie in the class, but I like to think I’m a more experienced rookie now, and I really feel like part of the family at OMSE – they’ve welcomed me into the team and I’m very comfortable here. Obviously I’ve got fantastic memories from the Magic Weekend last year, and I’m aiming to reach the semi-finals again next month. From there, anything is possible...” Click the images to download in high-resolution 20-06-04 Jimmie redo för rallycrosspremiär – kör RallyX Nordic i Höljes första helgen i juli! Liksom all annan idrott har rallycrossen tagit ett steg tillbaka till förmån för hälsan under Covid -19. Men första helgen i juli är det rallycrosspremiär då Finnskoga MK arrangerar #RXQUARANTINE den helgen rallycross-VM skulle ha körts. Istället för folkfesten vi är vana vid, blir det RallyX Nordic som kommer ha en publikfri tävling under fyra dagar med start torsdag 2 juli. Jimmie Walfridson kommer till start under årets första rallycrosstävling tillsammans med JC Raceteknik. – Planerna var att köra hela RallyX Nordic och rallycross-SM även i år. Men Covid-19 påverkar många människor och av säkerhetsskäl har den här säsongen inte kunnat starta. Därför känns det extra kul att vi kan få köra en tävling i Höljes i juli, säger Jimmie. Tävlingen kommer att vara publikfri och det hela kommer att sändas via nätet mot en avgift där pengarna går direkt till Finnskoga MK. – Det kommer kännas väldigt konstigt att köra utan publik i Höljes, publiken där är ju något alldeles extra. Samtidigt är det jäkligt kul att få komma igång med körningen igen och samtidigt kunna bjuda publiken på något på distans istället under dessa tider, säger Jimmie. Fjolåret levererade ett SM-brons och en femteplats för hans del i det nordiska mästerskapet. – Utvecklingskurvan i fjol var bra, även om säsongen var väldigt upp och ner för min del. Det här är tredje säsongen jag kör rallycross och jag hade som målsättning att förbättra slutresultatet i båda serierna. Nu tar jag det lite mer tävling för tävling, med målsättning att ta mig till final, avslutar han. Mer info på www.walfridson.com 20-06-04 JC Raceteknik till Höljes med sex förare – redo för den publikfria RallyX Nordic-premiären Årets rallycrosspremiär är bokad i Höljes. Det svenska teamet JC Raceteknik kommer till start med tre Supercar-förare, en förare i Supercar Lites och två juniorer i Crosscar och Crosscar Junior. – Det har varit ett tag sedan sist och vi har länge varit redo att komma tillbaka med bilarna, säger teamchef Joel Christoffersson. JC Raceteknik har under våren släppt nyheten att de, under namnet KYB Team JC, kommer till start som tvåbilsteam i VM med förarna Robin Larsson och Janis Baumanis. Det har även blivit klart att norske talangen Ben-Philip Gundersen debuterar i Supercar, sida vid sida i EM med teamets Enzo Ide. Nu är det även klart att teamet, som är stationerat i värmländska Kil, kommer till start i alla fyra klasser under RallyX Nordic i Höljes. Första helgen i juli är The Magic Weekend för rallycrossentusiaster, då VM går av stapeln i värmländska Höljes. Men i år har de rådande omständigheterna gjort att VM-deltävlingen skjutits fram. Därför kommer istället RallyX Nordic köra två deltävlingar 2-5 juli, inför tomma läktare men där publiken istället får följa hela tävlingen online. Där representeras JC Raceteknik av hela sex förare. I Höljes kommer tre av teamets Audi S1 EKS Supercars köras av Mats Öhman, Enzo Ide och Ben-Philip Gundersen. Öhman har en lång rallycrosskarriär i bagaget, medan Ide under förra säsongen sadlade om från racing till rallycross. För Gundersen, som tidigare tävlat framgångsrikt i Supercar Lites och även vunnit EM i klassen Touringcar, blir det första tävlingen i en Supercar. Teamet kommer också till start med tre värmlänningar. SM-medaljören Jimmie Walfridson återvänder för sin tredje säsong med JC Raceteknik. Planen inför säsongen är att köra hela RallyX Nordic samt utvalda deltävlingar av RX2 International Series – med reservationer för förändringar i kalendern. Till start i Höljes kommer även JC Raceteknik Juniorteam, som består av 16-årige Isak Reiersen och Alex Gustafsson, 13 år. Reiersen har redan en säsong av RallyX Nordic med sig i klassen Crosscar. För Gustafsson, som i fjol tävlade i FinRX, blir det debut i RallyX Nordic med klassen Crosscar Junior. Joel Christoffersson, teamchef JC Raceteknik: ”Det känns riktigt kul att få komma igång med säsongen igen. Det har varit ett tag sedan sist och vi har länge varit redo att komma tillbaka med bilarna. Självklart är det annorlunda att inte tävla inför publik. Men vi är glada att vi kommer kunna få ge tillbaka till våra sponsorer och rallycrossfans. Även om de inte får uppleva det på plats hoppas jag att så många som möjligt vill bänka sig vid TV:n och heja på oss. Liksom många företag är Finnskoga MK i Höljes en klubb som kämpar genom krisen, och vi ser gärna att alla som kan stöttar dem genom att köpa online-biljetter till livesändningen. Jag har hört att många bra förare kommer till start, så det kommer att bli stentufft. Mats gjorde sin första säsongen i Audi i fjol, och mellan säsongerna har vi fortsatt utveckla och anpassa hans bil. Under test har Ben-Philip visat att han har farten i kroppen även när det gäller Supercar, och med tanke med att han har kört så mycket rallycross tidigare borde det inte vara några problem. Enzo har under vårens tester gjort ett riktigt bra jobb, men är fortfarande en rookie inom rallycrossen. Så det är bra för honom att få två extra tävlingar och bli lite mer förberedd tills EM drar igång. Jimmie visade högt tempo i fjol, och vi kommer fortsätta att bygga vidare därifrån. Vi har också hela juniorteamet på plats i Höljes, där kommer fokus ligga på jämnhet och en hög lägstanivå hos både Isak och Alex.” Mats Öhman, Supercar: ”Det ska bli jäkligt kul att få börja tävla igen, speciellt i år när det ett tag såg ut som att det inte skulle bli någon rallycross överhuvudtaget. Att tävla i Höljes den första helgen i juli utan publik på plats… Det har nog ingen fått uppleva i sin karriär. Men när världen är upp och ner blir det såklart kul att tävla även om publiken får följa oss på annat håll. Jag hoppas att så många som möjligt väljer att se sändningarna. Som det verkar kommer det väldigt många bra chaufförer, så det lär bli en tuff tävling. Vi har fortsatt utveckla bilen till mig och testat nu i veckan. Jag har under hela min karriär slitit med att konstruera ett perfekt system för starterna, men nu har vi ett helt nytt styrsystem för motorn och växlingen. Det är lite kvar att göra innan bilen är optimal, med dessa JC-grabbar är duktiga så det bör fungera fint i Höljes.” Ben-Philip Gundersen, Supercar: ”Det känns väldigt bra att säsongen drar igång. Det har varit ett väldigt långt uppehåll från tävlingar, så jag är glad att få vara tillbaka på startlinjen igen. Att det blir min Supercar-debut i Höljes känns otroligt spännande. Det är mycket nytt att sätta sig in i, men också riktigt kul bil att köra. JC Raceteknik är ett väldigt seriöst och bra team, så jag ser fram att debutera i Supercar med dem. Målet blir att sätta några bra tider och självklart köra final. Det är många bra förare och bilar, så det blir spännande att se hur jag står sig mot dem.” Enzo Ide, Supercar: ”Det är över ett år sedan min senaste tävling, så det känns bra att vara tillbaka på banan. Såklart är det annorlunda att tävla utan publik. Men att kunna köra bakom stängda dörrar känns bra eftersom allas hälsa självklart är det viktigaste. Av alla banor jag testat på så är Höljes min favorit, det är en riktig rallycrossbana och jag ser fram emot premiären där. Eftersom jag endast kört en rallycrosstävling tidigare kommer jag med målet att lära mig så mycket som möjligt. Många professionella förare ska tävla, så jag kommer försöka se och lära från dem. Jag har en bra känsla av att komma till start tillsammans med JC Raceteknik. Det är ett pålitligt team med säker service, något som är viktigt för att jag ska kunna hålla huvudet kallt.” Jimmie Walfridson, Supercar Lites: ”Planerna har alltid varit att köra hela RallyX Nordic och rallycross-SM tillsammans med JC Raceteknik i år, men av säkerhetsskäl så har den här säsongen inte kunnat starta än. Därför känns det extra kul att vi kan få köra en tävling, framförallt i Höljes i juli. Det kommer kännas väldigt konstigt att köra utan publik, publiken där är ju något alldeles extra. Samtidigt är det jäkligt kul att få komma igång igen och även kunna bjuda publiken på något på distans under dessa tider. Min utvecklingskurva i fjol var bra, även om säsongen var väldigt upp och ner för min del. Det här är tredje säsongen jag kör rallycross och jag hade som målsättning att förbättra slutresultatet i båda serierna. Nu tar jag det lite mer tävling för tävling, med målsättning att ta mig till final.” Isak Reiersen, Crosscar: ”Jag har hunnit med några tester med bra varvtider, så körningen sitter absolut kvar i ryggraden. Jag har jobbat i många månader för att bli så snabb som möjligt och har under Covid-19 fått mer tid till att fokusera på träning. Så självklart ser jag fram emot att få visa det. Målet är såklart att vinna och att samtidigt ha utvecklats från i fjol. Att all träningen har lönat sig, både nu och för framtiden. I dessa tider handlar mycket om människors hälsa och företags överlevnad, så självklart är det inte lätt att få ihop en satsning. Men hälsan får alltid gå först. Nu ser jag fram emot premiären.” Alex Gustafsson, Crosscar Junior: ”Att tävla är det roligaste jag vet, så jag ser verkligen fram emot det här. Vi testade i Höljes i helgen, och det kändes bra. Jag har lite småfix att jobba på, men börjar bli redo inför Höljes. I fjol körde jag Xtreme Junior i FinRX, så det blir ett stort steg att gå över till RallyX Nordic som är en internationell serie. Det blir en speciell känsla att tävla samtidigt som alla de stora talangerna som finns i alla klasserna i RallyX Nordic. I Crosscar Junior tror jag att det kommer bli tuff konkurrens, och jag ser fram emot det. Det känns också gött att JC Raceteknik kommer till start med så många bilar i tävlingen. Det blir ett stort startfält, och jag vill önska alla lycka till.” 20-06-02 Kristoffersson till RallyX Nordic i Höljes Äntligen är det klart med säsongspremiär i rallycross för Johan Kristoffersson! Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS-föraren kommer till start i RallyX Nordic som avgörs i Höljes första helgen i juli. - Jag känner att tävlingssuget kommer tillbaka direkt, säger en laddad Johan. Det har varit ett mycket speciellt år så här långt för dubble världsmästaren Kristoffersson. Först var det en lång process innan det blev klart att han skulle göra comeback i rallycross-VM. Därefter tog det helt stopp. Säsongspremiären blev inställd och hela tävlingskalendern reviderad, med stor osäkerhet som följd. I nuläget är Sveriges VM-tävling i Höljes uppsatt som första deltävling, i slutet av augusti. En mycket lång tävlingspaus för den annars så aktive Kristoffersson. Därför lockade möjligheten att köra premiären i nordiska mästerskapet. - Kul att få köra en tävlingsbil igen och känna av tävlingsnerven. Det har varit ett långt uppehåll och inte minst för teamets skull är det bra att komma ut på tävling. Sysslolös har han ändå inte varit. - Inte så att jag sitter hemma vid simulatorn hela dagarna. Det är hela tiden en massa andra saker att jobba med i vardagslunken, så när jag går hemma tänker jag inte så mycket på saknaden av tävlingar. Fysisk träning, några rundor gokart mot Ole Christian Veiby och ett spontaninhopp i en lites-bil på Höljes-banan kan Johan summera från de senaste veckorna. Däremot har det inte blivit några Supercar-tester än i år, men det ska det bli ändring på inför RallyX Nordic. - Ett par testdagar hoppas jag på, men i Höljes får inte vi ordinarie VM-förare testa, så det blir hemma på Westom-banan eller någon annanstans. Johan kommer inte att köra VM-bilen från Volkswagen Motorsport i Tyskland, av ett par olika skäl. - För det första så har vi ett begränsat antal kilometer vi kan köra med den, så vi sparar på VM-bilen. Och ett annat skäl är att vi vill ut och testa med den bilen som Sondre Evjen ska köra i EM. Det är alltså mästerskapsbilen från 2015 och 2016, en Volkswagen Polo GTI RX KMS, som Kristoffersson kommer till start med i Höljes, inför tomma läktare. Saknaden av publik är förstås inget han jublar över, men väljer ändå att se det positiva i situationen. - Riktigt kul att det ändå går att få till en tävling. En stor eloge till alla som har dragit ett tungt lass. Det är ett stort jobb som har lagts ner för att få det här att gå i lås. Tävlingarna, som avgörs från torsdag 2 juli till söndag 5 juli, kommer att live-sändas med stor uppbackning. Kristoffersson har än så länge inte något grepp om vilka motståndare han får. - Ingen aning, men jag hoppas på bra konkurrens så att vi får ett rejält test mot starkt motstånd. Och sedan gäller det bara att hålla avstånd till konkurrenterna, i dubbel bemärkelse… 20-06-02 Trebilsteam för Värmländska Tik RX i RallyX Nordic 2020 Tik RX inledde officiellt årets Rallycross säsong med Kick-off på anrika Dömle Herrgård under den gångna helgen med tävlingsdebuten för det nya teamet bara några veckor bort. Teamägaren Daniel Thorén har under vintern byggt upp ett eget Rallycross-team och finns som enda team representerat i tre klasser under årets RallyX Nordic. - Vi har ett familjärt team som bygger på att vi skall hjälpa varandra och ha kul ihop. Det är inte utan stolthet jag har möjlighet att visa upp ett helt nytt Rallycrossteam då vi kommer att komma till start i klasserna Supercar, SupercarLites och Crosscar, säger Daniel Thorén. Nils Andersson, 20 år, tävlande för Motorklubben Team Westom i Arvika, kommer till start i teamets SupercarLites bil. Den regerande Crosscarmästaren gör sin första säsong i Rallycross och efter de inledande testdagarna i Arvika och Höljes så börjar förståelsen för den nya bilen att växa fram. - Det skiljer sig markant åt att köra en bakhjulsdriven Crosskart Extrem mot en fyrhjulsdriven Supercar Lites. Det gäller att lära sig köra mjukare, bilen är inte alls förlåtande och ger inget utrymme för misstag, berättar Westomföraren efter att ha analyserat körningen. - Jag har tillsammans med Thorén jobbat hårt sedan i höstas för att det här skall bli av och tack vare mina trogna sponsorer ser det nu äntligen ut att bli dags efter några oroliga Covid-19 månader. Extra kul att hårdsatsande Dömle Herrgård med Georg Möller i spetsen visar en offensiv marknadsföring trots en tuff tid för besöksnäringen. Jag har ett kul samarbete med SPA-anläggningen där jag ofta står för musikunderhållningen på helgerna, berättar Nils Andersson som är både musiker och Rallycrossförare. I Supercar tävlar teamchefen själv med en nästan 600hk stark Volkswagen Polo RX. Daniel Thorén är entreprenören från Värmländska Kil som inledde sin aktiva karriär som Rallycrossförare så sent som för bara tre år sedan. Nytt till årets säsong är att bilen drivs helt i egen regi och efter en ordentlig genomgång under vintern med fokus på förbättrad driftsäkerhet har försäsongens tester helt kunnat fokuseras på körning. - Jag har tagit flera kliv framåt med min egen körning och en helt problemfri försäsong har skapat det lugn som behövs för att bättre kunna fokusera på min egen insats, kommenterar Daniel Thorén. Julius Ljungdahl, 19 år från Norrtälje, men tävlande för SMK Karlskoga, ställer upp med en Speedcar i Crosscar klassen. Efter flera år i Gokart och banracing sadlade den unga talangen om till Crosskart 2018. Efter en lovande säsong förra året, med bla seger i finaltävlingen i Tierp, ingår Norrtäljebon i år i den trebilssatsning som Tik RX utgör i RallyX Nordic. - Efter en framgångsrik säsong 2019 har jag lärt mig mycket och när det nu är dags för premiär så är målsättningen högt uppskruvad, berättar 19-åringen som till vardags kör lastmaskin i familjeföretaget Ljungdahls entreprenader. Hur resten av säsongen kommer att se ut vet ingen riktigt med säkerhet, men nu fokuserar teamet helt på första deltävlingen i RallyX Nordic som körs utan publik i Höljes, torsdagen 2 juli och deltävling två som körs på samma bana 4–5 juli. 20-06-02 RX2 young guns shine under Abu Dhabi spotlights in World RX Esports Series Krogstad bounces back from first lap drama to reach rostrum at Yas Marina McConnell rocks, rolls and goes wheel-to-wheel with F1 star Leclerc Enlund impresses as 11th-hour addition to World RX Esports Series opener RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires trio Henrik Krogstad, Fraser McConnell and Martin Enlund all produced starring performances in the opening round of the new World RX Esports Series in Abu Dhabi yesterday (31 May), as the Norwegian fought back from a dramatic start in the final to clinch his first podium finish of the year. Following the success of invitational events at Catalunya and Montalegre, the FIA World Rallycross Championship recently launched a four-round esports schedule beginning at Yas Marina Circuit, run on DiRT Rally 2.0™ in partnership with leading esports specialist Motorsport Games and DiRT video game publisher, Codemasters. In addition to Krogstad, McConnell and Enlund, the high-calibre, 20-strong field featured a number of notable names indeed, including reigning World RX champion Timmy Hansen, his race-winning younger brother Kevin Hansen, 2019 title protagonist Andreas Bakkerud, FIA World Touring Car Cup front-runner Esteban Guerrieri, Australian Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen and a certain Ferrari Formula 1 driver called Charles Leclerc... Going into the event, Krogstad had vowed to avenge his Montalegre disappointment, when a mis-timed joker lap had cost him a spot in the final. Four rapid qualifying races behind the wheel of his #YellowSquad Peugeot 208 were only slightly blemished by a jump-start penalty in Q4, but the RX2 returnee nonetheless did enough to seal sixth position in the intermediate standings. A difficult start to his semi-final left Krogstad with work to do, but a scarcely believable last lap overtake – as he went all the way around the outside of YouTuber ‘FailRace’ through the second chicane – booked the 22-year-old’s berth in the all-important final. From there, Krogstad survived a first corner skirmish in which he inadvertently tipped #YellowSquad Team Principal Kevin Hansen into a spin, as well as a spin of his own that dropped him to the back of the pack and a roll in the joker – all over the course of a single lap – to claim the final place on the podium and install himself in fourth position in the championship table. McConnell similarly turned heads as he took to the track in Olsbergs MSE’s Ford Fiesta – the same car that so famously won last summer’s ‘Magic Weekend’ at Höljes. After spectacularly rolling into the lead at the start of Q2, the Jamaican quickly showed his pace – and a clean pair of heels to his pursuers – only to fall foul of a post-race track limits penalty for his Turn One somersault. An energetic and entertaining doorhandle-to-doorhandle duel with Leclerc followed in Q4, with no quarter given on either side, and the result placed McConnell seventh in the intermediate standings. Under the semi-final spotlights, he boldly snatched the lead on the opening lap, before his second roll of the event unfortunately put paid to any hopes of reaching the final on his World RX Esports debut. Enlund, meanwhile, was an 11th-hour addition to the line-up as he was called in to deputise for an unwell Oliver Bennett in the Briton’s XITE Racing Mini Cooper. Despite lacking seat time, lightning getaways saw the Swede storm into the lead in both his Q1 and Q2 races as he fought confidently side-by-side with some of the sport’s biggest names and more than held his own in such illustrious company. Even an unruly boot lid was unable to dent Enlund’s composure as he impressed by racing closely against both Hansen brothers and beating the likes of Bakkerud, Leclerc, Guerrieri and World RX regular Timo Scheider to a coveted semi-final spot. Although he was subsequently ‘roughed-up’ by his rivals somewhat and consequently did not reach the final, the OMSE teenager had nonetheless made his mark. Quote, Unquote Henrik Krogstad (3rd, Final): “That all got a bit hectic! I was pretty fired-up after Montalegre, and I felt confident on the Abu Dhabi track from the word ‘go’ – it suited me much better than Portugal did. I had good speed all the way through qualifying, which put me in a solid position for the semi-final where I had a big fight with [Rokas] Baciuška early on and then pulled off my ‘move of the weekend’ to get past Fail Race. I had no idea if it was going to work, but I just trusted my instinct and came out ahead! I actually thought it was for third place at the time, so I was a bit shocked to cross the finish line in second. What happened at the start of the final was such a shame. There was a big squeeze into Turn One and I did everything I could to avoid hitting Kevin, but I just had nowhere to go. I talked to him afterwards, though, and we’re all cool. After that, I was a bit too close behind Timmy going into the chicane for the first time and had to decide between hitting him or the barrier, so I chose the barrier and then of course there was the roll in the joker, but I’ve got experience of rolling and quickly rejoining from Silverstone a couple of years ago! If somebody had told me at that stage that I would go on to finish third, I would never have believed them. I’m very happy with the result – I felt like I really had to work for it, and there were obviously some pretty big names behind me on the overall results sheet. Hopefully we can continue competing in the next event at Hell – it’s my home track, so I should be even faster there...” Fraser McConnell (5th, Semi-Final 1): “That was great fun! I was a little nervous before Q1, going immediately up against the world champion and just getting those ‘first race jitters’ out of the way, but I felt great by the time Q2 came around, and starting alongside Charles Leclerc was awesome – apparently he was talking about me on his stream, which is pretty cool. He and I had some good battles through the qualifying stages, and I can now say I beat him in a race, which is not something many people can claim! I unfortunately picked up a penalty in Q2, which I kind of knew was coming – those kerbs really know how to put the car on its roof, and they got the better of me – and although I’m super bummed about what happened in the semi-final, at least I went out in style! Overall, I could definitely have done with a few more hours’ practice – the other guys are so consistent and don’t make many mistakes, so there’s not much room for error. A big shout-out to Martin and Henrik – it was a great showing from all the RX2 guys, and I was happy to be a part of it.” Martin Enlund (5th, Semi-Final 2): “That was so much fun! I received a last-minute call-up to compete, and I’d never driven the Yas Marina Circuit before. When I got told I was in the field, I called a friend who had the track on a game and managed to get 20 laps in, but that was literally the only preparation I had so you could definitely say I was the underdog and on the back foot a little... I was pleased with my pace, though, and I felt I improved throughout the qualifying races. By the semi-final, my lap times were pretty good and it was satisfying to reach that stage of the competition, particularly when you look at the calibre of some of the guys that didn’t make it – we all know Leclerc is really fast in esports, and Bakkerud is obviously a rallycross legend. I unfortunately got caught up in too many other drivers’ incidents in the semi-final to go any further, but it was great to be given the opportunity to show what I can do and I’d like to thank World RX for extending the invite to me. Hopefully I can come back and do it again – only ideally with a bit more notice next time!” 20-06-02 Van Gisbergen wins World RX Esports opener New Zealand’s Shane van Gisbergen dominated the first round in a new series of virtual FIA World Rallycross Championship events at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi to secure victory and take the points lead. The Australian Supercars star took a clean-sweep of qualifying race wins in the World RX Esports Series where his rivals included drivers from World RX to Formula 1 and GT racing, the event run on DiRT Rally 2.0™ in partnership with esports specialist Motorsport Games, and DiRT video game publisher Codemasters. With the fastest time in every session Van Gisbergen took the TQ (top qualifier) position in the Intermediate Classification. He finished second to Great Britain’s Tom Blomqvist, another guest driver in the series, in an action-packed semi-final one but led the final from lights to flag to lead home reigning FIA World Rallycross Champion Timmy Hansen for the win. “That was so much fun racing with all those guys. There were a bunch of my friends from circuit racing but also on our chat we had the Hansen brothers and racing with them, and getting tips when to joker and things like that, was great. We were all pretty fast and had some really cool racing and also having Charles Leclerc racing was really cool. It was so fun to be a part of, I’m getting better and hopefully I can come back for the next races if the schedule allows and have a good time. It’s really awesome to do this racing,” said Van Gisbergen. Hansen was best of the regular World RX drivers, and was joined on the podium by Norway’s Henrik Krogstad. The Yellow Squad driver hit the wall in the second chicane on lap one of the final and was collected by Blomqvist and Kevin Hansen, then rolled when following Blomqvist through the joker lap on lap one, but recovered to finish third. GT racer Blomqvist took P4 on his virtual rallycross debut, and Team Hansen’s Kevin Hansen was P5. He was spun by contact at turn one then also lost time when Krogstad spun later on the same lap. Event winner Van Gisbergen dropped down to fifth on lap one of semi-final one after an action-filled first few corners, which included a second roll of the event for Jamaica’s Fraser McConnell. South Africa’s Kelvin van der Linde finished one place ahead of McConnell in P4. In semi-final two, Kevin Hansen took the win in front of Krogstad, the second place finisher enjoying a race long battle with Lithuania’s Rokas Baciuska, racing the GC Kompetition Renault Megane RS RX. “Fail Race” also starred by making the competitive semi-finals and running as high as second. Norway’s Martin Enlund delivered a strong performance standing-in for Great Britain’s Oliver Bennett in the Xite Racing Mini Cooper. Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc was a star guest in the event, and on his rallycross debut he battled in traffic through each of the four qualifiers. He rolled his car in Q3 and continued, and took a race win in wet conditions in Q4, but was P12 in the Intermediate Classification and just missed a place in the semis. Other drivers to miss out on the semi-finals included Australian Supercars star Scott Pye, Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel’s Andreas Bakkerud, ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport’s Timo Scheider and Esteban Guerrieri and Monster Energy’s Tessa Whittock. There were also semi-finals and final for the Sim category at Yas Marina Circuit, featuring 10 of world’s best DiRT 2.0 Esports racers. Victory was claimed by France’s Quentin Dall’olmo. Czech Republic’s Lukas Meteja was second and France’s Killian Dall’olmo third. World RX Esports Series - Yas Marina Circuit, Sunday, 31 May Relive all the action here RESULTS – Pro Final 1. Shane van Gisbergen (NZL) 2. Timmy Hansen (SWE) 3. Henrik Krogstad (NOR) 4. Tom Blomqvist (GBR) 5. Kevin Hanssen (SWE) STANDINGS – 1. Shane van Gisbergen (NZL) 29 2. Timmy Hansen (SWE) 23 3. Kevin Hanssen (SWE) 23 4. Henrik Krogstad (NOR) 20 5. Rokas Baciuska (LTU) 17 RESULTS – Sim Final 1.Quentin Dall'Olmo (FRA) 2. Lukas Meteja (CZE) 3. Killian Dall'olmo (FRA) 4. Jon Armstrong (GBR) 5. John Harris (GBR) 20-05-29 Norrlandsveckan inställd Årets upplaga av Norrlandsveckan ställs in! Norrlandsveckan i Rallycross tar ett års uppehåll på grund av coronapandemin. Det gäller även SM-tävlingarna som skulle ha hållits i Piteå och Kalix. Vi har velat vänta in sista men nu går det tyvärr inte att dra ut på det mer. För att genomföra det tävlingarna behöver vi behöver dra igång förberedelserna och vi ser inga möjligheter att genomföra Norrlandsveckan under rådade omständigheter. Vi måste följa myndigheternas råd och att köra i begränsad form är inget alternativ. Vi blickar framåt och laddar om för något extra nästa år. https://www.sbf.se/Sportgrenar/Rallycross/NYHETER/norrlandsveckaninstalld/ 20-05-24 Supercupen i Rallycross läggs i malpåse til 2021 Efter telefonmöte med Supercupens arrangörer bestämdes enhälligt att årets tävlingssäsong läggs i malpåse till nästa år. Osäkerhet med tillstånd, publik, sponsorer och Covid 19 angavs som oklarheter av arrangörerna. Därför är det bättre att komma väl rustade till 2021. Vi kan bara beklaga att vi måste ta detta beslut. Med vänlig hälsning Supercupen 20-05-21 Fia World RX of France cancelled In light of continued health concerns regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus), the organiser of the Bretagne World Rallycross of France at Loheac, scheduled to take place on 5-6 September, has taken the decision to cancel the event, with the health and safety of everyone involved remaining the priority. A number of options were explored in the hopes of moving forward with this event, but unfortunately it was not logistically possible to do so, and it has not been possible to secure an alternative date later in the year. 20-05-20 World RX announces further Esports Building on the success of its previous two standalone rallycross esports events, IMG, the promoter of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy, is launching a series of further DiRT Rally 2.0™ events in partnership with esports specialist Motorsport Games, and DiRT video game publisher Codemasters. The first event will be held on Sunday 31 May using the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, before continuing on to Norway, Sweden and South Africa. The esports events will feature a mix of World RX drivers and guest drivers from other motor sport disciplines. Esports racers will also feature in the events. The top ten gamers will compete in their own semi-finals and final that will be included in the last hour of the show, alongside the finals for the real-world racers. Each event will be comprised of 22 races and form a two-and-a-half hour show on World RX Facebook and YouTube, as well as on Motorsport.tv. “We’re so pleased by the success we’ve had in bringing rallycross excitement to our fans during this time, and are excited to extend the action even further. We’d like to thank our partners, drivers and fans for supporting this new format, and look forward to delivering more options in the future,” said Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG. “The two previous World RX events have shown there is a real desire and appetite for drivers and fans to compete and watch world-class virtual RX content. It’s great to see the best drivers compete on DiRT Rally 2.0 with the same passion and commitment they show during a race weekend,” said Ross Gowing, DiRT Rally Game Director at Codemasters. “Motorsport Games is pleased to extend our partnership with the FIA World Rallycross Championship and Codemasters to deliver World RX Esports,” said Motorsport Games CEO, Dmitry Kozko. “The quality of the racing in the previous events, combined with the world-class production have created a real spectacle, showcasing why Motorsport Games is the esports partner of choice for rights holders.” Drivers confirmed for the first event include FIA World Rallycross Champion Timmy Hansen, World RX racers and esports regulars Oli Bennett, Timo Scheider and Kevin Hansen along with rising star Rokas Baciuska. Former Ferrari F1 racer Mika Salo returns for his second rallycross outing and Supercars star Shane Van Gisbergen is also back after making the podium in his first World RX Esports event last month. More drivers and to be announced in the next few days. Confirmed drivers (more to be announced) 1, Timmy Hansen (SWE), Peugeot 208 WRX 4, Mika Salo (FIN), Ford Fiesta 9, Kevin Hansen (SWE), Peugeot 208 WRX 21, “FailRace” (GBR), Audi S1 Quattro 22, Blake "Bilko" Williams (AUS), Audi S1 Quattro 42, Oli Bennett (GBR), BMW Mini 44, Timo Scheider (DEU), Seat Ibiza WRX 97, Shane Van Gisbergen (NZL), Peugeot 208 WRX 114, Rokas Baciuska (LTU), Renault Megane World RX Esports 31 May, World RX Esports Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina Circuit 21 June, World RX Esports Norway, Hell 28 June, World RX Esports Sweden, Holjes 19 July, World RX Esports South Africa, Cape Town 20-04-05 Höljes flyttar fram - nytt datum 20-23 augusti Finnskoga MK har tvingats flytta fram premiärtävlingen av Fia World RX och nytt datum är 20-23 augusti. 20-05-03 World RX Esports victory for Quentin Dall’olmo French Esports star Quentin Dall’olmo claimed victory in the World RX Esports Invitational – Montalegre Edition, as Britain’s Jon Armstrong and New Zealand’s Shane Van Gisbergen completed the podium. The second ever World RX Esports Invitational – run on DiRT Rally 2.0 in partnership with Codemasters and Motorsport Games – attracted another mouth-watering grid of drivers, held in place of the second scheduled round of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship in Portugal, which has been postponement due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. With a pair of fastest times in Qualifying, driving a Peugeot 208 on the challenging circuit, Dall’olmo took the TQ (top qualifier) position in the Intermediate Classification, won semi-final one from pole position and finished second on track in the final. But, when his younger brother Killian Dall’olmo was handed a 20-second penalty for jumping the start in the final, it was Quentin Dall’olmo who claimed the win. “I'm really happy with this victory, it was a perfect day for me. Top qualifier, a semi-final win and the win in the final is awesome. I got my revenge after a bad result at Catalunya where I was Top Qualifier too but finished in last position in the semi-final after a crash in the first corner, so I'm really happy. It's a shame about the jump start for my little brother [Killian] in the final because we could have made it a Dall'olmo one-two, but it's still a great day for us. Thanks to everyone that put on this awesome event,” Dall’olmo said. Rally driver Armstrong delivered a strong performance and came out on top in a number of on-track battles in qualifying to make the semi-finals with fourth in the Intermediate Classification. In the semis he survived a duel with Yellow Squad driver Henrik Krogstad to move into the final and was classified second. Among the star performers in the event was one of the star guests, Australian Supercars Champion Shane van Gisbergen. In the thick of the action throughout qualifying, van Gisbergen shone on the loose surfaces as well as the asphalt and made it into the final on his rallycross debut. In the last race of the event, van Gisbergen and Esports Invitational – Catalunya Edition winner Mattias Adielsson, from Sweden, had a race long fight for position, but when penalties were applied to other drivers, it was van Gisbergen who took the last place on the podium. Reigning DiRT 2.0 Rallycross World Series Champion Killian Dall’olmo set two quickest times in qualifying, but was also slowed by a puncture in Q3. He won semi-final two and led the final from start to finish, but was classified fourth when a 20-second penalty was applied for jumping the start. P5 went to Adielsson, who was given a 10-second penalty for contact during the race. 2019 FIA World Rallycross Drivers’ Champion Timmy Hansen battled for the lead in turn one of semi-final one but got caught in a battle that cost him time and places, then got overtaken by van Gisbergen during the race and finished fifth with a five-second penalty. Esports star, Czech Republic’s Lukas Mateja spun on the final lap and dropped to the back of the field but was classified third, as GC Kompetition’s Lithuanian driver, Rokas Baciuska, made his World RX Esports debut and was also involved the semi-final contest. Like Hansen he picked up a track limits penalty and was fourth. Sweden’s Kevin Hansen had a battle with Adielsson in semi-final two but was classified fifth behind Krogstad after a five-second penalty. Russia’s Matvey Furahzkin was 11th in the Intermediate Classification and the first driver to miss out on the place in the semi-finals on his World RX Esports debut, followed by Britain’s Oliver Bennett, Latvia’s Reinis Nitiss, Germany’s Timo Scheider, Denmark’s World Endurance Championship driver Nicki Thiim and Britain’s “Fail Race”. Former Formula 1 driver Mika Salo, from Finland, joined the World RX Esports Invitational grid for the event in Montalegre, as did Formula E leader, Portugal’s Antonio Felix da Costa but despite racing in the midst of the competitive field, didn’t make the top 16. America’s Conner Martell also took part but suffered from technical problems and X Games star Blake "Bilko" Williams had connection issues from the outset and was unable to compete aboard Liam Doran’s 2019 Monster Energy RX Cartel Audi S1. World RX Esports Invitational - Montalegre Edition, Sunday, May 3 Relive all the action here RESULTS - Final 1. Quentin Dall'Olmo (FRA) 2. Jon Armstrong (GBR) 3. Shane Van Gisbergen (NZL) 4. Killian Dall'olmo (FRA) 5. Mattias Adielsson (SWE) Semi-final one 1. Quentin Dall'Olmo (FRA) 2. Shane Van Gisbergen (NZL) 3. Lukas Mateja (CZE) 4. Rokas Baciuska (LIT) 5. Timmy Hansen (SWE) Semi-final two 1. Killian Dall'Olmo (FRA) 2. Jon Armstrong (GBR) 3. Mattias Adielsson (SWE) 4. Henrik Krogstad (NOR) 5. Kevin Hansen (SWE) 20-04-29 World RX Esports head to Montalegre for round two Following the resounding success of the inaugural World RX Esports Invitational series event, IMG can confirm today that the second round – the Montalegre Edition – produced in partnership with Motorsport Games and Codemasters, will be streamed live from 14:00 BST (15:00 CET) on Sunday, May 3 on World RX YouTube, Facebook and on Motorsport.tv. Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG, the promoter of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, said: “The inaugural World RX Esports event was a stunning success. We can now confirm that the second round will take place as the replacement for the World RX of Portugal. We hope our Esports series is bringing some respite from the impacts of COVID-19 for global fans.” The World RX Esports series, using DiRT Rally 2.0, features professional FIA World Rallycross Championship race drivers and guest drivers from other motorsport categories competing against YouTubers and some of the biggest names from the competitive world of Esports. The inaugural event, the Catalunya Edition, engaged a cumulative audience of 9.4 million across all platforms, including more than 270,000 live viewers across YouTube, Facebook and partner channels including Motorsport.tv and GameByte. The Catalunya Edition was won by Swedish rally driver Mattias Adielsson, with two of the world’s fastest rallycross Esports drivers, Lukas Mateja of the Czech Republic and France’s Killian Dall’olmo, the current DiRT Rally 2.0 rallycross world series champion, coming in second and third, respectively. The best of the World RX drivers was Dutchman Kevin Abbring in fourth place just ahead of the 2019 world champion Timmy Hansen. Timmy has confirmed his participation for the Montalegre Edition along with brother Kevin. World RX regular Oliver Bennett and Aston Martin GT racer Nicki Thiim are also among the field. All the action will be called by the World RX regular commentary pairing of Andrew Coley and Neil Cole. The full World RX line-up, along with guest drivers and gamers, will be revealed in the coming days. The World RX Esports series is being held on the dates of selected rounds of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy that have been postponed due to health concerns and government regulations relating to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. 20-04-23 Projekt E development continues IMG and STARD (Stohl Advanced Research and Development), partners in the Projekt E electric support series, have reconfirmed their intention for the Projekt E racing programme to proceed in 2020. While the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship calendar is undergoing change due to government health directives amid COVID-19, the objective is to stage five Projekt E events at selected European rounds of World RX in 2020. Further details on the final calendar of Projekt E events will be released in due course. Michael Sakowicz, CEO and Founder of STARD, confirmed that a number of powertrain kits have been delivered and that the production of kits and the building of Projekt E racecars is ongoing. "The absolute priority is that everybody stays healthy in these difficult times. Since the delivery of the first Projekt E Ford Fiesta to Holten Motorsport in November, we have built further cars and continue to do so. We are looking forward to the Projekt E cars competing against each other when circumstances allow," Sakowicz said. Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG, the promoter of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, added: “We are mindful that the world is a different place to what it was when we first launched the Projekt E racecar in Latvia in September last year. “Our thoughts are with those that have been affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. We are continuing to plan for Projekt E racing in 2020 but health and well-being is at the forefront of our decision-making at this stage.” Projekt E is the international series for 450kW fully-electric, four-wheel drive cars that will run at selected rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship using STARD’s “REVelution” EV powertrain systems. Find more information on Projekt E here. 20-02-22 FIA announces decision to defer World RX electric switch to 2022 The FIA has announced its decision to postpone the electrification implementation plan for 2021 by one year, due to the economic challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision, which was approved today by a World Motor Sport Council e-vote, was taken in consultation with IMG, the promoter of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, as well as Kreisel Electric, the approved supplier of the electrification kit, and GCK Energy, the approved supplier of energy. All parties remain committed to the original strategy built around independent teams that are currently competing in, or looking to enter the series, which was conceived with sustainability and cost control at its core. FIA President Jean Todt commented: “While the current situation has made it necessary to defer the switch to electric by one year to allow competitors further time to adapt and to invest, the FIA remains committed to a new horizon for World RX. This will create the most cost effective environment and demonstrate the rapidly developing performance capabilities of electric road cars in this FIA championship." Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG, the promoter of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, said: “We support the decision to delay the introduction of electric rallycross to the world championship until 2022. "At this stage, plans for the new FIA eRX Junior championship remain unaffected by this decision and work towards the electrification of this category will continue for 2021, with a complete car supply and championship organisation on an all-inclusive arrive and drive format. "While together with the FIA, teams and partners we are committed to an electric future for rallycross, we believe it is prudent to focus on health and well-being during these challenging and uncertain times.” Philipp Kreisel, CEO of Kreisel Electric, commented: "Globally speaking, we are experiencing unprecedented times, and no one dare predict what the future will bring. Most importantly, we need to accept the present situation and protect lives. While this is happening, we need to prepare so that we can be ready when the relaunch button of the "system" is going to be pressed again. "As we don't know when this will happen, we support the FIA's approach and the postponement of the first World RX electric racing season to 2022. As we have nearly completed the development of the electric race kit, and have put a lot of energy and passion into this project, it is disappointing that we won't be able to see the electrified World RX cars next year. Nevertheless, we are absolutely convinced that by remaining unified we can make the electrification of World RX a huge success when it does happen." 