Kristoffersson looking forward to Cape Town return with "100 percent win" record.

PHOTO CREDIT: Qnigan/Kristoffersson Motorsport

The FIA World Rallycross Championship 'finally' returns with a double-header in Cape Town, South Africa following a fire at Lydden Hill that destroyed two Special One Racing cars, equipment, and a truck.

After three months on hold, the World Rallycross Championship returns after the FIA World Motor Sport Council elected to continue the championship, but with equal cars, as the investigation into the route cause of a battery fire at Lydden Hill continues. 

Five-time World Champion Kristoffersson took a firm hold on the title fight during the third round of the championship early this season. With a maximum of 69 points up for grabs, and a lead of 27 points over runner-up Niclas Grönholm.

"Finally, it will be a race again! I'm really looking forward to driving in Cape Town," Johan Kristoffersson said. 

"100 percent wins down there. Also, I won the Gymkhana in Johannesburg, so I know worse places to go than South Africa. In general, I also enjoy it there. There are nice people, a nice atmosphere, and very good food."

Despite a big lead in the championship, he doesn't feel completely confident yet.

"It is late in the year, but there are actually more than 50 percent of the competitions still left. You have to be on your guard, but after all, I'd rather sit in my seat with a 27-point lead than have to take risks and chase," the Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS driver said.

Team-mate Ole Christian Veiby, on the other hand, will make his competitive debut on South African soil this weekend and said: "It'll be fun. The course looks really fun. We were also fast with these cars in Belgium. It is very important that we have driven this type of car a little before."

The Swedish squad has set a goal for the four remaining rounds - two in Cape Town and two in Hong Kong in November.

"Johan will win the driver's championship, where we will also get Ole Christian up on the podium and then we will secure the team championship," Tommy Kristoffersson, Kristoffersson Motorsport team manager, said. 

Former World Champion Ekström to make unexpected return at Riga.

PHOTO CREDIT: ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport

Former World Champion Mattias Ekström will return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship for the double-header event in Latvia this weekend, joining the ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport team.

Having ruled out a return to World RX at the end of the 2020 season, Ekström admitted that Extreme E was his sole focus, but earlier today that changed as he has confirmed an unexpected return to the World Championship.

With 58 World RX starts under his name, the Swede clinched the coveted crown in 2016 and has finished as runner-up in the standings on three other occasions. 

Ekström is a 12-time event-winner, making him statistically the second-most successful competitor in World Championship history – and the most recent of those victories was achieved in Latvia last season.

After a year away from the World Championship, he is looking forward to renewing battles with his old sparring partners this weekend. 

"I’m very excited to go to Riga with ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport for several reasons," Ekström said. "Firstly, I think the car has been performing really well lately and René [Münnich] proved that with a Euro RX1 win in France."

"Secondly, I really like the Riga track, and the fact that it will be a double-header weekend means there will be a lot of track time. And most importantly, driving a World RX Supercar is the best preparation possible for the racing activities that I do. With 600 horsepower and nearly 1000Nm, these are the fastest cars to drive and to keep myself race-ready.

"I will do everything I can in Riga to get a trophy for ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport because they have been fighting for a long time and really deserve it. We have two chances this weekend to achieve this goal."

ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport has impressed this season by competing consistently at the front end of the field, with Timo Scheider vying for the podium in both Spain and France, with Rene Münnich racing to his and the team’s maiden European Championship triumph last time out at Lohéac. 

For the first time in competitive rallycross, Mattias Ekström will drive something other than an Audi S1 Supercar, as he teams up with former DTM team-mate Timo Scheider to race a Seat Ibiza Supercar. 

O'Donovan and Knapick joins 10-car field for World RX of France.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

The entry lists for the FIA World Rallycross Championship at Lohéac on 3-5 September have been released, setting the stage for a thrilling weekend on French soil.

Following the Barcelona curtain-raiser last month and this weekend’s outing at Höljes, the World Championship title fight will be heating up by the time drivers and teams arrive in France for round three of the 2021 season – and aside from the usual suspects, the return of ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport’s Timo Scheider is sure to mix up the order after the pace the German showed in Catalunya.

Former British Rallycross Champion and Euro RX podium-finisher Ollie O’Donovan will return after almost four years away. He will drive his Ford Fiesta Supercar.

Ekström wins after thrilling battle with Kristoffersson.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media

Mattias Ekström has beaten Johan Kristoffersson in a thrilling six-lap straight fight for victory in the second round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Holjes. 

The 2016 Champion has been Kristoffersson's biggest rival all weekend. Ekström admitted after round one (yesterday), that he could give Kristoffersson a proper run for his money in a straight fight. 

Ekström started on the second row of the grid after being beaten in semi-final 2 by his teammate Robin Larsson, whilst Kristoffersson started from pole having topped qualifying and winning his semi-final. 

In the final, Larsson had the best launch seeing him, and Kristoffersson fight for track position into turn one. Whilst they fought, Ekström opted for his first lap joker tactic that has worked for him all weekend and gained clean air with only Kevin Hansen behind. 

Larsson went on the attack in the early stages keeping Kristoffersson very honest at the front of the field, but by lap two, the chasing Swede, Timo Scheider, and Andreas Bakkerud took the joker lap. Thus promoting Mattias Ekström into second and clean air with no real distraction. 

From there he was able to post fastest lap after fastest lap reeling in Kristoffersson. On lap 4, Johan had a 2.175-second buffer to Mattias and on lap five responded with the fastest lap of the race to extend the gap to 2.711 seconds, but Mattias eeked closer taking a further four-tenths out of the round one winner. 

