25-01-17 Pontus Tidemand makes
WRC2 comeback at Rally Sweden with JC Raceteknik
Junior-WRC and WRC2 Champion Pontus Tidemand is set to make his WRC2 comeback
at the Swedish round of the World Rally Championship, Rally Sweden, in Umeå
from February 13–16, driving for JC Raceteknik.
Tidemand, who won the WRC2 championship title in 2017, will be making his first
WRC appearance since 2020, when he claimed the WRC2 silver medal. Partnering with
JC Raceteknik, he will compete in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 alongside Norwegian
co-driver Jørgen Eriksen.
The Rally Sweden entry wasn’t part of Tidemand’s original plans but
came about after a visit to JC Raceteknik’s headquarters in Kil recently
when the topic of the rally came up.
This will also mark Tidemand’s first Rally Sweden since the event moved from
Värmland to Umeå. To prepare, he will compete in the Swedish Championship
opener, North Rally Boden, the weekend before Rally Sweden.
Although this is his first WRC2 start since 2020, Tidemand remains the most successful
driver in the class's history, boasting 14 victories.
Pontus Tidemand:
“I stopped by Joel [Christoffersson, Team Manager at JC Raceteknik] late
last week, and he mentioned they had a Skoda available for Rally Sweden. I hadn’t
even considered competing before that, but once he brought it up, I couldn’t
resist. And here we are. I’ve never competed in Umeå before, but I’ve
been there to watch. Rally Sweden is always special. I’ve taken a step back
from it, but I did drive it 10 years in a row in Värmland, and it went pretty
well back then. We’ll be racing the North Rally in Boden as preparation.
It’s always good to have a rally under your belt before Rally Sweden. I’ve
competed in the WRC for many years and don’t feel I have anything left to
prove. But we’re coming with a great car, a great team, and a longer rally
format suits me well. When it’s time to compete, you always get fired up.
Still, this is mostly about the experience and the joy of it all."
Joel Christoffersson, Team Manager at JC Raceteknik:
“We are thrilled to have three cars at the start of Rally Sweden, and having
Pontus on the team is incredibly exciting. Hopefully, he can contribute a lot
with all his experience. We’re starting with the Swedish Championship in
Boden with three cars, and the very next week we head into Rally Sweden—it’s
a fantastic feeling. This is the first time for the team that we’re fielding
so many cars in both a WRC and an SM event. We’re absolutely pumped and ready
to make the most of it.”