20-04-19 Adielsson takes victory in dramatic opening round of RX Esport invitaional Swedish rally driver Mattias Adielsson upstaged the FIA World Rallycross Championship regulars, invited stars and professional gamers to claim a dramatic victory in the opening round of the World RX Esports Invitational – the Catalunya Edition. The inaugural event, run on DiRT Rally 2.0 in partnership with Codemasters and Motorsport Games, attracted a grid of 20 drivers and took place on the virtual Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the venue for the scheduled opening round of the 2020 world championship which has been postponed due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. Driving an Audi S1, Adielsson finished second in Semi-final 2 following an incident-filled final lap to advance to the final. In the six-lap finale, Adielsson took the lead after the first turn and held the advantage to the finish, defending his position from two of the world’s fastest rallycross Esports drivers Lukas Mateja of the Czech Republic and France’s Killian Dall’olmo, the current DiRT Rally 2.0 rallycross world series champion. “I’m super stoked to win, I put a lot of practice in to this together with Jon Armstrong but to win the whole race is just something else. It´s fantastic to have such an event and so many World RX drivers join, that made it super cool. I would like to thank my team WERT Esport for all tips and for believing in me in Esports,” Adielsson said. In a last lap overtake, SET Esports driver Dall’olmo made it up to second by the finish. The Frenchman had won Semi-final 1 and made a good start in the final but ran wide as Adielsson took the lead. The 2019 world champion Timmy Hansen and Kevin Abbring were the sole World RX representatives in the final. GC Kompetition’s Abbring climbed as high as second in the final, but ended up battling for P4 with Sweden’s Hansen, with the Dutchman coming out on top. Hansen, who had earlier won Semi-final 2, ran third on lap one after some frantic opening corners, but after his joker on lap two he dropped to P5, with Mateja and Dall’olmo already completing their joker laps on lap one. “It was great fun to take part in the first-ever World RX Esports race,” Hansen said. “It was great to do a race because I have really been missing that adrenaline rush. Obviously it's not the same as racing for real but it's very close in many ways. “I'm really happy about my result, it went way better than I expected because this was the first online race I have ever done. One qualifying session win and I won my semi so I’m delighted.” Like in any good World RX weekend, the semi-finals were action-packed. Monster Energy RX Cartel’s Andreas Bakkerud produced a standout performance of the regular drivers and had a thrilling race with Kevin Hansen during qualifying. He was holding down second place in Semi-final 2 after a neck-and-neck race with first former DiRT Rally 2.0 world champion Jon Armstrong and then Mateja, but after side-by-side contact with Mateja in the last few corners, the Norwegian just missed out on a final start. Esports driver Quentin Dall’olmo, the fastest from over 8,500 drivers that took part in the pre-event qualifying process, took the TQ (top qualifier) position in the Intermediate Classification, but spun in Semi-final 1 and was then handed a 10-second penalty for reversing into the path of Kevin Hansen. FIA European Rallycross Super1600 Championship driver Marius Bermingrud was also one of the star performers in the 20-car field, where YouTube sensations Jimmy Broadbent and FailRace also took part and mixed with the more experienced rallycross drivers from the real and virtual worlds. Xite Racing’s Oliver Bennett, Yellow Squad’s Henrik Krogstad and Olsbergs MSE’s Oliver Eriksson were also in the hunt for a place in the semi-finals, along with World Endurance Championship racer Nicki Thiim. Spanish rally driver Cohete Suarez, Americas Rallycross podium finisher Cabot Bigham and double World RX champion Johan Kristoffersson had their events cut short by technical problems. Also plagued by technical gremlins was two-time DTM champion Timo Scheider. World RX Esports Invitational - Catalunya Edition, Sunday, April 19 Relive all the action on World RX YouTube here A Video News Release of the event is available here RESULTS - Final 1. Mattias Adielsson (Swe) 2. Killian Dall'Olmo (Fra) 3. Lukas Mateja (Czech Rep) 4. Kevin Abbring (Neth) 5. Timmy Hansen (Swe) Semi-final 1 1. Killian Dall'Olmo 2. Kevin Abbring 3. Kevin Hansen (Swe) 4. Marius Bermingrud (Nor) 5. Quentin Dall'Olmo (Fra) Semi-final 2 1. Timmy Hansen 2. Mattias Adielsson 3. Lukas Mateja 4. Jon Armstrong (GB) 5. Andreas Bakkerud (Nor) 20-04-17 All-star cast for inaugrual World RX Esports invitational The inaugural World RX Esports Invitational event will take place this Sunday (April 19), at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the venue scheduled to host the opening round of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship prior to postponement due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. However, in collaboration with Codemasters and Motorsport Games, using DiRT Rally 2.0, the World RX promoter IMG will stage the World RX Esports Invitational Catalunya Edition featuring an all-star line-up including World Champions, GT and WRC racers, Youtubers and some of the biggest names from the field of Esports. The World RX Esports Invitational has also partnered with GameByte, the No.1 gaming publisher on Facebook to bring all the action to gamers around the globe. The 2019 World RX Drivers’ Champion Timmy Hansen was quick to commit his support to the initiative, but the four-time 2019 World RX event winner has modest expectations for his Esports debut. “I’m looking forward to the event a lot, and I’m looking forward to that focus and excitement I feel when racing,” the Swede said. “I’ve done no sim racing before this and I haven't played much at all so this will be a big challenge for me. I have no idea how competitive I will be. I'll try to get some practice before the race, but I know a lot of guys have a lot more sim racing experience than I do. I hope I can qualify for the semi-finals. It will be fun to be racing against fans, but I think the sim racers will most likely be too fast for me.” Hansen also had a message for World RX fans amid these challenging times. “Let's all do our best to follow government instructions and stay inside,” he said. “If we all do our part we can stay safe and when things return to normal, the racing season can start again.” Timmy will be joined by younger brother Kevin from the Team Hansen squad. They will race Peugeot 208s in the event, which will run to a similar format to real World RX, with four qualifiers, semi-finals and final format on Sunday. The top 10 drivers at the Intermediate Classification will progress to the semi-finals. The Peugeot 208 is the car of choice for many participants, with two-time World RX Drivers’ Champion Johan Kristoffersson, of Sweden, making his return to the sport in a similar car for his DiRT debut. Super1600 ace Marius Bermingrud, from Norway, will also line up in a 208, along with former Esports World Champion and real-world rally driver, Jon Armstrong, and Americas Rallycross podium finisher in 2019, Cabot Bigham will also take the wheel of a 208. Norway’s Andreas Bakkerud, a seven-time World RX race winner will compete in the Audi S1 he tied on points at the top of the World RX Drivers’ Championship with last season. One of his 2020 GC Kompetition team-mates, Dutchman Kevin Abbring, will compete in a Renault Clio. Oliver Bennett from the UK will appear in his regular Xite Racing BMW Mini and RX2 International Series double champion Oliver Eriksson will race an OlsbergsMSE Ford Fiesta MK8. His former RX2 rival, Henrik Krogstad, who will race for Yellow Squad in 2020, will drive a Renault Megane. Germany’s Timo Scheider has reason to be confident ahead of the inaugural World RX Esports Invitational, he made his World RX debut at the Catalunya circuit in 2015, and took the TQ (top qualifier) position in 2017 on his way to a first World RX podium, in P2. The former DTM champion is new to sim racing however. “I never did sim racing before I started with one event recently. I am looking forward to some competition even though I am not an expert at this kind of racing. “In such a difficult time we have around the globe at the moment this is a good option. Nurburgring gave me a dynamic Esport setup, with Fanatec steering wheel and pedals which is super cool, but if you don’t know how to use it it’s anyway difficult,” he said. “Most important beside all the fun though is that we all need to understand at this difficult time that nothing in life is guaranteed. So, stay safe, stay home and we all will manage to get back to real racing ASAP.” Outside of the World RX contingent, Spanish rally driver Cohete Suarez will race a Renault Megane, and World Endurance Championship driver Nicki Thiim, from Denmark, will drive an Audi S1. Swedish rally driver Mattias Adielsson will also make his first rallycross start, also in an Audi. Joining the professional drivers will be YouTube celebrity Jimmy Broadbent, who will race a Ford Fiesta MK8. He will be accompanied on the grid by fellow YouTube sensation, FailRace. Pre-event qualifying was also held to find the three fastest rallycross Esports racers to join the field. From over 8,500 entries, the Czech Republic’s Lukas Mateja was third and will race a Peugeot 208, just like France's Dall’olmo brothers Killian, the DiRT Rally 2.0 rallycross world series champion who has recently signed for SET Esports, and Quentin, who topped the time sheets in the qualifying session. “I'm super excited to join this event it's amazing to race with all these famous drivers who have a real experience in motorsports,” said 20-year-old Quentin. “It's an amazing opportunity to race with the World RX drivers and the other professionals. These are the drivers that we follow each weekend when they race so to drive with them is awesome. “I think I will be competitive enough to race for the win but like we know, it is rallycross so it isn't always the fastest who wins.” Paul Bellamy, the Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG, the promoter of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, said: “With the tough times we are all experiencing at present due to COVID-19, we are delighted to play our small part in bringing some joy back in to people’s lives by staging the World RX Esports Invitational. “We are thankful for the support of our partners, the teams and drivers in making this happen at such short notice and we really hope it brightens up everyone’s Sunday.” The event will be streamed live from 14:00 BST on Sunday April 19, and will be shown on World RX YouTube, Facebook and on Motorsport.tv. World RX Esports Invitational - Catalunya Edition EVENT SCHEDULE, Sunday, April 19 Time Event 14:00 Live show starts 14:05 Qualifiers Round 1 14:25 Qualifiers Round 2 14:45 Qualifiers Round 3 15:05 Qualifiers Round 4 15:25 Semi Finals 15:35 Final 15:45 Interviews 16:00 Show Ends All times in BST (UTC+1) 20-04-17 Hansen brothers 2020 World RX season begins online Reigning FIA World Rallycross champion Timmy Hansen and his brother, World RX bronze medallist Kevin Hansen, begin their rallycross season this Sunday in an unusual manner. As much of the world remains on lockdown due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, Timmy and Kevin will instead line up with their Peugeot 208 WRX machines in the virtual world with Dirt Rally 2.0, competing in the first ever World RX Esports Invitational. April 19 was scheduled to be the second day of the 2020 World RX season opener at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but with the event postponed, Team Hansen's world championship-winning driver pairing will take on a field of familiar rivals, esports champions and YouTube stars instead. The Esports Invitational won't count for the upcoming FIA World Rallycross Championship, but is a way to keep spirits high and connect with motorsport fans around the world. Both Timmy and Kevin have been putting in hours of practice on their recently acquired Sparco Gaming rigs in anticipation of their rallycross esports debut. They've been hard at work perfecting their technique on the game by practicing alongside reigning DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series Rallycross champion Killian Dall'olmo, who will also be participating in the invitational event. Team Hansen's shift to the virtual world has been accelerated by the founding of a Twitch account by its junior operation #YellowSquad, which has been streaming live practice sessions by Timmy and Kevin ahead of the inaugural World RX esports event. Sunday might be Timmy's esports debut but Kevin already has a head start, having competed in The Race All-Stars Cup last weekend. His mammoth schedule includes another two esports events between now and Sunday, taking part in the iRacing RX Invitational on Friday night and then another round of The Race All-Stars on Saturday ahead of his World RX Eports debut. While the on-track action may have been put on pause, Team Hansen is now charging ahead in the virtual world! Track The track: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya track map in Dirt Rally 2.0 Barcelona's rallycross track has hosted an FIA World RX round five times in the past, making it familiar ground for many of the drivers competing in Sunday's esports event. The real Catalunya circuit and its virtual equivalent are not one and the same, though: there are slight variations in both the circuit and car models which means reference points in the real world will need adjusting for esports. The big numbers 7 The number of days in a row that Team Hansen will have been streaming virtual rallycross on its newly established Twitch channel come Sunday's World RX Esports Invitational. 1 The number of times that siblings have finished 1-2 in FIA World Rallycross. That was last year, with Timmy and Kevin first and second in Spain! What to look out for As has been the case in other motorsport esports events recently, the professional esports drivers are very likely to be out front, while the FIA World RX pros will be battling for best of the rest status. Overtaking is a bit easier in the virtual world than the real one. In dry conditions the fastest way around the track is to go full send, at times even yanking the handbrake to go into corners backwards. That opens up opportunities for overtaking, and equally a chance for the midfield pack to close up quickly if the leader goes defensive. 20-04-17 RallyX Nordicpremiären i Höljes framflyttad! RallyX Nordic meddelar att man pga Coronapandemin skjuter upp premiären i Höljes som skulle kört 23-24 maj. Finnskoga MK och SBF arbetar med att hitta ett nytt datum så snart som möljigt. - Det är verkligen tråkigt att behöva skjuta upp Höljestävlingen, med hälsan måste komma i första hand och vi måste vänta tills det är säkert att tävla innan vi återvänder till banan säger Jan-Erik Steen VD för RallyX Nordic. Framflyttningen av tävlingen i Höljes innebär att premiären istället blir 6-7 juni på Nysumbanan i Danmark. Det här var även SM-premiären för. Även den är framflyttad och Västerås 13-14 juni blir ny premiärtävling. Anmälningstiden för hela serien förlängs till torsdagen 7 ma 20-04-16 Ready to race: Krogstad and Eriksson revving up for virtual curtain-raiser in Catalunya Two-time champ and series returnee to compete in inaugural RX Esports event Livestreamed showpiece to offer fans racing action during pre-season delay High-calibre field set to scrap wheel-to-wheel in Spain from 15h00 CET on Sunday The start of the 2020 RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires might have been delayed by the developing COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, but fans will still be able to enjoy their fix of high-octane entertainment this weekend, as Henrik Krogstad and Oliver Eriksson go wheel-to-wheel with some of the biggest names in the sport in the inaugural World RX ESports Invitational Series event. A joint initiative between World Rallycross Championship promoter IMG, racing game developer Codemasters and ESports specialist Motorsport Games, the one-off World RX ESports Invitational Series is set to rev into life this Sunday (19 April) using DiRT Rally 2.0 on PC via Steam and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in lieu of the season-curtain raiser that had been due to take place at the Spanish track. In addition to two-time RX2 Champion Eriksson and series returnee Krogstad, the ‘Catalunya Edition’ will pit World RX superstars Johan Kristoffersson, Timmy and Kevin Hansen, Andreas Bakkerud and Timo Scheider against high-profile guest entries from other motorsport disciplines – including current FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE Pro pace-setter and former Le Mans 24 Hours class-winner Nicki Thiim – as well as leading online racers, chief amongst whom will be reigning DiRT Rally 2.0 World Series Champion, Killian Dall’Olmo. Eriksson proved himself to be the class of the field in RX2 over the past two seasons, tallying eight victories and ten podium finishes from 14 starts for Olsbergs MSE on his way to back-to-back title successes – but the Swede is well aware that this weekend will throw up an altogether different kind of challenge. “It’ll be good to go racing again, and whilst it’s obviously not in real life, this is definitely the next best thing!” the 21-year-old enthused. “I’m lacking a bit of seat time in the sim because I’ve been so busy working, but when I get the opportunity, I do as much as I can for training or just for fun. I certainly won’t be the most experienced sim racer on the grid on Sunday, but I’ll do my best and I’m sure it’ll be a blast! “Saying that, we’re all naturally competitive people and we’re all going to want to win – at the end of the day, a race is still a race – and there’s no question that it’s a really tough field. I’ll try to get some more practice in before the weekend so I’m as prepared as I can be...” Krogstad stunned during his maiden full campaign in the official World RX feeder series in 2018 as he reached the rostrum on three separate occasions and placed third in the final standings. He has also demonstrated his skills in the virtual sphere, recently ranking as high as second in the world in iRacing RX. “I only bought my simulator a few months ago, which turned out to be perfect timing given the delay to the season!” joked the Norwegian, who will return to the track with #YellowSquad in 2020 following a year away from the cockpit. “I’ve done a lot of iRacing since then, but DiRT is very different so I will need to adapt to that and I’ve been practising as much as I can. I’ve also obviously not driven the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for real so I’m on the back foot slightly there compared to some of the other guys – although overall, I think the regular sim racers will be the ones we all need to beat. “I’m not going into the event with any set goals or expectations, so we’ll see where we sit after Q1. What I do anticipate is a lot of sideways action and entertainment, and one thing is for sure – having waited so long to compete again, I am so ready to go racing right now!” The inaugural World RX ESports Invitational Series ‘Catalunya Edition’ showpiece will be livestreamed on both the RX2 and World RX Facebook pages as well as on Motorsport.TV this Sunday (19 March), beginning at 15h00 CET. 20-04-08 FIA World RX of Norway postponed Due to the decision by the Norwegian Minister of Sport and Culture to suspend all sporting events until June 15 in light of the global health concerns regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus), this year’s World RX of Norway, scheduled for June 13-14, has been postponed. This decision was made after careful consideration and consultation with the FIA, the Norwegian ASN and the local event organizer, as the health and safety of everyone involved remains our priority. We are studying a viable alternative date for the event in conjunction with the local event organizer. We will provide further updates as soon as we have them. 20-04-07 Fia World RX of Benelux re-scheduled Due to directives issued by the National Security Council of Belgium, which include the suspension of all outdoor events in the country in light of global health concerns regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus), this year’s World RX of Benelux at Spa-Francorchamps on May 16-17 has been re-scheduled. This decision was made after careful consideration and consultation with the FIA, the Belgian ASN and the local event organizer, as the health and safety of everyone involved remains our priority. The event has been provisionally re-scheduled for October 3-4*. Further information about the event is available here. *Subject to FIA approval. 20-04-07 Asklund set for RallyX Nordic debut in Höljes curtain-raiser Another contender joins Supercar Lites grid for Swedish double-header Norwegian aiming to build upon experience gained in RX2 last year 38-year-old excited to test his mettle against RallyX Nordic pace-setters Morten Asklund will make his RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires debut in the 2020 curtain-raiser at Höljes, as the Supercar Lites class entry grid continues to grow. Asklund first competed in Supercar Lites machinery last year, contesting the Hell and Höljes rounds of RX2. In an ultra-competitive field, the Norwegian reached the semi-final on home soil, impressing by posting the seventh-fastest time in Q2 and following up with another top ten effort in Q4. He is now set to return to the track at Höljes as he bids to build upon the experience he gained last year, and is excited to climb back into the cockpit and test his mettle after the long winter break. “I can’t wait to join the RallyX Nordic field,” enthused the 38-year, old, who competed in Bilcross in his native Norway before stepping up to Supercar Lites. “It’s a series I’ve followed for some time, and I have no doubt that it’s going to be a really tough challenge – a lot of fast drivers have already confirmed their entry – but that’s exactly the kind of environment and competition I need to be able to learn and improve. “Höljes is obviously a legendary track in the rallycross world, and with it being a double-header event, there will be plenty of opportunity to get more mileage under my belt. Hopefully we can get faster and faster over the course of the weekend, and then let’s see where we end up...” 20-03-31 Supercupen i rallycross i Arvika är inställd - Jobbar för nytt datum MK Team Westom skulle kört premiären i Supercupen i rallycross 2-3 maj. Tävlingsledningen har nu tagit beslutet att ställa in tävlingen. – Vi jobbar på ett nytt datum och kommer igen, säger tävlingsledningen för MK Team Westom. https://www.westom.se 20-03-30 Johansson announces Supercar Lites entry with VGracing and support from Team Färén Swedish ace joins RallyX Nordic’s growing 2020 Supercar Lites field 2017 Swedish championship runner-up ‘ready for the challenge’ 23-year-old enlists help of Team Färén for his debut in Scandinavian series Gustav Johansson will join the ever-growing line-up of Supercar Lites entrants in RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires this year, under his own private VGracing banner with technical support from rallycross heavy-hitter Team Färén. Dovetailing his racing commitments with his role as a mechanic for RX2 Series outfit #YellowSquad, the Swede will rent a car from Team Färén for the full RallyX Nordic campaign, while making a guest entry in RX2 on home soil at Höljes in the summer. Johansson has spent the past four seasons competing in Sweden’s national rallycross championship, notably placing second in the standings in 2017 in a VGracing BMW 3 Series. Now, in 2020, he takes aim at the RallyX Nordic Supercar Lites category, preparing for the campaign ahead with a high-end simulator set-up that he hopes will enable him to gain an initial feel for the circuits he has not previously visited. “I can’t wait to get going in RallyX Nordic!” enthused Johansson. “The level of competition in this series is notoriously high, so it’s going to be a challenge to get up-to-speed with the really fast guys, especially on the tracks I haven’t been to before. My simulator should help with this, though, as I can learn the new circuits from home. “I think my experience in the Swedish championship will prove useful this season – there are some very quick drivers there too, so I’m ready for the challenge!” 20-03-27 IMG launches RX Esports invitational events Online racers will have the chance to test their skills against professional FIA World Rallycross Championship race drivers with the creation of the first-ever RX Esports series. IMG, the promoters of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy, has partnered with Motorsport Games, the racing game developer and Esports specialist, and Codemasters to launch the RX Esports Invitational. The one-off Esports series will be held on the dates of selected rounds of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy that have been postponed due to health concerns and government regulations relating to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. The first event to be held will be the Barcelona RX Esports Invitational, on Sunday, April 19 using DiRT Rally 2.0 on PC via Steam. A number of the official World RX drivers will be competing and fans from around the world will have the opportunity to earn a place on the grid against them when the Qualifying event goes live this Saturday, March 28. The World RX line-up, along with a few guest entries from other motorsport categories, will be revealed in the coming days. The top non-professional drivers who complete the six-lap race around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in the fastest time will be invited to take part in the live-streamed showcase. Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG, the promoter of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, said: “We hope that by offering fans around the world the chance to engage with World RX via an alternative Esports series, we are providing a small level of enjoyment in these difficult times.” In order to enter, PC Steam players should go to the ‘My Teams’ section of DiRT Rally 2.0 on Saturday, March 28 March from 10am (GMT) and select the specially-marked promotional RX Esports tile from the Events screen. 20-03-25 JC Raceteknik utökar VM-teamet – blir KYB Team JC med Janis Baumanis och Robin Larsson Tillsammans med KYB går JC Raceteknik in i en stor satsning i rallycross. VM-teamet, som går under namnet KYB Team JC, kommer tävla i både förar-VM och teammästerskapet. Sedan tidigare är Larsson klar, nu ansluter även Baumanis. – Jag tror Robin och Janis kommer bli en stark duo på banan. Vi siktar på medalj i både teammästerskapet och förar-VM, säger teamchef Joel Christoffersson. Den 11 mars presenterades alla förare och team i årets säsong av FIA World Rallycross Championship (rallycross-VM). JC Raceteknik kunde då presentera att de tar steget upp till VM med en förare. Två veckor senare är det officiellt att svenska teamet anmäler ytterligare en förare till VM samt kör teammästerskapet under namnet KYB Team JC. Detta efter att samtliga team i World RX godkänt KYB Team JCs efteranmälan. Teamet kommer tillsammans med EKS och KYB fortsätta utvecklingen av stötdämpare. Det tekniska samarbetet som startade mellan JC och EKS 2019 kommer fortsätta även denna säsong i både VM och EM. Teamet kommer till start med två förare: Robin Larsson och Janis Baumanis. Larsson, som tillsammans med JC Raceteknik vann både FIA European Rallycross Championship (rallycross-EM) och RallyX Nordic förra säsongen, är sedan tidigare klar för VM-satsningen. Ansluter till teamet gör den lettiske rallycrossföraren Janis Baumanis, som har fyra VM-säsonger i bagaget. Båda förarna kommer köra varsin Audi S1 EKS av senaste spec. På grund Covid-19 är de första deltävlingarna av World RX framflyttade, det är ännu oklart när premiären kommer kunna köras. Joel Christoffersson, teamchef KYB Team JC / JC Raceteknik: ”Att kunna komma till start med två förare i VM och köra teammästerskapet känns fantastiskt, det har länge varit en dröm för mig. Tack vare KYB kommer vi till start som KYB Team JC, och vi kommer fortsätta ha teknisk support från EKS Den här satsningen med EKS och KYB är en bra möjlighet, som gör att vi kan utvecklas ihop. Det blir en stor morot för teamet, och kommer även gynna våra EM-förare. Frågan om att driva ytterligare en bil kom till mig efter att anmälan till VM gått ut. Så det blev lite annorlunda. Men tack vare att alla andra VM-team godkände det så fick vi tillåtelse att anmäla både Janis som förare och KYB Team JC i teammästerskapet. Jag tror Robin Larsson och Janis Baumanis kommer bli en stark duo på banan. Robin har vi haft en väldigt lyckad säsong med tidigare och han kommer med bra erfarenheter i Audi. Janis är ny för oss i teamet, men är en snabb förare med tidigare erfarenheter från VM. Jag tror att båda kommer gynnas av varandra och tillsammans kunna jobba ännu hårdare. Vi siktar på medalj i både teammästerskapet och förar-VM, helt klart.” Janis Baumanis, World RX: ”Jag känner mig entusiastisk inför en ny säsong med ett helt nytt team. JC och Robin visade i fjol att de hade ett bra tempo i Euro RX, så i år tror jag att vi kommer kunna vara ännu starkare med två bra bilar i VM. Jag längtar efter att få sätta mig i EKS Audi av senaste spec med de mest aktuella stötdämparna från KYB. Robin känner definitivt bilen bättre än mig, men förhoppningsvis kan jag hänga med i hans tempo så snabbt som möjligt. Jag skulle säga att mina tidigare säsonger i World RX har varit ganska tuffa. Efter 4 år med en Ford så är jag väldigt exalterad över att byta till Audi, det blir ett stort steg som kommer vara ganska utmanande för mig. Under de första tävlingar kommer det såklart vara lite mer fokus på inlärningsprocessen i den nya bilen, men därefter kommer målet vara att starta från första led i semifinalerna. Självklart är drömmen att vinna, och jag vet att det kommer vara svårt. Men med snabba bilar och ett bra team finns alltid möjligheten att få det att hända. Covid-19 gör det såklart svårare att förbereda sig inför den första tävlingen, den har stor påverkan på allas liv. Jag vill att alla tar väl hand om sig och lyssnar på säkerhetsdirektiven, och hoppas att vi kan tävla så snart som möjligt. Jag ser fram emot att kunna börja testa och jämföra varvtiderna med Robin.” Robin Larsson, World RX: ”Självklart är det kul för JC att komma till VM med ett tvåbilsteam. Vi kommer fortsätta ha support från EKS, och med två Audi på banan kunna jämföra data – det är positivt för alla. Nu tävlar jag inte bara på individuell nivå, utan det finns ett teammästerskap att slåss för. Vi får snacka ihop oss och se. Det är totalt sex team, men sköter vi oss bara ska vi nog kunna vara med i toppen med chans på medalj. Det ska bli spännande att se hur jag och Janis fungerar som team. Precis som jag har Janis haft det tufft i VM, så vi båda är taggade på att komma till start med varsin riktigt bra bil. I fjol hade både jag och JC våra bästa säsonger någonsin, så att gå upp till World RX tillsammans med teamet blir extra kul. Självklart kommer det bli tuff konkurrens med många snabba förare, men det är väl därför man håller på med rallycross? Under de första tävlingarna kommer kvittot på hur vi står oss mot de andra teamen. Det vore skönt att sätta bra resultat direkt och kunna vara med i matchen. Det lär bli många härliga fighter.” 20-03-20 VM-deltävlingen i Portugal skjuts upp Även den andra deltävlingen i årests Rallycross-VM skjuts nu fram. Det sedan den portugisiska regeringen har utlöst en nödsituation pga corona och ställt in alla sportevent. Deltävlingen i Portugal skulle körts 2-3 maj och skulle bli VM-premiären sedan Barcelona också skjutits fram. Detta beslut fattades efter noggrant övervägande och samråd med FIA, den spanska ASN och den lokala arrangören, eftersom hälsa och säkerhet för alla inblandade är högsta prioritet. Fia letar tillsammans med tävlingsorganisationen efter ett alternativt datum för evenemanget i samarbete med den lokala arrangören och återkommer med ytterligar info. 20-03-20 Thorén back for more RallyX Nordic action as TiKRX launches three-car entry Swedish Supercar star signs up for full campaign this year New team TiKRX joins RallyX Nordic field in three classes Supercar Lites and CrossCar announcements forthcoming Newly-formed Swedish squad TiKRX will join RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires this year, as Daniel Thorén returns to contest the Supercar class, with further announcements still to come regarding the team’s participation in the Supercar Lites and CrossCar/Crosskart categories. Thorén came to motorsport comparatively late in life as he approached his 40th birthday three years ago. Having caught the bug as a sponsor to Peter Hedström and Ramona Karlsson, the Swede belatedly climbed into the cockpit himself – and quickly proved that he had a talent for rallycross by ascending the podium in only his third start, at Grenland in Norway behind the wheel of a Hedströms Motorsport Volkswagen Polo. Selected RallyX Nordic outings in 2019 saw Thorén reach the semi-final stage in two of the three events he entered, but now the 43-year-old is planning a full campaign – one in which he will double up as both a driver and team manager for exciting new outfit TiKRX. “This team has grown from conception to reality in less than a year,” he revealed. “We are committed to running the VW Polo Supercar, a Supercar Lites entry and somebody in the CrossCar/Crosskart class, who we are looking forward to announcing separately. “Personally speaking, I’ve gone from being a fan to a sponsor, and then I became a driver myself – just for fun mainly, but still obviously aiming for good results. During my time in this sport, I have got to know some really good and dedicated people, many of whom I am lucky to still work with now. Johan Welander and Niklas Hagström in particular are absolute cornerstones of this whole TiKRX project – it’s no exaggeration to say that without them, there would be no team. “We have rebuilt both the Supercar and Supercar Lites car over the winter, leaving no stone unturned. Everything is set and ready to go, so as soon as we can cross borders again and come together after the current lockdown, testing will start. And then, it’ll be race time!” TiKRX’s Supercar Lites and CrossCar drivers will be announced in due course. 20-03-18 Linus Westman kör Rallycross EM Linus Westman med sitt team LiWe RX är anmäld till full säsong i FIA Euro RX i en Ford Fiesta MK8. – De här har varit mitt stora mål hela min RX karriär och äntligen kan vi presentera detta. Tillsammans med mina två huvudpartners Fuchs lubricantes och Skoogs bränsle så har vi kommit till start. Vi har en del kvar och jobbet pågår hela tiden med att knyta ihop nya partners för att göra det här så bra som möjligt, säger Linus. Linus målsättningar är höga,men han är ödmjuk inför sin uppgift och ska försöka köra så många finaler som möjligt och försöka toppa det med pallplatser. – Just nu så byggs bilen för att passa Linus innan de första testerna kommer dra igång i början av maj. Då vi nu är i en tuff tid med coronavirus så vet vi egentligen inte mycket om hur säsongen kommer bli. Tiden får utvisa och vi hoppas de ska lugna ner sig, men de viktigaste är hälsan och få stopp på spridningen, avslutar han. 20-03-17 Tidemand får chansen! - Hedströms motorsport klar med två bilar till EuroRX Rallycross Strax innan stängning för permanent anmälan till EM-serien blev det klart. Pontus Tidemand gör Peter Hedström sällskap in i årets Euro RX Rallycross, som innehåller fem deltävlingar. Det mesta inom hela vår värld snurrar just kring den lika tragiska som globala pandemin med Corona-virus. Detta gjorde också att en tilltänkt sydeuropeisk förare till årets EM-laguppställning hos Hedströms, tvingades backa ur i elfte timmen. - Dom fick helt enkelt problem att få ihop ekonomin i dessa Corona-tider, berättar Peter Hedström. Timmarna rullade fort mot stängning av anmälan till EuroRX, men Peter tillsammans med teamkollegan Christer Dalmans, som också har ett finger med i spelet, blev snabbt eniga om att ge Pontus chansen. - Det stora problemet var mest att verkligen FÅ kontakt, Pontus var i Mexico med nio timmars tidsskillnad och mitt uppe i ett VM-rally, men när vi väl kunde prata med varann blev allt klart på en minut, avslöjar Hedström. Pontus som i Mexico stod överst på pallen, för övrigt för tredje gången i rad i detta svåra rally, blev mycket glad av Peters samtal mitt under VM-tävlingen. När teamet åter fick tag i flerfaldige Världsmästaren i Rally, så är han i väntan på att kunna flyga hem till Sverige. - Jag är mycket tacksam över Peters samtal mitt under rallyt, jag vill ju köra så mycket som möjligt och EM blir ett bra komplement, säger Pontus Tidemand. Teamet anmälde strax innan stängning två bilar till EM, den ena med Pontus som permanent förare. I den andra med icke permanent förare, startar Peter i de inledande tävlingarna. - Min plan är att köra både RallyX och EM i de första tre tävlingarna, sen får vi se vilken serie jag fullföljer då vi ändå kommer ha med fler bilar i båda serierna, berättar Peter. Tack vare den tidiga våren är första testerna snart i antågande. Peter vill se till att Pontus får de allra bästa förutsättningarna inför säsongen och laddar upp med ett utförligt testprogram. Fokus är på att båda blir väl förberedda till årets EM-premiär. - De första testerna är något jag verkligen ser fram emot, jag är laddad och förväntansfull, men också rätt säker på att vi tillsammans kommer att göra något mycket bra av detta samarbete, avslutar Tidemand. Första deltävlingen i Euro RX är tänkt att gå på anrika SPA Francorchamps i Belgien om ganska precis två månader, i mitten av Maj. I dessa tider präglade av COVID-19 och med bakgrund av att Barcelonas en månad tidigare VM-deltävling redan är framflyttad på grund av pandemin, så kan säkert inget tidigt datum i serien garanteras i detta nu. - Det är tragiskt allt som nu händer och vi får verkligen, för hela vår världs skull, hoppas att det snart lugnar ner sig, avslutar Hedström. 20-03-17 JC Raceteknik till start i rallycross-EM med ytterligare en förare: Enzo Ide JC Raceteknik kommer till start med två förare i FIA European Rallycross Championship. Belgiske racingföraren Enzo Ide sadlar om till rallycross och ansluter till teamet för en full Supercar-säsong. – Enzo vet helt klart hur man kör bil, nu blir utmaningen att anpassa körningen till rallycrossen, säger teamchef Joel Christoffersson. Värmlandsbaserade teamet JC Raceteknik kunde förra veckan meddela att de debuterar i VM och kör full säsong i FIA World Rallycross Championship tillsammans med Robin Larsson. Tidigare offentliggjordes även att norske Ben-Philip Gundersen skulle ta steget upp i FIA European Rallycross Championship (Supercar-EM). Nu är det även klart att teamet får ytterligare en förare på startlinjen under Euro RX: Enzo Ide. Enzo Ide har en framgångsrik racingkarriär i bagaget, med både EM-guld i Blancpain Sprint Series och medalj i det belgiska mästerskapet FIA GT3. 2019 debuterade han i rallycross och körde tillsammans med JC Raceteknik VM-deltävlingen på belgiska banan Spa. Kort därefter drabbades Ide av en olycka i hemmet som resulterade i en skallfraktur och kraftig hjärnblödning. Han låg i koma och tillbringade månader på sjukhus. Belgaren var fast besluten att återvända till motorsporten, och ser tillsammans med JC Raceteknik fram emot utmaningarna i Euro RX. Enzo Ide kommer till start i en Audi S1 Supercar och planerar att köra full säsong i FIA European Rallycross Championship. Mästerskapet består av fem deltävlingar med start i Belgien 16-17 maj, följt av Norge, Sverige, Frankrike och Lettland. Joel Christoffersson, teamchef JC Raceteknik: ”Resan Enzo har gjort senaste halvåret med sin rehabilitering har varit helt otrolig. Att sitta bakom ratten i en tävlingsbil är det bästa han vet, och jag är glad för hans skull. Vi har länge vetat att han haft planer på att köra en hel serie, och i fjol blev det ju tyvärr bara en deltävling. Så vi ser fram emot att kunna göra det här tillsammans i år. Enzo är en väldigt duktig och framgångsrik racingförare, som helt klart vet hur man kör bil. Nu blir utmaningen att anpassa körningen till rallycrossen med kombinationen asfalt och grus. Vi kommer gå in i säsongen, se vart vi står och jobba vidare därifrån. Han har bra potential och lär sig snabbt, och det kommer vara gynnsamt för honom att ha Robin Larsson i teamet för att kunna analysera data.” Enzo Ide, Euro RX: ”Jag ser verkligen fram emot att köra igen. Mitt största mål är först och främst att ha roligt, och lära mig rallycross. Allt eftersom jag utvecklas kommer jag kunna utöka målen och sätta upp vad jag vill uppnå på banan. JC Raceteknik är ett team med hårt arbetande personer och mycket erfarenhet, det känns som att vi förstår varandra och jag har en bra känsla inför säsongen. Jag har tidigare tävlat i racing. Men 2016 lät Mattias Ekström mig testa en rallycrossbil, och jag måste säga att det imponerade på mig. Det var så roligt med mycket adrenalin, jag blev beroende direkt. Sedan körde jag min första rallycrosstävling tillsammans med JC Raceteknik på Spa. Kort därefter hände olyckan. Sedan jag trappade ner från racing 2017 har det inte blivit mycket körning. Men nu är jag glad att vara tillbaka och kunna satsa med fullt fokus på rallycross. I höstas när jag fick skallskadan och låg på sjukhus i åtta veckor var mitt mål hela tiden att bli frisk och kunna köra igen. För tre veckor sedan gick jag ett ”OK” av mina läkare om att börja tävla, och jag tror verkligen motorsporten kommer vara bra för mitt tillfrisknande. Jag vill verkligen tacka alla som stöttat mig under tävlingar, olyckan och nu under vägen tillbaka. De läkare, sjuksköterskor, sjukgymnaster och andra personer som gjorde allt för mig – de fick mig att leva igen. Från mitt tillstånd för sju månader sen till att köra en första tävling om två månader, det är otroligt.” 20-03-13 World RX i Barcelona skjuts upp Officiellt uttalande i samband med World RX premiären Catalunya-Barcelona Katalanska regeringen ställer in alla idrottsevenemang pga COVID-19-situationen (coronaviruset). Det innebär att s World RX i Catalunya-Barcelona den 18-19 april skuts upp. Detta beslut fattades efter noggrant övervägande och samråd med FIA, den spanska ASN och den lokala arrangören, eftersom hälsa och säkerhet för alla inblandade är högsta prioritet. Man letar efter ett alternativt datum för evenemanget i samarbete med den lokala arrangören och återkommer med ytterligar info . 20-03-12 SM-veckan and RallyX on Ice cancelled due to coronavirus 2020 RallyX on Ice festival cancelled due to coronavirus spread Swedish Government bans gatherings of 500 people or more ‘The health of officials, competitors and spectators must come first’ The global coronavirus outbreak and ever-tightening travel restrictions have led to the difficult decision for RF (Sweden’s National Sports Federation) and SVT, in consultation with the Luleå and Boden municipalities, to cancel the week-long Sm-veckan ‘Winter Olympics’, including RallyX on Ice presented by Cooper Tires which had been due to take place on 28 March. At the request of the Swedish Public Health Agency, the Swedish Government yesterday (11 March) introduced a temporary suspension on events with more than 500 people, coming into effect today (12 March) with an end-date yet to be specified. Sweden has joined many other countries in banning large-scale gatherings in an attempt to reduce the spread of the virus. “We regrettably confirm that RallyX on Ice 2020 has been cancelled,” said Jan-Erik Steen, CEO of event promoter, RX Promotion. “Whilst clearly disappointed, we fully support RF and SVT’s decision. In all circumstances, the health of our officials, competitors and spectators must come first. “An incredible amount of hard work has gone into preparing for the event, and we would like to extend our thanks to everybody involved in the build-up, especially all the event officials and competitors who had been looking forward to the return to racing after the long winter break. “Rest assured, RallyX on Ice will return in 2021, and we will all do our utmost to ensure it is bigger and better than ever next year.” “Cancelling such a big and popular event as the SM Week is a very difficult decision, but we are facing a serious situation where the Swedish Sports Federation obviously has a responsibility to help keep the spread of infection down,” added RF Chairman, Björn Eriksson. “Of course it feels incredibly sad that we will not be able to invite fans to a big sports party with broadcasts of 20 different sports over seven days, but with the situation as it currently is in Sweden, this was a natural decision to make together with the National Sports Federation and the host cities,” echoed SVT Sports Manager, Åsa Edlund Jönsson. 20-03-11 SM-veckan vinter i Luleå/Boden ställs in Regeringen har efter hemställan från Folkhälsomyndigheten beslutat att allmänna sammankomster med över 500 personer inte får hållas. Med anledning av regeringens beslut har RF och SVT i samråd med Luleå kommun och Boden kommun därför beslutat att stä SM-veckan vinter skulle ha genomförts 25–31 mars i Luleå och Boden, med SM-tävlingar i 20 olika idrotter. Med anledning av regeringens beslut gällande coronaviruset, och gårdagens höjda risknivå för spridning av coronavirus i Sverige, ställs SM-veckan vinter alltså in. Riksidrottsförbundet ser allvarligt på situationen kopplat till smittspridning och följer noggrant utvecklingen både i Sverige och omvärlden. - Att ställa in ett sådant stort och populärt evenemang som SM-veckan är ett mycket tungt beslut, men vi står inför en allvarlig situation där Riksidrottsförbundet självfallet tar det ansvar vi kan för att bidra till att hålla nere smittspridningen, säger Björn Eriksson, ordförande Riksidrottsförbundet. - Det känns självklart oerhört tråkigt att vi inte får möjlighet att bjuda vår publik på en stor idrottsfest med sändningar från 20 olika sporter under sju dagar, men som läget är nu i Sverige var detta var ett naturligt beslut att fatta tillsammans med Riksidrottsförbundet och värdstäderna, säger SVT:s sportchef Åsa Edlund Jönsson. 20-03-11 World Champions lock horns while young guns lie in wait as 2020 World RX are revealed The permanent entry list for the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy, released today, offers up the tantalising prospect of a title contest every bit as intense as the season-long skirmish which highlighted the 2019 edition. The 13 drivers confirmed for all 10 rounds features World Champions, European Champions, legitimate title aspirants and young guns poised to shake up the established order. Among the roster of permanent competitors, who will be joined by a number of round-by-round entries at each event, there are drivers representing eight nations, supported by world-class teams and six manufacturers keen to win the battle of the brands. In 2019, after 196 races, including an incident-filled finale, the leading protagonists for the drivers’ title – Timmy Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud – were tied on 211 points. The trophy went to the elder Hansen – courtesy of four wins to one. So, just when you thought it would be hard to surpass a season-long rivalry which went to the wire in South Africa, along comes a double World RX champion intent of adding further silverware to his ample collection. Welcome back Johan Kristoffersson. Kristoffersson, the title-winner in 2017 and 2018, rejoins the fray at the wheel of a VW Polo GTI RX for Kristoffersson Motorsport. He is supported by the Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS. As for the Hansens, Timmy, the champion in residence, is joined by younger brother Kevin, the former European champion, in a pair of Team Hansen Peugeot 208s in which they will also defend their teams’ championship. Norwegian Bakkerud links up again with the flamboyant Briton Liam Doran under the Monster RX Cartel banner – the team is being run this year by the French outfit GC Kompetition. This season they have swapped their Audi S1s for Renault Megane RS RXs. GC Kompetition founder Guerlain Chicherit partners with Lithuania’s Rokas Baciuska in another pair of Renault Clios in the GC Unkorrupted squad. Sweden’s Anton Marklund is in a Renault Megane as the GCK Bilstein entry. Hyundai is represented by GRX Taneco in the shape of Finland’s Niclas Gronholm and Russia’s Timur Timerzyanov. Gronholm, who recorded two wins in 2019 but missed two rounds due to illness, is expected to challenge strongly for honours as is Timerzyanov, who posted a notable maiden World RX victory at Spa-Francorchamps. Timo Scheider is joined by team boss Rene Muennich for the German ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport outfit which will field uprated and improved Seat Ibizas. Sweden’s Robin Larsson, the 2019 FIA European Champion, steps up to World RX full time and will race an Audi S1 with the JC Raceteknik team. Apart from the permanent drivers, a number of round-by-round entries will be announced over the coming weeks. Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG, the series promoter, said the quality of the permanent entry list highlights the strength and appeal of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, now in its seventh year. “The 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship permanent entry list underlines the lure of World RX for both teams and drivers. We thought it would be tough to eclipse the drama and excitement of our 2019 season but if you look at the class of 2020, we have all the ingredients for a rivalry every bit as intense,” Bellamy said. “Our 2020 line-up is bursting with world-class talent – including two world champions, European champions and multiple race winners.” The 2020 championship will have 10 rounds over four continents, starting in Spain in April, and including a return to Portugal, a first-time visit to the iconic Nurburgring circuit, and finally concluding in South Africa in November. The championship audience continues to flourish with expanded broadcast partnerships in key territories including western Europe and the Baltic states with coverage in 160 countries. The championship is also poised to announce a distribution partnership with China in the coming weeks. World RX has built a highly successful live streaming programme which engages millennials in a form of short, adrenalin-filled motorsport which is tailored-made for them. Last season the championship attracted over 530,000 views per race weekend via live streaming and the digital reach grew by 33%. Live streaming will be expanded again in 2020 to include European Super1600 series. According to Bellamy, the 2002 season is a pivotal year as the sport of rallycross takes it first steps on the road to electrification. “Together with the FIA we are committed to an electric future for rallycross,” he said. “This year we will embark on our journey to a phased introduction of an electric world championship in 2021 by introducing the electric series Projekt E as part of that process,” he said. “There is a huge groundswell of support for electric rallycross from teams and industry stakeholders. There is an inexorable surge towards electrification in the automotive industry and we are excited to be part of it.” The 2020 season begins with World RX of Catalunya-Barcelona Spain on April 18-19. The Projekt E calendar will now also include Holjes, Sweden on July 4-5, and the FIA European Championship for Super1600, meanwhile, will also visit Nurburgring on August 1-2. The full list of Permanent World RX competitors can be viewed here: https://www.fia.com/events/world-rallycross-championship/season-2020/entry-list 20-03-11 Kristoffersson tillbaka i rallycross-VM Dubble världsmästaren Johan Kristoffersson gör comeback i rallycross-VM. När säsongen rullar igång i Barcelona om en dryg månad är värmlänningen redo att ta kampen om titeln. Han kommer att sitta i en Volkswagen Polo GTI RX, identisk med den han körde 2018. - Mitt mål är att fajtas om guldet, lovar Kristoffersson. Johan Kristoffersson dominerade FIA World Rallycross Championship 2017 då han vann sju deltävlingar och tog hem sin första VM-titel. 2018 var dominansen ännu större med elva segrar på tolv deltävlingar, vilket ledde till en andra VM-titel. Därefter drog sig Volkswagen Motorsport ur VM-serien och Kristoffersson ägnade därför 2019 åt rally och WTCR-racing. Men nu gör alltså Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS-föraren comeback i egen regi och blir en allvarlig utmanare om VM-titeln. - Det har varit några hektiska månader och absolut inte den enklaste vägen. Många alternativ har funnits i luften, men nu känner jag mig väldigt nöjd. Rallycross är något jag verkligen brinner för. Beslutet innebär att rally och racing hamnar i bakgrunden under 2020. - Vi lägger all energi och fokus på rallycross-VM, säger Kristoffersson. Stallchefen Tommy Kristoffersson förklarar: - En egen satsning på hela VM-serien är egentligen övermäktig, men tack vare stort stöd från våra två huvudpartner, Volkswagen-återförsäljarna och BAUHAUS, kände vi att det var värt att sätta båten i sjön. Kristoffersson senior har genomfört många till synes omöjliga uppdrag inom motorsporten. Att få klartecken för årets satsning hörde inte till de lättaste. - Det har varit ytterligare ett tillfälle när man inte har tagit ett nej som ett nej, utan byggt upp tillräckligt bra underlag för att svaret ska bli ett ja till slut. Det ligger enormt mycket arbete bakom, men vi har samlat poäng under ett långvarigt samarbete och Johans leverans saknar motstycke i svensk motorsport. Men faktum är att finansieringen för en hel VM-serie inte är i mål än. - Vi hoppas kunna göra så bra resultat inledningsvis att vi lyckas skaffa oss extra support för att genomföra slutdelen av säsongen. Det ställer förstås stora krav på oss själva, men vi är trygga med att ha ett mycket kompetent team. Satsningen har också ett framtidsperspektiv - med elbilar i siktet. Tommy Kristoffersson strålar av entusiasm: - Det har alltid varit en förmån att jobba med Volkswagen och tillsammans med deras utvecklingsavdelning hoppas jag att vi ska kunna vara med och lägga grunden för framtidens motorsport. Rallycross är en perfekt produkt för elektrifiering och det finns inget effektivare sätt att bedriva utvecklingsarbete. Mycket av det som kommer fram genom motorsporten används i förlängningen i våra standardbilar. Att det nu handlar om Tommys favoritdisciplin är ingen hemlighet. Därför gläds han extra inför säsongen 2020. - Den uppfattningen har förstärkts de senaste åren. Täta heat, bilar med mycket effekt, publikintresset och engagemanget. Det är en sport som väcker känslor! Här har arrangören dessutom träffat rätt med sitt upplägg. Och teamchefen siktar förstås högt även han. - Självklart åker vi ut för att vinna, men alla som är initierade vet att det inte är riktigt så enkelt. Vi gör trots allt en privat satsning med begränsade resurser. Det är en astronomisk skillnad jämfört med 2017 och 2018. Då var dessutom bilarna stationerade i Hannover. Nu kommer den att stå i Arvika, även om vi kommer att köpa tjänster av Volkswagen Motorsport. I Kristoffersson Motorsports verkstad i Koppsäng läggs strategin för Johans jakt på en tredje VM-titel. - Jag ser supermycket fram emot den här säsongen och det är extra roligt att få göra det med KMS. När vi började med rallycross 2014 satte vi en treårsplan för att bli världsmästare. Så blev det ju också, fast med PSRX där jag hade två fantastiska år. Men det var några i gänget här hemma som så att säga satt på avbytarbänken de åren. Därför är det himla kul att få genomföra det här tillsammans med dem, säger den 31-årige multitalangen. Hur påverkar då ett års frånvaro från WRX? - Jag ska ärligt säga att jag inte följde VM-serien särskilt mycket förra året. Jag är ganska ointresserad av det jag inte är involverad i, utan fokuserar på det jag håller på med. Men på senaste tiden har jag tittat ikapp en hel del och kunnat se att konkurrenterna tog steg framåt under 2019. Men dominanten från 2018 har inte heller stått still. - Jag har också tagit mina kliv som chaufför genom det jag har lärt mig inom rally och banracing och det är ju den mixen som blir rallycross. Kristoffersson längtar förstås tillbaka till bekanta tävlingsbanor som Hell och Höljes, men det blir också en del nya bekantskaper. - Spa ser häftig ut och Abu Dhabi har jag inte heller varit på. I hälften av de tio VM-deltävlingarna kommer Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS att bestå av en bil, men i EM-tävlingarna ska Sondre Evjen stå i samma tält med den KMS-byggda Polo GTI RX han körde förra året. Evjens team bidrar också med viktig support inom logistik under hela säsongen. Tommy Kristoffersson å sin sida tar ånyo plats i spotter-tornet. - Jag gillar atmosfären där så det ska bli kul att träffa kollegorna igen. Jag har saknat dem, funderar på om de tycker likadant. 20-03-10 JC Raceteknik satsar på rallycross-VM tillsammans med Robin Larsson JC Raceteknik växlar upp ytterligare under 2020 med en VM-satsning i FIA World Rallycross Championship. Representerar teamet gör den regerande Europamästaren och RallyX Nordic-vinnaren Robin Larsson. – Sedan jag startade JC Raceteknik har det varit en dröm för mig och teamet att kunna ge oss in i VM. Att ta steget tillsammans med Robin är riktigt kul för oss alla, säger teamchef Joel Christoffersson. 2019 hade JC Raceteknik sin mest framgångsrika rallycrossäsong någonsin. Tillsammans med Robin Larsson säkrade de EM-guldet i FIA European Rallycross Championship med en deltävling kvar, vilket gjorde att de kunde göra ett VM-inhopp under deltävlingen i Riga. Samtidigt segrade Larsson i RallyX Nordic efter en rysare under finalen i Tierp.Teamet gjorde under året också ett inhopp i VM under deltävlingen i Belgiska Spa, med Mattias Ekström och Enzo Ide. Det blev tidigare i år klart att JC Raceteknik kommer köra full Supercar-säsong i EM med Ben-Philip Gundersen. Nu är det även officiellt att teamet tar steget upp till FIA World Rallycross Championship tillsammans med den regerande Europamästaren Robin Larsson. Det är tio deltävlingar i årets VM-kalender, med bland annat svenska Höljes, Abu Dhabi, Sydafrika och Frankrike. Hittills är teamets budget klar för de första åtta deltävlingarna, och de kommer under året arbeta för budgeten till de resterande två. Bakom satsningen finns bland annat Br Öhman, Blåkläder samt flera av teamets och Larssons samarbetspartners. JC Raceteknik fortsätter sitt samarbete med teknisk support från EKS. Bilen de kommer till start med är en ny Audi S1 Supercar av senaste spec från EKS, samma bil som Mattias Ekström körde i VM 2018. Joel Christoffersson, teamchef JC Raceteknik: ”Sedan jag startade JC Raceteknik har det varit en dröm för mig och teamet att kunna ge oss in i VM. I fjol hade vi ett kanonår tillsammans med Robin, så att få möjligheten att ta steget till VM tillsammans i år är riktigt kul för oss alla. Vi vet att det kommer vara extrem tuff konkurrens i VM, samtidigt kommer Robin in med en fantastisk bilkontroll och självförtroendet från EM. När allt funkar har Robin visat att han är riktigt snabb, med varvtider som matchar VM-förarnas. Att säga att vi vill köra finaler och slåss om topplaceringar den här säsongen känns som ett realistiskt mål. Vi och Robin kommer kunna köra mycket tack vare Br Öhman och alla samarbetspartners. Vi jobbar fortfarande för att få ihop full budget, hittills ser det bra ut och vi arbetar för att få ihop det till se sista två deltävlingarna.” Robin Larsson, World RX: ”Det känns så roligt att köra VM den här säsongen, med ett starkt team och bra bil. I fjol hade både jag och Joel våra bästa säsonger någonsin, så att fortsätta med JC och göra detta tillsammans med teamet blir extra kul. Självklart kommer det bli tuff konkurrens med många snabba förare, men det är väl därför man håller på med rallycross? Vi hade högt tempo i fjol med bra tider gentemot VM-förarna, och nu när vi kör samtidigt som dem kommer jag såklart kunna höja tempot ytterligare. Under de första tävlingarna kommer kvittot på hur vi står oss mot de andra teamen. Det vore skönt att sätta bra resultat direkt och kunna vara med i matchen. Det lär bli många härliga fighter skulle jag tro. JC, farsan [Lars Larsson] och Simpa [Simon Eriksson] har hjälpt till mycket med sponsorbiten och att köra VM i år har hela tiden varit målet vi jobbat mot. När Mats Öhman och Br Öhman kom in och stöttade oss såhär var det helt klart en wow-känsla – det är stort av dem. Också stor eloge till alla våra samarbetspartners som vi har med oss till VM, utan dem hade det här aldrig gått. Nu ska vi såklart jobba för att även få ihop budget till de sista tävlingarna.” 20-03-09 Suárez set to make history as first Spaniard to tackle RallyX on Ice Rally specialist ready to switch disciplines for SM-veckan contest Olsbergs MSE driver describes ice as his ‘favourite surface’ Spanish star has sights set on further rallycross outings in the future Pablo Suárez will break new ground when he takes to the track in Luleå later this month, as the first Spaniard ever to contest RallyX on Ice presented by Cooper Tires (28 March) – an undertaking he describes as being both ‘like a dream’ and ‘one of the biggest challenges of my career’. Although Suárez has never previously entered RallyX on Ice – which this year will form part of Sweden’s hugely popular SM-veckan ‘Winter Olympics’ on the frozen Lule River in Norrbotten County – he does have some prior ice racing experience, in Andorra in 2010, two years after making his motorsport debut in gravel rallysprints at the age of 16. Since then, the Gran Canaria-born driver has focussed predominantly on rallying on both gravel and asphalt surfaces, being crowned Group N Tarmac Rally Champion (FWD) in the Canary Islands in 2014 and finishing as Volant RACC runner-up in Spain’s Regional Rally Challenge (Group N) in both 2018 and 2019. Now, he is set to do battle in snowy Sweden, after joining forces with rallycross powerhouse Olsbergs MSE to enter RallyX on Ice’s Supercar Lites category. Whilst recognising that he faces a steep learning curve, he is champing at the bit to get going. “This will be one of the biggest challenges of my career,” acknowledged Suárez, who grew up in a world of ‘amateur’ racing, with a father who has been rallying for 37 years. “With limited time to get used to the car and surface, my main target will be to find a good feeling and enjoy the event. I really feel comfortable driving on ice – it’s my favourite surface, despite not being very common in Spain! “The rallycross format is almost completely new to me, but I’m working hard to understand it all and having OMSE as my team will help me a lot. I have to thank [OMSE Team Principal] Andreas Eriksson for all of his assistance – it’s like a dream for me and I hope this will be the start of a strong alliance. “For now, we have an agreement for just this one event, but we are working hard to try to enter more races this year. I want to really get to grips with this discipline and hope to be able to contest a full rallycross season in the near future.” Run in conjunction with the Swedish Automobile Sports Federation, Svensk Bilsport, RallyX on Ice will be preceded by official test days and will feature three competitions – for Supercar Lites, Supernational and CrossCar/Crosskart. All entrants will be eligible to win the coveted RallyX on Ice titles, while the Swedish Championship crowns will be contested between drivers in possession of a Swedish licence. 20-03-08 Det er ikke bare på Lånkebanen det blir fart, stemning og adrenalin under årets VM Rallycross in Hell. Onsdag 10. juni arrangerer Hell RX i samarbeid med Hell-senteret årets møkkaløp. El-porselen HellRX gjennomføres på lukket bane, hvor to og to konkurrerer med hverandre på elektrifiserte toalett, iført hjelm med toalettbørste påmontert. Hvor stor fart det blir, er jo opp til hver enkelt utøver - men stemning skal speaker Thor Mostue og Gunnar Fridlund stå for. De er lang erfaring med å kommentere i rallycross-sammenheng, og er kjent for å lage meget god stemning. De som melder seg på møkkaløpet kan vinne flotte premier fra butikkene på Hellstenteret. Informasjon om påmelding kommer på Hellsenterets- og Rallycross in Hell- sine facebooksider i mai/juni. “Hellsenteret stiller opp med grillmat til publikum, og etter løpet kan publikum finne gode RX tilbud inne på Hellsenteret”, sier Tonje Høyem som er senterleder for Hellsentert. “Det er naturlig med redusert pris på toalettpapir på et slik møkkaløp - i tillegg til tilbud på Monster Energidrikk fra Rema 1000, bilspill fra Power, og toalettbørster fra Bademiljø. De andre butikkene på Hellsenteret stiller også opp med gode VM tilbud, så her er det bare å følge med i lokalavisene og facebook når dagen nærmer seg”. “Jeg gleder meg stort over samarbeidet med Hell-senteret, spesielt siden mange av våre gjester på Lånkebanen benytter seg av butikkene her”, sier Annette Tollefsen Jensen, daglig leder av HellRX AS. “Hellsentert ligger rett ved Scandic Hell Hotell,som er vårt offisielle VM hotell, og vi håper at hotellgjestene som er på plass allerede fra denne onsdagen, vi ta turen bortom for å få en kickstart på VM Rallycross in Hell 2020.” PROJECT E Uten sammenligning for øvrig er det verd å nevne at det blir en egen el-klasse under årets VM Rallycross in Hell. El-klassen eller PROJECT E er en stor drøm som Fia World Rallycross har jobbet lenge med for å få på plass. Nå skal det endelig gjennomføres, og den lokale arrangøren er meget spent på hvordan dette vil fungere i praksis. Til neste års Rallycross VM er tanken å ha ordinære supercars og el-biler i samme klasse. Dersom noen er usikker på hvor moro og spennende det kan være med el-kjøretøy i VM sammenheng, kan få en smakebit av dette vi kjører i gang årets møkkaløp på Hellsenteret. Arrangementet er åpent for alle. 20-03-06 VM Rallycross in Hell trenger frivillige VM Rallycross in Hell er årets råeste motorsports-opplevelse i Norge - og vi trenger masse god hjelp fra frivillige! Som frivillig på Lånkebanen kan vi garanterer en heftig og actionfyllt helg - tett på utøvere og hvert enkelt team! Her blir man kjent med mange av de andre frivillige og få mange gode opplevelser underveis. I tillegg får man oppleve et gigantisk arrangement fra innsiden. Når de frivillige ikke er på vakt, kan de nyte heatene fullt ut. Det er et utrolig stort behov for frivillige under VM Rallycross in Hell, og vi ønsker folk med forskjellige fagkompetanse fra hele Norge. Vi har oppgaver i alle kategorier fra løpsgjennomføring på indre bane til servering av mat til VIP. Fra Rigging og nedrigging av gjerder, telt, skilter, utstyr til publikumsvakt, nattevakt, adgangskontroll osv. Her er det bare å ønske seg oppgaver ut fra interesser og ut fra hver enkelt sine kvalifikasjoner. Til de som stiller som frivillige for VM arrangøren, spanderer vi plass på egen crew-camp, i tillegg får våre frivillige t-skjorte og drikkeflaske. Vi har en del andre overraskelser på lur, men det vil vi ikke avsløre riktig ennå. - Det å stille som frivillig kan gi god effekt også på lengre sikt, forteller May Bente Fossen, som er årets funksjonærsjef. Hun var også funksjonæransvarlig for VM Rallycross in Hell 2018. -Vi har fått tilbakemelding om at Rekrutteringsfirma melder at det vektlegges positivt når de ser på CV til kandidater/jobbsøkere at de har vært frivillig. Frivillighetsarbeid kan derfor være døråpner karrieremessig, fortsetter May Bente. FRIVILLIGHET GJENNOM IDRETTSLAG - Vi trenger ca 1300 frivillige inkludert alle idrettslag som stiller med egne frivillige, sier Annette Tollefsen Jensen, daglig leder for HellRX AS. Vi har så langt; avtale om samarbeid med 7 idrettslag, som hver for seg tar ansvaret for deler av arrangementet, herunder camping, toalettvask, parkering, kiosksalg, billettering, restauranttelt og vakthold.Det er et meget stort apparat som skal i gang når VM avvikles på lånkebanen, og vi har fokus på at publikum og team som besøker lånkebanen skal møte et smilende og hyggelig personale, som yter god service hele veien. Videre oppfordrer både May Bente og Annette, alle interesserte til å sende inn søknad om å få bli funksjonær. Går inn på hellrx.com. Under "Frivillige" kan man lese om de ulike oppgavene, og man kan sende inn søknad herfra. Vi bruker Arcon, som er en verktøykasse for oss som arrangør, for å ha oversikt over alle våre frivillige. Gjennom Arcon har vi full oversikt, blant annet over hvor mange t-skjorter vi trenger i hver størrelse, kvalifikasjoner, og hva hver enkelt ønsker å gjøre. Arcon er nå åpnet, slik at alle som ønsker å gjøre en frivillig innsats, kan melde seg. Her må alle registrere seg, både de som har vært frivillig før og nye funksjonærer. Alle frivillige må være over 18 år. Faktaboks VM Rallycross in Hell arrangeres for 7. året på rad 12. - 14. juni 2020, på Lånkebanen i Stjørdal kommune. I 2019 hadde vi et publikumstall på 15.000,- I 2019 ble VM Rallycross in Hell rangert som 4. beste arrangement av alle 11 arrangementene i FIA World Rallycross. I 2019 startet 17 World RX Supercars, 22 Euro RX Supercars og 15 RX2 Series. I 2020 har vi de samme klassene + en egen E-klasse. I2019 hadde vi 103 media akkrediterte fra Norge og flere andre land, på Lånkebanen. 20-03-05 World RX star De Ridder to make ice racing debut with OMSE Former Supercar Lites star to return to the class at SM-veckan Belgian World RX ace excited to do battle in the snow 27-year-old looking forward to rejoining Olsbergs MSE ‘family’ FIA World Rallycross Championship star Guillaume De Ridder will make a return to Supercar Lites machinery later this month, as he rejoins Olsbergs MSE for his maiden appearance in RallyX on Ice presented by Cooper Tires at Luleå in Sweden on 28 March. De Ridder has been one of the most successful drivers at Supercar Lites level in recent years. Despite only switching from rallying to rallycross in 2017, the Belgian made an immediate impact, tallying three rostrum finishes en route to third in the overall standings in the RX2 International Series that season with OMSE. In 2018, he added two victories and two further podiums to his RX2 tally as he pushed eventual champion Oliver Eriksson all the way to the crown, while simultaneously triumphing three times from six starts in RallyX Nordic – enough to pip the ‘local specialists’ to the Supercar Lites title in the predominantly Scandinavian series. Last year, De Ridder stepped up to Supercars in World RX with the newly-formed GCK Academy, only to be plagued by ill-fortune and mechanical unreliability throughout. Nonetheless, that did not prevent him from twice progressing through to the semi-final stage and posting the third-quickest time in Q2 in the Cape Town finale. Now, the 27-year-old is preparing to embark upon a new challenge, and is aiming to use his forthcoming RallyX on Ice outing to further hone his skillset as he continues to work on his full-season plans. “I’m super excited to race on ice for the first time!” De Ridder enthused. “It will be a chance for me to discover a surface on which I have no prior experience and will enable me to refine my car control as well as my feeling in slippery conditions. “I’m obviously not expecting to go out there and win first time, as I know it will be extremely difficult to take the fight to the Scandinavians, but I’m aiming to accumulate as much information as I can over the course of the event. “I’m looking forward to getting back into the Supercar Lites car, in which I have a lot of very good memories, and it will be a pleasure to be back with my old OMSE family, with whom I’ve always maintained a close relationship. I must thank Andreas [Eriksson – Team Principal] for giving me this opportunity. “Competing in RallyX on Ice will also allow me to get some laps under my belt and be as sharp as I can for the start of the main summer season, which is always beneficial. Although I’m not yet at a stage where I can confirm my plans for 2020, I still need to ensure I am as well-prepared as possible for whatever the coming months may hold. RallyX on Ice ties in perfectly with this approach, so let’s get out there and have some fun in the snow!” Run in conjunction with the Swedish Automobile Sports Federation, Svensk Bilsport, RallyX on Ice will be preceded by official test days and will feature three competitions – for Supercar Lites, Supernational and CrossCar/Crosskart. All entrants will be eligible to win the coveted RallyX on Ice titles, while the Swedish Championship crowns will be contested between drivers in possession of a Swedish licence. 