Gundersen makes step-up to Euro RX with JC Raceteknik.

PHOTO CREDIT: JC Raceteknik

RX2 race winner Ben-Philip Gundersen will make the step-up from Supercar Lites to Supercars for the FIA European Rallycross Championship this season with Swedish team JC Raceteknik.

The 25-year-old Norwegian competed in the Supercar Lites support category, winning the title in RallyX Nordic and finishing second in the RX series standings last year. He has also claimed his first FIA European Championship title in the TouringCar class in 2016. 

Gundersen will now go into battle for the European crown this year with the same team that won the Euro RX and RallyX Nordic titles last season. 

"It feels fantastic to have this opportunity. Since I started competing in folkrace as a 15-year-old, I have dreamed of racing in Supercar at this level and I’ve been working on that goal ever since. Now I’m here and I’m very excited," Gundersen said.

"Together with JC Raceteknik, I have achieved good results in Supercar Lites. We’ve had a good collaboration, so now I have this opportunity to take the step up in Supercar, it definitely feels right to continue on this road together. We know the car is good, so it will be an exciting season."

"Regarding our goals, this is firstly a learning year," he admits. "Even though Supercar Lites is the best school you can go to, to prepare for the highest class, it’s still very different from driving a Supercar. I expect many of the other drivers to have raced Supercar before, so it will be hard competition. I think it will be sensible to get a feel for everything in the first race, to compare with the other European drivers and then take it from there. I think our goals will evolve over the course of the season."

JC Raceteknik Team Principal Joel Christoffersson believes that Ben-Philip Gundersen has "great potential" to do well in Supercars.

"We have worked for a long time on the goal of having Ben-Philip in Supercar in 2020, so being able to take the step up to Euro RX together is great," said Christoffersson.

"Over the two years he has been racing with JC Raceteknik, we have watched him develop the whole time and he clearly has the correct pace to take make this step. We have done some testing and I can see great potential in Ben-Philip in Supercar."

"Of course, this will first and foremost be a learning year, but Ben-Philip is a winner, you can see that in his eyes, so we will work to fight at the top and aim to make it to the podium.”

Written By Junaid Samodien
Photo Credit: JC Raceteknik