Kristoffersson aims to replicate Höljes comeback victory as he returns for Arvika.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic.

Double world champion Johan Kristoffersson will return to action when RallyX Nordic races into Arvika on 7-9 August, after confirming his participation in round three of the series’ 2020 campaign at his home circuit.

 

The Swede made his eagerly-anticipated rallycross return at Höljes’ ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend earlier this month – and straight out-of-the-box, he was on the leading pace.

 

Fastest in the first free practice session in the headlining Supercar class behind the wheel of his 2016 VW Polo Supercar, the two-time FIA World Rallycross Champion missed out on topping the timesheets in Q1 on Thursday by less than 0.040s. He went on to finish a close second in the round one final, right behind the winner and reigning RallyX Nordic title-holder Robin Larsson.

 

When the heavens opened on Sunday, Kristoffersson outclassed all of his rivals in Q4 as conditions deteriorated and then simply drove away from his pursuers in the semi-final, going more than six-and-a-half seconds faster than anybody else could muster. 

 

"It was so much fun to be competing in a rallycross event again – especially on Sunday when the rain came and gave us a sniff of victory," he said. "I love every aspect of this sport, and after a year away, it felt like coming back home."

 

"In many ways, Höljes was the perfect weekend with the mixed weather, and we learnt a lot. The Polo isn’t new to us, but we made a lot of changes to it over the winter so there was a whole list of things we wanted to try out and different set-ups we wanted to experiment with.

 

"In the wet, we were right on the pace – if not indeed setting the pace, which was really encouraging. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of driving in conditions like that. In the dry, we discovered where we need to improve to make the car even more competitive, and we’ve been working hard to do that ever since.

 

Almost 20 months on from his last victory in the discipline, his sensational comeback triumph at Höljes proved beyond doubt that Kristoffersson is back in business on the rallycross scene – and now he is aiming to keep that success story going at Arvika.

"Arvika is my local track – literally just 5km from my front door – and it’s one of the first I ever drove in rallycross, back in 2013," Kristoffersson said. "We’ve tested there a few times recently, and it’s great news that RallyX Nordic is returning after a year away."

 

"As a circuit, Arvika always generates close racing, and the joker lap coming right at the end of the lap can make for interesting finishes, so I’m sure it will be exciting. Hopefully, we can pick up from where we left off at Höljes..."

Written By - Junaid Samodien