20-03-03 Niklas Hagström to race TiKRX car at RallyX on Ice 35-year-old makes racing return in winter warm-up TiKRX confirms entry to SM-veckan contest Swede looking forward to his return to the track Niklas Hagström will pilot TiKRX’s Supercar Lites entry in RallyX on Ice later this month (28 March), as the Swede prepares to reignite his racing career at the single-day SM-veckan event in Luleå. Hagström began competing in 2000 in Folkrace, before winning the Swedish Rallycross Championship in both 2006 and 2007. Behind the wheel of a Honda Civic Type R, he also topped the Division 2 class podium in the Swedish round of the European Rallycross Championship at Höljes for three consecutive years from 2005 to 2007. More recently, the 35-year-old has worked as a mechanic for a variety of leading rallycross teams, currently acting as chief mechanic for TiKRX alongside his ‘day job’ for tool manufacturer Thoréns i Kil. This ever-strengthening partnership will now extend to a racing return at RallyX on Ice. “It’s going to be really fun to climb back into the cockpit again,” he enthused, “especially with four wheel-drive, which will be relatively new to me. I’m really excited to get going! “I haven’t raced competitively in quite some time, so it will be interesting to see what the pace is like. I know the guys I’m going to be up against are really fast, so I’ll need to be on top of my game.” Thoréns i Kil founder and TiKRX team manager Daniel Thorén put Hagström forward for RallyX on Ice, arguing that it is only right that he should be the first person to drive the car after putting in so much hard work over the winter. “It was a very easy choice to let Niklas drive the car,” commented Thorén. “He’s a fantastic driver and has a lot of experience. As he built the car, it seems fair that he is the first one to get behind the wheel at RallyX on Ice.” Run in conjunction with the Swedish Automobile Sports Federation, Svensk Bilsport, RallyX on Ice will be preceded by official test days and will feature three competitions – for Supercar Lites, Supernational and CrossCar/Crosskart. All entrants will be eligible to win the coveted RallyX on Ice titles, while the Swedish Championship crowns will be contested between drivers in possession of a Swedish licence. 20-02-26 Krogstad back to RX2 with #YellowSquad and vows: Now it’s my time... Former star RX2 rookie rejoins the fray in 2020 with #YellowSquad Norwegian returns a more experienced and complete competitor 21-year-old talks of ‘unfinished business’ in World RX feeder series Two years ago, Henrik Krogstad took the RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires by storm as he sped to a trio of podium finishes and third place in the overall classification as a rookie – but the season took its toll. Following a year on the sidelines, the talented Norwegian will return in 2020 with #YellowSquad, fighting fit – and ready to do battle for glory. After winning the Norwegian ‘Auto Sport Talent’ contest in 2015, Krogstad made his rallycross debut in RX2’s predecessor RX Lites on home turf at Hell the following summer – stunning observers by making it into the final en route to a fourth-place finish. In light of that, his outstanding form in 2018 was perhaps little surprise, and after reaching the rostrum in Belgium, Norway and Sweden, he came within a couple of corners of claiming his maiden series victory in France, only for a spin exiting the joker on the very last lap to cost him dearly. The 21-year-old nonetheless did enough to secure third place in the season-end standings, behind only Oliver Eriksson – a multiple champion in single-make Supercar Lites machinery – and future FIA World Rallycross Championship driver Guillaume De Ridder. After sitting out the 2019 campaign as he focussed on evaluating his career path and establishing his own rental company, Krogstad is now back and ready to fight again. A test with #YellowSquad at Kalvholmen Motorstadion in Sweden last November immediately showed that the fire was still very much alive – and he is eager to put into practice all the lessons he learned two years ago. “It has taken a lot of hard work to get back here,” he revealed. “I put myself under a huge amount of pressure in 2018, and that inevitably took a lot out of me. I was sick for a long time after the end of the season – it was three or four months before I felt right again. I decided to take a year away from racing to reassess everything, which really helped me to understand exactly what it is I want from life – and that’s rallycross. “Sometimes, it’s good to step away from things, because it gives you a sense of perspective. The break has left me feeling extremely hungry for success, and heading towards the new season, I feel much better prepared for what’s to come – I know what I’m going into this time. “The test last November was my first time back in a rallycross car since South Africa in 2018 – but it felt like I had never been away. I quickly felt at home inside the team and forged a good relationship with all the guys at #YellowSquad, and the speed was there pretty much straightaway. From that moment on, there was no question in my mind about what I needed to do – work flat-out to put a deal together to return. “I really believe in #YellowSquad’s vision and concept – we share a very similar approach to the way we go racing. Eric [Färén] has always run an excellent team, which will only be enhanced by the input from Kevin and Timmy [Hansen]. There are a lot of experienced, hard-working guys there and everybody has a lot of respect for each other – the vibe is extremely positive and I feel I fit in perfectly. “I’ve definitely got some unfinished business in RX2. What happened at Lohéac preyed on my mind a lot last year, and that serves as additional motivation for the coming season – although obviously, I want to take my first win well before we get to France... “I followed the series closely in 2019 – it’s not easy to watch when you want to be out there racing, but I forced myself to do it – so I have an idea about some of the competition and there look like being a lot of potential winners this year. I won’t underestimate anybody, but I’m feeling ready. Consistency will be a big factor, as will driving smart, but my primary focus will be on getting the most out of myself at every opportunity and improving throughout the season. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to get to Barcelona in April. It really feels like now it’s my time...” The former Norwegian karting champion will partner Supercar Lites newcomer Dan Skocdopole at #YellowSquad – a collaboration between FIA World Rallycross champions Hansen Motorsport and experienced RX2 outfit Team Färén. Already taking advantage of the Swedish squad’s comprehensive driver development programme that works on physical fitness, simulator practice, media training and driver coaching, Krogstad participated in a training camp last week alongside Skocdopole and the Hansen brothers. Team Principal Kevin Hansen clearly has high hopes for his new protégé. “It’s awesome to have a guy as talented as Henrik join the #YellowSquad programme,” enthused the Swede, who finished third in the World Championship standings last year. “He’s shown his speed in a Lites car before and we want to take him to the next level. “Henrik has already integrated very well into the team; he wants to succeed and is working really hard to achieve that success, which is super important. We have the tools here at #YellowSquad to help him improve even more, so now the hard work begins!” 20-02-26 RallyX Nordic sänker kostnaden för tävlande med förändrad startavgift 2020 2020 år anmälan öppnar nästa vecka RallyX Nordic gör justeringar av startavgiften Sju tävlingar i 2020 års RallyX Nordic RallyX Nordic presenterad av Cooper Tires presenterar idag sänkta startavgifter över alla klasser för 2020 års RallyX Nordic serie, startavgiften för en full säsong för huvudklasserna Supercar Lites och Supercar är 40,000 sek – upp till 50% sänkning i vissa startavgifter jämfört med 2019. Efter succén från förra årets första deltävling kommer RallyX Nordic även detta år starta säsongen med en dubbeltävling i Höljes den 23/24 maj. Med ökat intresse och växande antal startande i alla kategorier – främst i de väldigt tajta klasserna Supercar Lites och Crosscar. Supercar Lites har redan lockat närmare 15 bilar för full säsong innan anmälan officiellt öppnat. Nytt i år är att även svenska mästerskapet är med denna helg. Det är också deras första deltävling så helgen blir fullspäckad. Efter Höljes – som i år även arrangerar VM´s `Magic Weekend `i sommar – tar sig RallyX Nordic vidare till Nysum i Danmark för nästa dubbeltävling, omgång 3 och 4 den 6/7 juni. Deltävling 5 och 6 blir även den en fullspäckad helg med dubbeltävling i Norge på Finnskogabanan 25/26 juli. Tierp Arena som ligger beläget nära Stockholm avslutar RallyX Nordic säsongen 27 september – evenemanget inkluderar även en `Superlördag` med svenska mästerskapets avgörande den 26 september. Det planeras som final för samtliga Rallycross klasser i Svensk Rallycross, Den tidigare aviserade finska deltävlingen 29/30 Aug utgår tyvärr efter problem med evenemangs kollisioner, så 2020 års kalender kommer att stanna på 7 deltävlingar. Anmälan öppnar för samtliga klasser nästa vecka, RallyX Nordic organisationen arbetar även med ytterligare sänkningar av kostnader för att delta, men samtidigt ökar vi arbetet med tekniska kontroller för att får en bra balans. Förhandlingar för RallyX Nordics TV sändningar är också under slutfasen. Kostnader samtliga klasser 2020: Klass Tävling Startavgift Supercar / Supercar Lites Full säsong 40,000 SEK CrossCar / Crosskart Full säsong 28,000 SEK CrossCar Junior Full säsong 15,000 SEK Supercar / Supercar Lites Höljes, Nysum, Finnskogbanen (dubbel tävling) 12,000 SEK CrossCar / Crosskart Höljes, Nysum, Finnskogbanen (dubbel tävling) 8,000 SEK CrossCar Junior Höljes, Nysum, Finnskogbanen (dubbel tävling) 5,000 SEK Supercar / Supercar Lites Tierp (dags event) 7,000 SEK CrossCar / Crosskart Tierp (dage event) 5,000 SEK CrossCar Junior Tierp (dags event) 3,000 SEK ”Vi har lyssnat väldigt noga på feedback från tävlande, sänka kostnaderna för att delat samt tävla har varit viktiga i planeringen” förklarar Jan-Erik Steen, CEO av RallyX Nordic promotor RX Promotion. ”Det var det viktigaste pusselbiten för vårt arbete in vinter och vi är mycket nöjda med att presentera detta totala prisvärda paket för alla tävlande med sänkta startavgifter samt effektiv drift för teamen, vi är dock inte färdiga än och vi hoppas på fler positiva nyheter”. ”Det är även detta arbete som gjorde att vi tog beslutet att inte ersätta Finland i årets kalender, allt för att ge mer valuta för pengarna och göra RallyX Nordic så attraktiv som för tävlande”. ”Vi har försökt att arbeta med Finlands organisation så mycket vi kunnat och deras problem med kalenderkollisioner. I slutändan var det tyvärr inte möjligt att få till detta utan att det skapade andra kollisioner i kalendern. Det har alltid varit framgångsrika tävlingar i Finland för RallyX Nordic och vi hoppas verkligen att vi kan komma tillbaka till Finland 2021”. ”Vi har en otroligt bra och spännande säsong framför oss med an blandning av ikoniska banor, otroligt snabba förare och runt omkring aktiviteter. Vi är även i mitt i djupa diskussioner för att ge alla fans där ute ett mycket bra TV paket som ger fans och sponsorer det där extra, mer information om detta kommer snart. Vi på RallyX Nordic tycker säsongen 2019 var bra, målsättning att 2020 och framåt blir ännu bättre, men det är vi alla tillsammans som gör skillnaden. 2020 RallyX Nordic Kalender* Maj 23/24 Omgång 1/2 Höljes, Sverige Juni 06/07 Omgång 3/4 Nysum, Danmark Juli 25/26 Omgång 5/6 Finnskogbanen, Norge September 26/27 Omgång 7 Tierp Arena, Sverige *Alla datum beror på FIA / NEZ godkännande 20-02-25 World RX expands broadcast coverage in agreements with Sport1 and A1NOW The FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy will be broadcast live and in full on the SPORT1 platform throughout the 2020 season. The multi-year agreement will provide World RX with access to over 33 million households throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Coverage will also appear on the Sport1.de digital channel. “By extending our exclusive rights to the FIA World Rallycross Championship until 2022, we are strengthening our portfolio as the 'Home of Motorsport' in the long term,” Daniel von Busse, COO TV and member of the board of Sport1 GmbH, said. “SPORT1 will also accompany World RX on its promising path to an electric series. A special highlight for the German fans this year is the event at the Nurburgring, for which we offer the appropriate free-TV stage.” In a separate agreement, highlights of the FIA World Rallycross Championship will also feature on the Austrian OTT platform A1now. Nina Nawara, the Head of Communications for A1now, said that World RX would be an invaluable addition to the channel’s motorsport package. “We recognize a great need for high quality motorsports content in Austria and thus have decided to place a big emphasis on the topic in 2020,” Nawara said. “We are very proud to co-operate with the FIA World Rallycross Championship, a format that has steadily gained momentum since its beginnings in 2014. We are sure that the World RX will attract many viewers and be an outstanding addition to our program.” Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of motorsports events at IMG, said: “The agreements with Sport1 and A1now strengthen our presence across Germany, Austria and Switzerland and underline World RX’s increasing appeal among broadcasters. “We expect heightened interest from German fans in 2020 with the seventh round of World RX taking place at the iconic Nurburgring – a brand new venue for the championship.” The agreements with Sport1 and A1now extend a World RX broadcast audience which had a global reach of 650 million in 160 territories in 2019 spanning Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, the Americas and Europe. In addition, the appeal of World RX among digital audiences continues to grow – bolstered by live streaming which drew 530,000 viewers on average over a race weekend – a rise of 30% on 2018. 20-02-24 ‘Super 8’: OMSE’s 2020 octet ready for action on all fronts Swedish rallycross powerhouse unveils its ‘Super 8’ for 2020 Östlund, Aneklev and Enlund form potent RallyX Nordic line-up RX2 returnees Kallio and McConnell joined by new boy Enlund Eriksson trio’s programmes to be announced in due course Olsbergs MSE has today (24 February) officially unveiled its full driver line-up for the 2020 rallycross season, as the Swedish powerhouse goes in search of title glory across the board in Cooper Tires-backed series’ RallyX on Ice, RallyX Nordic and RX2 at the start of the new decade. Taking place as part of Sweden’s SM-veckan ‘Winter Olympics’ this year, RallyX on Ice presented by Cooper Tires will see the forthcoming campaign rev into life on Sweden’s frozen Lule River on 28 March, as Jesse Kallio, Martin Enlund, Niklas Aneklev and Oliver Eriksson prepare to vie for honours at the single-day winter contest in Luleå. RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires, meanwhile, is primed for another season of close-fought competition. Linus Östlund and Aneklev will be joined by newly-recruited CrossCar expert Enlund, who makes the step up this year to the ultra-popular Supercar Lites class – unquestionably one of the most competitive grids in rallycross. Kallio will join the trio for a one-off outing in the Höljes curtain-raiser in May. The Finn will similarly return to the fold in the RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires alongside Fraser McConnell, after their respective third and fourth-place finishes in last year’s standings. They will be joined in the official FIA World Rallycross Championship feeder series by Enlund, who has a full schedule of rallycross commitments in 2020. Kevin Eriksson and namesake Sebastian Eriksson will be looking to build upon their successes in RallyX Nordic and World RX last year, with their respective programmes – like that of Oliver Eriksson – to be confirmed in due course. Linus Östlund RallyX Nordic Supercar Lites runner-up in 2019, Linus is eager to go one better this season as the 20-year-old has his sights set on more victories and podiums. The Swede will also return for a guest round of RX2 at Höljes as he evaluates further opportunities in the series, with his second place at the ‘Magic Weekend’ in 2019 clearly leaving him hungry for more. “We didn’t expect to finish where we did in RallyX Nordic last year. The victories were very special, and it was great to fight with guys who have so much knowledge and experience. This year, I’m aiming for the top spot, but all the guys in Supercar Lites are really quick with lots of new names to watch out for, so we’ll see what happens.” Niklas Aneklev Following his maiden season of four-wheeled competition in 2019, Niklas is increasing his rallycross commitments this year to include an inaugural foray into RallyX on Ice, the full Nordic calendar and two guest rounds of RX2 at Hell and Höljes. The ex-motorcycle racer has big ambitions for 2020, with racing at the sharp end in each category set as a firm priority. “I gained a lot of experience last year racing with some really fast guys and on tracks that were all completely new to me. We had good pace in Latvia (Nordic) and South Africa (RX2), but I’m definitely aiming for podiums this season in Nordic, Ice and maybe even RX2!” Jesse Kallio RX2’s own ‘Flying Finn’ will return for a second season in the official World RX feeder series, having finished third in his rookie campaign in 2019 – collecting five podiums along the way. This year, Jesse has his gaze already fixed on title glory as well as a guest appearance in the Nordic season-opener at Höljes and RallyX on Ice in March. “The experience and skill on the RX2 grid is amazing, and to finish on the podium in my first five events was testament to the amazing team at OMSE. We had a tough end to the season but that has got me even more fired-up for this year. The calibre of drivers is really high as always, so we’re going to have to work really hard to win the title.” Fraser McConnell The architect of an equally eye-catching first season of RX2 – including a number of crowd-pleasing overtakes and a scintillating turn of raw speed – as he returns to the series this year, Fraser has outlined his clear desire to fight for the championship. “Last year, I didn’t know any of the tracks so I think the time I spent playing catch-up denied me the chance to challenge for victories. This year, there are only two tracks I need to learn and that will be the same for everyone. With the help of OMSE – who are the reference point in this class – I think we can fight for the title in 2020!” Martin Enlund Martin might be the least experienced driver in Olsbergs MSE’s 2020 line-up, but his standout performance in RX2 at Höljes last summer proved that he is a very quick learner indeed. The reigning Swedish CrossCar champion has the busiest schedule of the OMSE drivers this year as he prepares to compete in RallyX on Ice as well as full-season campaigns in RallyX Nordic and RX2, maximising his time in the car to gain as much experience as possible. “Track time is going to be crucial for me this year. It will be great for my career and will develop my driving massively, so I’m looking forward to making the step-up. The drivers in Supercar Lites are really fast, so I don’t want to set any goals but I think we’ll be competitive. OMSE has a huge amount of knowledge and expertise, which will be a great help.” Oliver Eriksson Reigning RX2 champion and RallyX Nordic runner-up, Oliver will compete in the single-day RallyX on Ice event at Luleå, with the aim of emulating his 2018 success. The Swede’s unparalleled Supercar Lites experience should prove invaluable as he bids to sign off his stint in the class in style. “Luck wasn’t on our side in RallyX on Ice last year, but I’ve won it before in 2018 so I’m ready for the fight! Having won the RX2 championship twice now as well as finishing second in Nordic twice at Supercar level, it feels like the natural time to take the next step in my career and I am hugely excited to see what lies ahead…” Kevin Eriksson With a 100 per cent win rate from his 2019 RallyX Nordic entries, Kevin is looking forward to climbing back into the cockpit this season, with his schedule set to be announced in due course. “For me, RallyX Nordic last year went really well. I had two guest rounds and won them both, so I can’t ask for more than that. I’d love to do more of the same, but we’ll have to wait and see what we can arrange for the year ahead.” Sebastian Eriksson An eye-catching 2019 for Sebastian has left many asking questions about his 2020 schedule, with noteworthy wins in both RallyX on Ice and Höljes’ Magic Weekend serving as timely reminders of the Swede’s talent and abilities. Like with namesake Kevin, his plans for the forthcoming campaign are still being finalised as he weighs up his options. “Last year was a great year for me – winning RallyX on Ice and at Höljes was really special. I showed what I can do on the world stage, so I’d like to do more of that. Let’s wait and see what 2020 brings for me!” 20-02-21 RX2 entries officially open ahead of eagerly-anticipated 2020 campaign Just under one month to register for World RX feeder series Observers predicting most competitive season to-date Exciting new package of prizes to be announced shortly Entries to the 2020 RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires are officially open, with a deadline of Thursday, 19 March to sign up to what is already promising to be the most competitive campaign in the championship’s history. Over the past three seasons, no fewer than 54 drivers have taken to the track in the official FIA World Rallycross Championship feeder series – representing some 12 different nationalities, from European heartlands such as France, Sweden and Norway to as far afield as the USA, Jamaica and South Africa, bearing witness to RX2’s truly international appeal. Underscoring the series’ level playing field and equal opportunities – with all competitors piloting identical, 310bhp, four wheel-drive Supercar Lites machinery – 18 drivers have finished on the podium to-date, while its credentials as a proving ground for future Supercar superstars is well-established. Cyril Raymond and Guillaume De Ridder both stepped up to the highest level last year, while World RX title protagonist Kevin Hansen is a former champion in RX2’s predecessor, RX Lites. The forthcoming season is shaping up to be fiercely-disputed, with several of last year’s key contenders signalling their intent to return, a raft of new talent stepping up and an enticing calendar of events spanning Europe and South Africa – including a new addition in the shape of Germany’s Nürburgring and the return of an old favourite with Portugal’s popular Montalegre circuit. Various packages are available for prospective competitors, with cars available to purchase or hire for full-season entries or single-event arrive-and-drive options. An exciting new range of prizes will also be announced shortly. The cost for full-season entry is £9,650 (GBP), which additionally includes awning space (outside of Europe), driver workshops and all pre-event promotional activities, a full on and off-event media service, shipping levy for South Africa and Facebook livestream contribution. Individual event entry is £1,400 (GBP) per round. In 2020, all seven rounds will be livestreamed on both the RX2 and World RX Facebook pages, offering unrivalled exposure for competitors and sponsors alike. The full-season entry fee also includes access to an on-event spare parts operation and a Mountune engine control technician, who is in charge of overseeing all cars and can assist or advise where necessary. 20-02-21 Östlund returns with sights set on 2020 Supercar Lites crown Last year’s runner-up gunning for title glory this season Swedish star anticipates ‘unpredictable’ campaign 20-year-old aiming to build upon impressive 2019 results Last year’s Supercar Lites class runner-up Linus Östlund has his sights set firmly on title glory in 2020, after confirming his return to RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires with Olsbergs MSE. Östlund’s 2019 season – his first full year at Supercar Lites level – saw him finish second in the overall standings. Two victories and a further three podiums from seven starts represented a superb achievement given his comparative lack of experience in the category. Two guest outings in the RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires confirmed the 20-year-old’s Nordic pace, as he finished second at his home round of Höljes during the always fiercely-contested ‘Magic Weekend’. The OMSE driver also made it into the final in South Africa en route to fifth place. In 2020, the Swede is back for more, with the clear objective of becoming RallyX Nordic Supercar Lites champion. With the continuity of a second consecutive campaign with OMSE and improved track knowledge, he is bullish about his prospects. “The whole Nordic season last year was better than we had hoped for,” enthused Östlund. “It was our first full campaign in Supercar Lites and we didn’t expect to finish where we did, so we were very happy with the results. The victories were very special, Tierp more so because we didn’t really have the speed that weekend, but we were there when it counted and were able to win. “To fight with the other guys who have a lot of knowledge was great experience. I had wanted more at Höljes, but we had some problems on the first day. On the second day I was hoping for a win, but of course we were happy to come away with a podium. “We had some struggles on the first two days of the RX2 event at Höljes, but we kept the pace on Sunday and had a really good semi-final which put us on pole for the final. It was an emotional rollercoaster of a weekend with my home crowd there, and my best event of the year – some childhood dreams were definitely achieved that day. We’ll be back this year for the ‘Magic Weekend’ and we’re working on more events in RX2. “I’m aiming for the top spot in the Nordic championship. Of course it’s not a bad result if we finish second or third but I think we have the pace and the tools to do the job. There is lots to watch out for with the new guys coming in this season. Martin Enlund was quick at Höljes and Nils Andersson knows how to drive a car – I’ve known him since we were kids. Everybody is really fast and it is quite unpredictable right now, so I’m looking forward to it.” 20-02-19 Oskarsson reveals full season of RallyX plans for 2020 One of Nordic’s elder statesmen prepares for 2020 season Finnskogbanen podium still fresh in the Swede’s mind 43-year-old looks ahead to first RallyX on Ice appearance Mats Oskarsson is the latest driver to throw his hat into the ring for RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires this year, as the Swede prepares for another season in the Supercar Lites category. The 43-year-old enjoyed an encouraging 2019 campaign, recording his best Nordic weekend to-date – an excellent second place in the final – at Finnskogbanen, Norway en route to ninth in the overall standings. Meanwhile, a guest round in the RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires at Höljes saw Oskarsson finish fourth in his semi-final, narrowly missing out on a spot in the final in a fiercely competitive field of 21 drivers. RallyX on Ice is also on the Swede’s agenda this year as he is signed up to compete in the single-day winter contest in Luleå as part of SM-veckan. “We had some great results last year,” commented Oskarsson. “Standing alongside Linus [Östlund] and Anders [Michalak] on the podium at Finnskogbanen was of course the highlight for me – that was the result of a lot of hard work paying off. “We’re back in 2020 for another season in Supercar Lites, which I’m really looking forward to, as well as my first outing at RallyX on Ice which is going to be really exciting and very different to what I’m used to. “The Supercar Lites class is always hugely competitive, so I’m expecting a real challenge from the other drivers on the grid, both at RallyX on Ice and in RallyX Nordic. I can’t wait to get started!” 20-02-18 Support class in 2020: ALL-INKL.COM TitansRX Supercar Cup TitansRX and ALL-INKL.COM have teamed up to create a brand-new rallycross competition - The ALL-INKL.COM TitansRX Supercar Cup - which will form the support class for the 2020 season. The ALL-INKL.COM TitansRX Supercar Cup will hold 10 rounds as double header weekends across five events. A winner will be crowned at the end of each round and the season-closing Grand Finale will have double points. TitansRX CEO Max Pucher expressed his excitement at teaming up with ALL-INKL.COM to bring Supercars to TitansRX: “We welcome our brand partner ALL-INKL.COM for the TitansRX Supercar Cup 2020. I am so pleased to come true on our promise to offer more racing for FIA Supercars as well. We had two very exciting rounds of Supercar Racing at TitansRX as support class in 2019 and the fans enjoyed the combination of seeing both racing series on both race days immensely.” Pucher added: “The Supercar racing will be very affordable due to the support of ALL-INKL.COM." ALL-INKL.COM will give a Hoosier tire package of ten tyres to the first ten cars signing up for the whole season. The remaining Hoosier rallycross tyres will be supplied at affordable prices. “I’m happy to support this new competition," affirmed René Münnich, ALL-INKL.COM CEO and Supercar driver. "I believe that with the new ALL-INKL.COM TitansRX Supercar Cup, we can provide a real valuable asset to the 2020 international Rallycross calendar. The ALL-INKL.COM TitansRX Supercar Cup offers a cost-effective championship on very interesting pure Rallycross tracks in Europe within the frame of the TitansRX race weekend. I’m looking forward to an interesting season and I wish all participants best of luck and fun for 2020." Each Supercar Cup round will have three qualifying sessions. Position Points are awarded for each race result and Time Points are given for the fastest overall time - together they add up to the overall qualifying result. This way drivers have to overtake more if they want better points, and weather and track conditions become less important. The best 12 drivers will compete in two semi-finals, and the top six will battle it out in the final. Similar to TitansRX, drivers get cup points at the end of each round based on their overall standing after the final. Qualifying sessions will comprise of five laps, semi-finals have six laps and finals have seven laps. Supercars have to take one joker lap. Penalties are enforced with an extra joker lap (a penalty lap). Screens on track will inform drivers if they need to take a penalty lap. The TitansRX support class will feature at five events during the 2020 TitansRX calendar. Supercar Cup: Round 1 & 2 - MJP Arena - April 25 / 26 Round 3 & 4 - Nyirád - May 23 / 24 Round 5 & 6 - Circuit de Ducs - July 11 / 12 Round 7 & 8 - Estering - Sept 12 / 13 Round 9 & 10 - Grand Finale - Nyirád - October 3 / 4 20-02-17Aneklev targeting podiums with Olsbergs MSE in 2020 Swedish star prepares for expanded rallycross schedule 28-year-old aiming to build on first season of four-wheeled racing Olsbergs MSE ace primed to make RallyX on Ice debut Yet another name has been added to RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires’ bumper crop of Supercar Lites stars in 2020, with Niklas Aneklev confirming his return to the series following a promising maiden campaign of four-wheeled competition last year. Having previously raced motorcycles, Aneklev switched to cars in 2019 and made an immediate impression on the RallyX Nordic paddock, reaching the final in only the fourth round of the championship in Latvia before an unfortunate roll three corners shy of the chequered flag took him out of contention. The 28-year-old went on to announce his presence on the world stage later in the year during the RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires finale in South Africa, impressively posting the fifth-fastest time in Q4 – quite an achievement given the calibre of drivers in the field. Now, Aneklev is expanding his schedule in 2020 to include RallyX on Ice – his first appearance at the spectacular winter event – a full season of RallyX Nordic and two rounds of RX2 at Hell and Höljes in the summer. “Last season was really good for me,” enthused the Swede. “It was my first time at every track, so hopefully I will be stronger in 2020 for the experience I gained on those circuits. It was great to be part of such an amazing team as well – OMSE is like a big family and they gave me loads of advice, so I’m really happy to be back with them again this year. I learned a lot in 2019, but I still need to work on driving smoothly to get faster and produce more consistent lap times. “It was fantastic to race with the RX2 guys in South Africa, competing alongside world-class drivers. We had some great results in the qualifying races – particularly in Q4 – but unfortunately, the driveshaft failed in the semi-final which was a big shame for us. “I’m excited to be involved in RallyX on Ice this season. It’s a great event. I’ll be pushing for a podium there but it’ll be a strong field of drivers, so I’ll do what I can and push all the way for my sponsors. “I’m working hard to be on the podium in RallyX Nordic this season, too. We’re hoping to be stronger at all of the tracks. The grid is looking really competitive so we’ve been putting a lot of hard work in over the winter, and now I can’t wait to be back racing again! 20-02-14 Flying Finn Kallio 'fired-up' for second season of RX2 Last season’s star rookie returns for 2020 with title in his sights Flying Finn ready to bounce back from luckless 2019 finale OMSE ace predicts ‘exceptionally high’ calibre of competition Jesse Kallio – one of the undisputed revelations of the 2019 RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires – will return for a second season in the official FIA World Rallycross Championship feeder series this year with title glory firmly on his agenda. Fresh off the back of a race-winning campaign in FIA Euro RX’s Super1600 class, Kallio shot out-of-the-blocks in RX2 last year, racing to five consecutive podium finishes with Olsbergs MSE and very nearly winning round three at Spa-Francorchamps, with only a slightly hesitant start in the final denying the Finn victory. Kallio looked set to finish second in the standings behind OMSE team-mate Oliver Eriksson, until cruel misfortune in the South African season finale – in the shape of electrical issues that ruled him out of two of the four qualifying races – dropped him to third. As he looks back, however, he does so with justifiable pride in his achievements. “My rookie season in RX2 was amazing,” he affirmed. “The series, car and team were all completely new to me and it was my first time running with four wheel-drive – and I finished on the podium first time out! That was incredible, particularly given how competitive the series is and how many fast drivers there were in the field with much more experience than me in Supercar Lites machinery – it was really rewarding to be able to take the fight to them. “By the time we got to Spa, I was challenging for victory, which was way more than I had been hoping for. I hadn’t expected to be pushing for the podium until later in the season, but we were up there right from the start. “It was obviously a difficult end to the year. We were well on-course to clinch second in the championship, but that was taken away from us through no fault of our own. That gives me a lot of motivation for the new season, and I’m feeling really fired-up and hungrier than ever to come out fighting for victory.” Kallio will unquestionably head into the forthcoming campaign as one of the title favourites, and he hopes his prior experience of competing at Montalegre – a track that will be new to many of his rivals – allied to his ‘dry run’ at Höljes during the RallyX Nordic curtain-raiser in May and his ongoing partnership with OMSE will pay dividends in what he predicts to be a fiercely competitive season. “The calibre of the competition looks set to be exceptionally high again – perhaps even more so than last year – and that means consistency will be key in the championship battle,” the 20-year-old asserted. “The continuity with OMSE is definitely an advantage in that respect. They have so much experience in the sport, and we established a very strong relationship last year so I’m really excited to work with all the guys again. “Montalegre is a tricky circuit to get to grips with, so it’s good to have some prior knowledge of it – that will hopefully play in my favour – and I’m looking forward to going to the Nürburgring, too. We don’t yet know what the rallycross track will look like, but it’s always fun to discover new venues – especially one with so much history behind it. “In a single-spec series like RX2, the racing is always extremely close but my goal for this year is clearly to win the title – and I’m confident that with OMSE, I have everything I need to mount a very solid challenge.” 20-02-13 Supercar Lites grid continues to grow as Haug joins list of entrants Norwegian set for full campaign of Supercar Lites competition Haug hoping prior track knowledge will be a boost in 2020 34-year-old adds brace of RX2 outings to his season schedule Lars Erik Haug has become the latest driver to sign up for RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires’ Supercar Lites category in 2020, as the Norwegian joins a fast-growing grid in the ultra-popular single-make class. Having raced in RallyX on Ice, RallyX Nordic and the RX2 International Series last season, Haug is no stranger to Supercar Lites machinery. Reaching the semi-final three times from five starts in 2019, he concluded the campaign placed 15th in the championship standings and added to that with a one-off appearance in RX2 at Höljes in the summer, highlighted by the 14th-fastest time in Q3 amongst the 21 high-calibre competitors. This year, Haug will return for a full season in RallyX Nordic, as well as two guest rounds of in RX2 in Norway and Sweden. With the 2020 Nordic calendar largely visiting the same venues as last year, the 34-year-old hopes his ever-increasing track knowledge will be of immense benefit as he goes toe-to-toe with the sport’s rising stars. “I’m really excited to be coming back for another season of RallyX Nordic,” enthused Haug, who first began competing in the discipline in 2005. “I had a great time last season meeting lots of new people and going to new tracks – and of course, the racing was seriously competitive! “I learned a lot in 2019 and we’re going to many of the same circuits this year, so we should be really well-prepared. The drivers who have already announced they’re entering the Supercar Lites class are all really quick, so it will be challenging but I’m sure it will be another great season!” 20-02-11 RallyX on Ice to mark Oliver Eriksson's Supercar Lites swansong Ultra-successful Swede to bring curtain down on Lites career 21-year-old targeting Sm-veckan glory in final class appearance Kallio and Enlund to partner Eriksson in Olsbergs MSE line-up Reigning RX2 Champion set to announce 2020 plans shortly Oliver Eriksson will make his final start in Supercar Lites machinery in next month’s RallyX on Ice presented by Cooper Tires festival (28 March), as the most successful driver in Lites history prepares for pastures new in 2020. Over the past four years, Eriksson has rewritten the record books in rallycross’ most popular single-make class and delivered on every surface, racing to two championship crowns and eight victories from 14 outings in the RX2 International Series and five wins, 14 podiums and another title in GRC Lites. The Swede has form in RallyX on Ice, too, powering to the drivers’ trophy courtesy of a brace of triumphs in 2018 and adding another win to his tally last year. This year, RallyX on Ice will form part of SM-veckan – Sweden’s multi-sport ‘Winter Olympics’ – on a purpose-built track on the frozen Lule River, right in the heart of Luleå, the capital of Norrbotten County on Sweden’s northern coast. As he revs up for his Supercar Lites swansong, the 21-year-old is fired-up to sign off in style. “I’m super pumped for RallyX on Ice,” said Eriksson. “It’s always a great event to kick-start the rallycross season, and being part of SM-veckan guarantees a sky-high profile and a big crowd. Driving on ice requires a different approach, but it’s a challenge I relish and after things didn’t quite go to plan last year, I’m determined to regain my crown! “It’s strange to think this will be my last appearance in Supercar Lites. I have to say, it’s been a hell of a ride – and far more than I could ever have expected! I’ve learned so much along the way, and in terms of preparing drivers to step up to Supercar level, you honestly couldn’t ask for anything better. As a single-spec category, the racing is always extremely close and that really teaches you to focus on the finer margins and the last few hundredths and thousandths-of-a-second that make all the difference in rallycross. “You only have to look at the names of some of the drivers that have used it as a springboard to Supercars – Kevin Hansen, Cyril Raymond and my brother Kevin Eriksson to name just a few – to appreciate Supercar Lites’ success, and now it’s time for me to step up and move on as well. We came within a point of winning the Supercar title in RallyX Nordic last year, and I’m looking forward to announcing my 2020 plans shortly. Watch this space...” Eriksson will contest the annual winter warm-up with Olsbergs MSE, where he will be joined by new boy Martin Enlund and Jesse Kallio, who won the RallyX on Ice title in the RX Academy class on a tie-break in 2018. The Finn pushed Eriksson hard throughout his maiden campaign in Supercar Lites in RX2 last year, and he is palpably excited for his first competitive outing of 2020. “It’s been a long winter with not so much driving, so it will be good to get back behind the wheel and dust off the cobwebs on the ice!” he acknowledged. “Being a single-day event, there’s no need to play the percentages or play it safe – it will be flat-out from start to finish and I can promise there will be no prisoners taken. It’s always fun to perform in front of big crowds, which I’m sure will be the case at SM-veckan. Have no doubt – we’re going to put on one hell of a show!” Kallio will similarly return to the track in RallyX Nordic this year, as he aims to maintain his 100 per cent winning record in the Scandinavian series. The 20-year-old has only entered one Nordic event to-date, and he will be targeting a repeat of his scene-stealing victory at Kouvola last summer in 2020’s curtain-raising double-header at Höljes on 22-24 May. “I had a great debut in RallyX Nordic on home soil last year, so I’m looking forward to returning to the series this season – and where better than at Höljes,” he enthused. “It’s a classic rallycross track – one of the truly legendary circuits in the sport – and one of my favourites on the calendar. It’s just a fantastic place to race! “The field is already shaping up to be ultra-competitive with a lot of very fast drivers and Scandinavian specialists, so I’ll need to ensure I’m absolutely on top of my game – but I’m more than ready for the fight!” Run in conjunction with the Swedish Automobile Sports Federation, Svensk Bilsport, RallyX on Ice will be preceded by official test days and will feature three competitions – for Supercar Lites, Supernational and CrossCar/Crosskart. All entrants will be eligible to win the coveted RallyX on Ice titles, while the Swedish Championship crowns will be contested between drivers in possession of a Swedish licence. 20-02-07 Olofsson back for another bite at Supercar Lites cherry Popular Supercar Lites class grid continues to grow Multiple podiums the target for speedy Swede Former series runner-up predicts ultra-competitive field Simon Olofsson will return to the RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires paddock in 2020, as he bids to build upon a promising 2019 campaign in the series’ Supercar Lites class that yielded fourth place in the overall standings. Olofsson’s raw speed was very much in evidence in RallyX Nordic last year, highlighted by a pair of second-place finishes at Höljes and Kouvola with STS RX and three other final appearances – but there were frustrations, too, as the 24-year-old failed to reach the last six in consecutive rounds in Latvia and Norway. This season, the Swede is aiming to accentuate the positives and is targeting plenty more silverware and champagne – although he is under no illusions that the calibre of the competition in the popular Supercar Lites category is likely to be tougher than ever. “I’m really looking forward to the new season of RallyX Nordic,” enthused the 2016 Swedish Supercar Lites Champion and RallyX Nordic championship runner-up. “We had some great racing last year, so I’m sure 2020 will be no different. “The team and I had good pace all season in 2019. We had some good races and some bad races. Obviously the two podiums were amazing, so we’re aiming for more of the same and to build upon the experience we gained last year. “The calendar is looking great this season, and the Supercar Lites class is always super-competitive. I’m expecting it to be even more so this year so we’ll need to be fast, but of course we always want to have fun as well!” 20-02-04 Jonsson returns for full-season of Supercar Lites and RallyX on Ice Jonsson announces eight-round campaign “We are more experienced and ready for the challenge.” RallyX on Ice also part of 2020 schedule with Alfta Racing Team After two guest rounds of RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires in 2019, Martin Jonsson will be returning to the championship for a full campaign of racing alongside a RallyX on Ice entry. Jonsson utilised his time in the Supercar Lites class wisely during the Höljes and Tierp weekends of 2019, acclimatising himself to the series and its ultra-competitive line-up of drivers. The Swede has firmly set his sights on the sharp end of the grid with the goal of breaking into the top ten by the end of the season. Nordanå Trä AB, Sandres Åkeri AB, Portgången Fastighets AB and Driver Trafikskoleutbildningar AB join him for his 2020 campaign as key sponsors adorning the side of the naturally aspirated 2400cc, 320bhp machine. “We debuted in the Supercar Lites class back in 2018 during SM-Veckan in Skellefteå,” Jonsson reflected. “Now two years later in 2020, we are more experienced and ready for the challenge. “Alfta Racing Team and I are really excited to be back in ‘the office’ again and compete against the very best drivers in rallycross and Supercar Lites. There are some new challenges for the team with many new tracks in Denmark, Norway and Finland. Luckily, we can adapt quickly to new tracks. “There will also be tracks where we have raced in 2018/19, for example the legendary Höljes and Tierp circuits. Last year we made it to the semi-finals in both races against really hard competition so hopefully we can make a bit further this year and get to the finals! My main goal for this season will be a top 10 result by the last race at Tierp Arena.” 20-01-29 Enlund steps up to RX2 as Swedish sensation joins forces with OMSE •Swedish star signs up for full RX2 season with Olsbergs MSE •18-year-old stunned on series debut at Höljes last summer •OMSE Team Principal Eriksson has high hopes for young protégé Martin Enlund will contest the full RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires campaign in 2020 with defending champions Olsbergs MSE, and following his standout debut at Höljes last summer, there are high hopes indeed for the talented teenage prodigy. Belying his minimal experience in Supercar Lites machinery, Enlund stunned observers with his pace and poise on his first appearance in the official FIA World Rallycross Championship feeder series last July, in what was the biggest field of the year with 21 cars. Third-quickest in FP2, the Swede – who hails from Västerås, around an hour west of Stockholm – replicated that result in Q1 before adding another top six time in Q3 and then going fastest of all in Sunday morning warm-up. The 18-year-old missed out on the final by barely a quarter-of-a-second, but that did not tell the full story. Forced into a spin at the first corner, he was the quickest man on the track in an eye-catching recovery drive that capped a stellar maiden weekend in RX2 [see link to video beneath images below]. He posted the four fastest laps of the race, with his best effort a staggering half-a-second out-of-reach of what any of his rivals could muster. Enlund’s main focus last year was on RallyX Nordic, tallying a trio of fifth-place finishes in the CrossCar category and adding the Swedish Championship laurels to his impressive career CV. In 2020, he will run dual Supercar Lites campaigns in RX2 and RallyX Nordic. To say he is excited to get out on-track would be quite the understatement. “It’s definitely going to be a busy season, and it will be so much fun to contest both series!” he enthused. “Driving as much as possible will be great for my career development and progression. “It was a surprise to be so fast at Höljes last year – that was a really cool feeling, and it made me realise I could genuinely be successful in RX2. It would obviously have been fantastic to make the final on my debut, but I was still very happy with my performance. That weekend, everything just felt right, and since then, I’ve been working hard to put together a full-season programme and make sure I’m as well-prepared as I can possibly be. “I’ve dreamt about competing on the World RX package since I was a child – RX2 is a series I have looked up to for many years – and now that dream has come true. It will be awesome to benefit from the World Championship spotlight and race in full view of all the Supercar teams. Hopefully that will open up even more doors moving forward. “The initial aim is to consistently reach the final – though of course, I’m secretly hoping for a bit more than that. I have no doubt that the competition will be extremely tough; everybody is fast and it’s shaping up to be a very strong field with, I’m sure, many more quick drivers still to be announced. “The one thing I don’t have any prior knowledge of – Höljes aside – is the tracks. The rest of them will be completely new to me. That will obviously give the more experienced drivers a bit of a head-start, but I’ve generally been a quick learner so I’m sure I’ll be able to catch up – and I know OMSE will help me to get to grips with everything as rapidly as possible. “It’s definitely the right team for me. Their results speak for themselves, with four titles in a row in RX2, and their knowledge and experience is second-to-none. They’re a great bunch of guys, and whatever they do, they tend to succeed. I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of fun together, and when you’re relaxed and enjoying yourself, your driving naturally benefits – so bring it on!” Olsbergs MSE CEO and Team Principal Andreas Eriksson has similarly high hopes for his new protégé, who he tips to ultimately emulate the success achieved by many of the squad’s former drivers. “It’s tremendously exciting to add Martin to our RX2 line-up for this year,” he said. “His performance at Höljes last summer really made everybody sit up and take note – the speed he showed in the semi-final in particular was nothing short of breathtaking. “We have worked very hard to put this deal together and will continue working hard to support his transition. We want to make sure he is as prepared as he can be going into the new season and can hit the ground running in Barcelona. With Martin and Fraser McConnell, we already have an extremely strong line-up for 2020 – and there are more exciting announcements still to come.” 20-01-28 Entries open for 2020 RallyX on Ice winter warm-up •Just under one month to register for seasonal curtain-raiser •24 places in Supercar Lites / Supernational;18 in CrossCar/Crosskart •New venue as part of Sweden’s ‘Winter Olympics’ in Luleå Registration is officially open for the 2020 edition of RallyX on Ice presented by Cooper Tires in Luleå on 28 March, with 24 places available in the Supercar Lites and Supernational classes, and 18 on offer in the CrossCar/Crosskart category. In recent years, RallyX on Ice has firmly established itself as the discipline’s must-attend season curtain-raiser, with its ever-growing status seeing it welcome the likes of FIA World Rallycross Championship superstars Timmy Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud as well as US racing heroes Josef Newgarden and Hélio Castroneves. Indeed, RallyX on Ice invariably attracts the crème de la crème of driving talent – all eager to claim pre-season bragging rights – with hundredths if not thousandths-of-a-second determining the results and spectacular sideways slides guaranteed. In 2020, fans watching trackside will be treated to not only some of the fastest and most fearless rallycross drivers around, but also a raft of other sports within the framework of SM-veckan, Sweden’s high-profile ‘Winter Olympics’, which incorporates everything from biathlon and cross-country skiing to dog-sledding, Alpine slalom, jiu-jitsu and powerlifting. That means a capacity crowd will be gathered downtown in Luleå on 28 March to watch all of the action on a purpose-built track on the frozen Lule River on Sweden’s northern coast. What’s more, with extensive live coverage of the ‘business end’ of the event on Swedish national television – complemented by a comprehensive livestream on SVT Play – competitors will truly be showcasing their skills to the largest possible audience. Run in conjunction with the Swedish Automobile Sports Federation, Svensk Bilsport, the single-day event will be preceded by official test days and will feature three competitions – for Supercar Lites, Supernational and CrossCar/Crosskart. All entrants will be eligible to win the coveted RallyX on Ice titles, while the Swedish Championship crowns will be contested between drivers in possession of a Swedish licence. Entry fees are 5,000 SEK (c. €470) for Supercar Lites – which includes a place in the paddock tent – or 2,500 SEK (c. €235) for the Supernational and CrossCar/Crosskart classes. All applications must be received by midday Swedish time on Sunday, 23 February, with places to be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Competitors should register at Anmälan Luleå ms City Race. Enquiries can be sent to: luleacityrace@gmail.com 20-01-21 McConnell targeting the title as he returns to RX2 with OMSE Rookie revelation returns to RX2 grid with Olsbergs MSE Jamaican ace aiming to build upon impressive 2019 results 21-year-old’s achievements recognised by brace of awards Fraser McConnell is set to return to the RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires with Olsbergs MSE in 2020, and with a successful maiden campaign now under his belt, the popular Jamaican says he will be all guns blazing in pursuit of title glory. Despite 2019 marking only McConnell’s second season in rallycross and first competing in Europe, he immediately made his mark, with a spectacular round-the-outside pass on OMSE team-mate Jesse Kallio in the Barcelona curtain-raiser resulting in a podium finish on his debut in the official FIA World Rallycross Championship feeder series. The 21-year-old reached the final on all but one occasion and laid down a marker for 2020 with a battling run to second place in Cape Town in November, posting the final fastest lap of the season as he delighted the South African fans with his trademark swashbuckling style behind the wheel. He concluded the campaign fourth in the overall standings, just seven points shy of the runner-up spoils. The accolades have kept on coming for McConnell over the winter, too. In addition to meeting Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness – with whom he discussed his international rallycross experience and efforts to continue putting the island nation on the global motorsport map – he was celebrated as Senior Sportsman of the Year at the star-studded FIA Americas Awards and Sportsman of the Year for Motorsports by RJR, the largest media house in Jamaica. Describing 2019 as ‘a life-changing season’, the reigning ARX2 Champion has even loftier ambitions for 2020, when – funding permitting – he hopes to dovetail his RX2 bid with a complementary campaign at Supercar level in Scandinavia’s RallyX Nordic series, to further hone his driving skills and career development. “I didn’t have any expectations last year,” reflected McConnell. “I didn’t know any of the tracks – the only prior information I had was either from YouTube or video games – so it inevitably took me a little while to get fully up-to-speed, and if you’re playing catch-up in rallycross, you’re not going to be able to fight for the win. “My team-mates Oliver [Eriksson] and Jesse [Kallio] played a huge part in helping me to get to grips with it all. Their experience was genuinely invaluable, and let’s face it, nobody knows the Supercar Lites car better than Oliver – I learned so much from him. “OMSE is the undisputed benchmark team in the discipline so I never even considered going anywhere else, and I really want to capitalise upon every opportunity they give me. Plus, there are only two new tracks I need to learn this year, but that will be the same for everybody. That’s the biggest thing for me, I think. “One of my major personal focuses this season is to make sure I’m more mentally ready for the challenge. Coming from Jamaica, there’s obviously a lot of travel involved, adjusting to different time zones and dealing with the associated jetlag – plus juggling my racing commitments with my college studies. It’s a pretty intense schedule and a big commitment to make, but I’ve devoted a lot of time over the winter to preparing myself. “It’s shaping up to be another tough season in RX2, with a very high calibre of competition. The level seemed to increase with each round last year, and every indication suggests it will step up again in 2020. Everybody is fast. Everybody is capable of putting down quick lap times. The difference is in the finer details – the hundredths if not thousandths-of-a-second that separate the field. That means it will all come down to consistency and not making mistakes, but I’m confident we have everything we need to fight for the title. “I’m working hard to maintain the momentum from my podium in South Africa and my ARX2 title win – I’m feeling excited and really looking forward to it all. Not only that, but the level of respect between the drivers in RX2 is pretty remarkable, so I can’t wait to get out there and race with those guys again. It’s going to be a fun year!” 20-01-21 Mästaren växlar upp och satsar på Rallycross 2020 Nils Andersson, mästare i Rally X Nordics Crosskartklass, står nu inför sin största utmaning hittills. Efter att ha segrat i Crosskart både 2018 och 2019, tar nu 20-åriga Andersson steget upp till Rallycross och Supercar Lites. Värmlänningen som tävlar för Motorklubben Team Westom i Arvika, hade flera alternativ innan valet föll på Rallycross. Efter att ha testat racing i V8 Thunder, Grp N Suzuki i Rally och lite olika Crosskartar föll valet till slut på Rallycross i Supercar Lites. Det blir en full säsong i prestigefyllda Rally X Nordic, en serie som lockar de bästa förarna i landet att tävla över 8 deltävlingar i 4 länder. Nils kommer att tävla i Supercar Lites, en enhetsklass där alla kör med exakt samma material i identiska bilar och förarens skicklighet är den viktigaste faktorn. ”Det skall bli fantastiskt kul att köra Rallycross, något jag drömt om sedan jag var liten. Det blir en utmaning då jag är ny i Rallycross, medan mina konkurrenter har tävlat i flera år i den här bilen. I en enhetsklass där alla förare har samma material är det viktigt att ha ordning på alla delarna, det är de små detaljerna som avgör. När premiären i Höljes går av stapeln i maj skall jag vara maximalt förberedd”, berättar Nils som till vardags studerar maskinteknik på Karlstads Universitet. Nils mentor, dubble Världsmästaren i Rallycross, Johan Kristoffersson som är en viktig kugge i Nils utveckling var delaktig i valet av tävlingsklass. ”Efter flera framgångsrika år i Crosskart kommer det att bli en spännande utmaning för Nils att ta steget upp till Supercar Lites i en serie där jag själv började min väg mot VM-Guld i Rallycross”, säger Johan Kristoffersson Nynäshamnsbaserade företaget RX Promotion står bakom serien och har utvecklat Supercar Lites att vara ett naturligt steg på vägen för att etablera sig i Rallycrosseliten. Klassen har fostrat flera Rallycross stjärnor som t.ex. Kevin Hansen, Sebastian Eriksson, Thomas Bryntesson och bröderna Kevin och Oliver Eriksson. ”Jag har personligen följt Nils karriär sedan han började med motorsport. Det är mycket roligt samt väldigt inspirerande att se unga lovande talanger ta nästa steg i karriären med tydligt mål och focus. Nils är verkligen ett sådant exempel och kommer från Crosskart med ambition och vilja att bli bäst i SupercarLites för vidare utveckling. RallyX Nordic är byggt för att främja just detta och bidra med en platå för dom att utvecklas vidare till nästa framtida storförare”, Jan-Erik Steen, CEO RX promotion AB. 20-01-14 Ben-Philip Gundersen klar för Supercar-EM tillsammans med JC Raceteknik 25-årige rallycrosstalangen Ben-Philip Gundersen tar 2020 steget upp från Supercar Lites till Supercar i mästerskapet FIA European Rallycross Championship. – Vi har länge jobbat med målet att ha Ben-Philip i Supercar, så att kunna ta steget upp till Euro RX tillsammans är kul. Han har helt klart den rätta farten, säger teamchef Joel Christoffersson. JC Raceteknik hade under 2019 sin mest framgångsrika säsong någonsin där de bland annat vann både Europamästerskapet och RallyX Nordic tillsammans med Robin Larsson. Ben-Philip Gundersen gjorde också ett bra år med teamet och knep RallyX Nordic-guldet i klassen Supercar Lites samt ett silver i RX2 International Series 2019. Gundersen har utöver det en stark meritlista med bland annat ett EM-guld i klassen Touringcar 2016 i bagaget. Nu är norrmannen redo växla upp sin motorsportkarriär ytterligare och ta steget in i värstingklassen. Bilen han ska köra är teamets ena Audi S1 Supercar. Tillsammans med JC Raceteknik kommer Gundersen köra full EM-säsong – FIA European Rallycross Championship. 25-åringens Supercar-debut blir 16 maj då EM inleds i Belgien på den välkända banan Spa – därefter följer ytterligare fyra deltävlingar i bland annat svenska Höljes och norska Hell. Joel Christoffersson, teamchef JC Raceteknik: ”Vi har länge jobbat med målet att ha Ben-Philip i Supercar under 2020, så att kunna ta steget upp till Euro RX tillsammans är kul. Under de två åren han kört för JC Raceteknik har vi sett hur han utvecklas hela tiden. Så han har helt klart den rätta farten för att ta det här steget från Supercar Lites till Supercar. Hittills har vi gjort lite tester tillsammans i bilen och jag ser stor potential i honom. Självklart kommer det här först och främst vara ett läroår. Men Ben-Philip är en vinnare, det syns i hans ögon. Så vi kommer jobba för att kriga i toppen och kunna kliva upp på pallen.” Ben-Philip Gundersen, Euro RX: ”Det här känns riktigt bra att få den här chansen. Sen jag började med folkrace som femtonåring har jag drömt om att köra Supercar på den här nivån, och det är mot det målet jag jobbat sen dess. Nu är jag här, och är väldigt taggad! Tillsammans med JC Raceteknik har jag gjort bra resultat i Supercar Lites. Vi har haft ett bra samarbete, så nu när den här möjligheten kom att ta steget upp i Supercar tillsammans kändes det helt klart rätt att fortsätta på den här vägen ihop. Att vi har en bra bil har vi kunnat se tidigare, så det kommer bli en spännande säsong. Gällande målsättning ser vi det framförallt som ett läroår. Även om Supercar Lites är den bästa skolan du kan gå för att förbereda dig för den högsta klassen så är det ändå väldigt stor skillnad mot att köra en Supercar. Dessutom har många av de andra förarna kört Supercar förut, så det kommer vara tuff konkurrens. Jag tror det är smart att under den första tävlingen känna av allt, jämföra sig med de andra EM-förarna och sedan ta det vidare därifrån. Målen lär förändras under säsongens gång.” 20-01-10 #YellowSquad unveils first RX2 driver for 2020 #YellowSquad is delighted to announce Czech teenager Dan Skocdopole as its first driver in RX2, the feeder series for the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship. In addition to a full season of RX2, competing at iconic tracks such as Höljes, Hell and Lohéac, Skocdopole will also race in selected rounds of the Scandinavia-based RallyX Nordic Supercar Lites championship in order to optimise seat time in the car during the year. Skocdopole tested #YellowSquad's RX2 car at Kalvholmen Motorstadion near Karlstad, close to the team’s base in Götene, Sweden. The 16-year-old impressed in tricky weather conditions, showing maturity and speed on his #YellowSquad debut. The RX2 cars are four-wheel drive, six-speed machines with around 310bhp produced by the 2.4 litre naturally aspirated engine, giving drivers the perfect platform to hone their skills and climb the RX ladder. Kevin, Dan and the rest of the #YellowSquad team will be undertaking an extensive pre-season programme of preparation before the season begins at Barcelona in mid-April. This will include more time in the car as well as specific fitness and media training ahead of the first round of the year. “This is incredible for the team! To have our first driver confirmed so early in the season really drives us all at the workshop to prepare as well as we can. We believe that RX2 is a perfect step for Dan at his age, as the car and competition demand hard, detailed work. “Dan impressed us during his test. Timmy [Hansen], who is Head of Driver Development, and Eric [Färén], our Team Manager, were very happy with the day together and the connection Dan and the team had was great. This is a very important point. “The test conditions couldn’t have been trickier, with a lot of rain and mud. But Dan really had a lot of skills and this showed he was able to control the car and work with the team to improve every time he was on track. We are looking forward to the preparations we and Dan have planned before the first race in Barcelona.” "I’m really excited to be joining #YellowSquad in RX2 this season! It’s a dream come true to be working with Kevin and Timmy, who have proven themselves to be two of the best rallycross drivers in the world. It will be a big test for me in RX2 as I know the competition will be very tough, but I feel this is a good step in my career to take and I am ready to get going in Barcelona. “My first test went really well last year and I think I am starting to get to grips with the RX2 car. It is a very reactive car and it demands a lot from the driver to get the most out of it. There will of course be a lot of lessons to take on board this season but I am looking forward to getting out on track." ”About Dan Skocdopole An experienced and successful go-karter, Skocdopole made a name for himself by winning the Czech championship title in 2015, before going on to claim the WSK KRS World Series championship crown in 2016. Skocdopole made his first steps in rallycross in 2018 when he contested the Italian Rallycross Championship, driving a Skoda Super 1600. He continued in the series last year while also making his debut in the German RX championship, taking a victory in his first visit to the Oschersleben circuit in October. He has tested a variety of GT and RX machinery during his young career to date, from RX2 and Super 1600 cars to Supercars and Electric RX. His aim is to become the youngest-ever World Rallycross Championship entrant and winner. 20-01-04 Evjen och Kristoffersson i fortsatt samarbete Sondre Evjen fortsätter i rallycross-EM även 2020. Den unge norrmannen har gjort klart med ännu en säsong i en Volkswagen Polo GTI RX. - Jag har väldigt stor tro på vårt upplägg inför året, säger en förhoppningsfull Sondre Evjen. Evjen inledde förra säsongen sitt samarbete med Kristoffersson Motorsport från Arvika under teamnamnet Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS. Då blev allt klart i sista stund inför EM-premiären. Nu har såväl förare som team betydligt bättre framförhållning. - Det har varit mitt mål att ha allt klart till nyår. Totalt sett ska vi komma mycket bättre förberedda i år och förhoppningsvis kunna kämpa om de översta platserna i varje tävling, säger 21-åringen från Ål och fortsätter: - Vi vill få till en mer stabil bil och som förare behöver jag nå en högre lägstanivå. Teamchefen Tommy Kristoffersson instämmer i de höga ambitionerna. - Förra året hann vi inte förbereda oss så som vi skulle ha velat. Nu är det dags att göra det på rätt sätt. Vårt mål är att ge Sondre den bästa bilen i EM-serien, och med rätt förutsättningar vet vi att han är snabb. Kristoffersson vill ändå inte prata om någon titeljakt. - I det här läget handlar det inte om att jaga slutplacering utan om att bygga Sondres plattform inför den framtida karriären. I det paketet ligger en hel del tester under året. Evjen kommer under 2020 att avstå från Lites-serien för att helt fokusera på EM i Supercar. Det innebär endast fem deltävlingar under året, vilket ger gott om tid för tester. I det sammanhanget blir dubble världsmästaren Johan Kristoffersson en betydelsefull faktor. - Johan har en viktig roll som mentor åt Sondre och han kommer även att vara med vid våra tester för att jobba med finjusteringar. Rådgivning i världsklass tackar Evjen förstås för. - Jag hoppas på ett gott samarbete med Johan. EM-serien inleds på Spa-banan i Belgien 16 maj, följt av norska Hell i juni och därefter Höljes i början på juli. Efter sommaruppehållet avslutas serien med tävlingar i Frankrike och Lettland i september. Det är ett tävlingsprogram som skulle ha kunnat skrivas av Sondre Evjen själv. - Det är de fem banorna jag vill köra på om jag får välja. I verkstaden i Koppsäng kommer det att jobbas hårt inför premiären för att optimera teamets Volkswagen Polo GTI RX. Stora förbättringar gjordes under förra året, men det finns mer att hämta, bland annat i form av viktfördelning. - Vi har vissa saker som vi vet att vi kan förbättra och det finns ett åtgärdsprogram för detta, berättar Tommy Kristoffersson. EM Supercar 2020: 16-17/5 Spa World RX of Benelux, Spa-Francorchamps 13-14/6 World RX of Norway, Hell 4-5/7 World RX of Sweden, Höljes 5-6/9 World RX of France, Lohéac 19-20/9 Neste World RX of Latvia, Bikernieki

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