In an attempt to drag out a few more tenths, Kristoffersson pushed the limits of the joker lap, but the gap was not enough and he emerged behind Ekström. In a pursuit to try and muscle his way past, the double World Champion tried a number of different lines, but to no avail. 

The pair crossed the line split by 0.194s, but later Kristoffersson was handed a five-second time penalty for hitting two-track markers on the joker lap. 

"Today we made constant adjustments because of the weather, and I have to say that Robin [Larsson] was really contributing and did really good starts. He took me in the semi-final, but then I got clean air in the final, which was key to my win," Ekström said. "I had a clean run and the car worked fine. I heard the gaps to Johan and I could hear that I was reeling him in and then I knew just to bang every lap inch-perfect to beat him and it's quite a pleasure because it's quite a while since someone beat him in that car fair and square because it hasn't happened many times."

"We made a step over the last two years with them [KYB]. To win is what I love and today is a great win!"

Johan Kristoffersson was left with a big smile despite finishing in third-place. 

"It was such a fun final," he said. "First of all, Robin [Larsson] had a good start from there on we had a little bit of a wiggle, so lost a little bit of time in the beginning and then started to push and getting into the rhythm. The car was working fine, so I am happy with that. Then I got the gap to Mattias and I heard that he was really close and then I heard no the radio that I really need to push. Then I got told that I increased the gap a little bit and I am not sure if it was correct or not, and then I had the joker and I knew that I would have to do everything in the joker and I actually cut both the pillars and I was meant to do one, but it turned out to be two and then got a five-second penalty. That was a fight to enjoy!"

Despite his mighty charge in the opening laps, Robin Larsson slowed into the velodrome section, and Kevin Hansen took third with a ballsy outside move soon followed by Timo Scheider. 

"I was there all day challenging the guys ahead a bit, but just not quite enough," Kevin Hansen said. "Then I took advantage of Robin's mistake in the final, and I think it was a pretty bold move around the top (outside) when I did it. I was like... what am I doing? Am I completely crazy or what? It was mega fun. And to get home from Holjes with a podium is great. It's a good start for the team, but we need to keep working hard because we have two fast guys to beat."

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

The 2019 EuroRX Champion ended the final in fifth, while Andreas Bakkerud brought it home in a distant sixth +31.949 seconds behind Ekström.

A heated battle in semi-final two saw reigning World RX champion Timmy Hansen, Timur Timerzyanov, and Anton Marklund not making the cut. 

Timmy Hansen was later disqualified "unsportsmanlike behavior during competition" after pushing both Bakkerud and Timerzyanov in semi-final 2. 

Niclas Gronholm, Krisztian Szabo, and Anton Marklund also failed to advance to the finals. 

The question on everyone's lips after the thrilling final is: Will Mattias Ekström return for the full-season after winning in Sweden? 

"It was only planned for here [In Sweden]," Ekström said. "I will speak to Joel [Christoffersson] when I get back [to the garage]. I still have other commitments, which is clashing with other weekends. Finland, I admit would be nice, but then afterward it looks really difficult unless some of my bosses, friends or partners would like to contribute for me to continue, but for the time being that is not the plan."

Written By Junaid Samodien 

In conversation with Timo Scheider ahead of the 2020 World RX season.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross.

Timo Scheider joined the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2015 and immediately impressed upon his full-time debut at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2017. The Rallycross bug had evidently bit the German racer hard as he will compete in his sixth World RX season, this time alongside team owner, Rene Münnich. 

Scheider was quick to show his love for Rallycross, stating that general paddock life and way of racing as the reasoning behind this passion for the sport. Coming from circuit racing background (DTM), the driving style in World RX tends to differ and while both racing formats create a form of adrenalin, it does tend to differ. 

“It’s the best feeling you can have when you have to handle such a strong car on different surfaces” Scheider mentioned. 

After 16-years and two championships (in 2008 and 2009 with Audi) in the DTM series, Scheider started his full-time campaign in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. In only his first race, Scheider managed to put pressure on another former DTM- and newly crowned, WRX champion, Mattias Ekström. 

Starting from the second row of the grid, Timo passed the stagnant Johan Kristoffersson and then Andreas Bakkerud for second-place. Outpacing the latter, both Ekström and Scheider jokered on lap 2 to exit just in front of Bakkerud and the chasing pack. To be able to do this on debut, as well as to finish right on the rear wing of the newly crowned champion, showed the world what he was capable of. 

Scheider’s second true showcase came in 2018, competing in the ARX at Silverstone. With a flipped bonnet and impaired vision, he finished the race only 0.57 seconds behind Patrick Sandell in second. 

In 2019, the German did well, recording a final race appearance at Yas Marina, Silverstone, and Killarney (South Africa). He also recorded semi-final appearances at the Circuit de Catalunya, Spa Francorchamps, Hell, Trois-Rivieres, Loheac, and Riga. This meant that he only missed out on a single finals’ appearance throughout the whole season. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Junaid Samodien/Slipstream SA

Joining forces with Rene Münnich, 2020 is set to be a very exciting year for the team. 

Speaking to Timo Scheider ahead of the 2020 season, the German champion explained his ambitions for the 2020 season. “I need to be on the podium. This is a clear target for 2020”, he mentioned as his first ambition from the year. 

Having stood on the WRX podium and just missing out on several occasions, the Münnich Motorsport driver certainly proved his worth in 2019 and will undoubtedly come into the 2020 season with valuable lessons learnt. 

Having a teammate for 2020 will also help with a much quicker car setup and track analysis than before. Whereas Timo previously used the 4 heats to set up his car for the finals, a combined input from his teammate should help to set up the car much quicker. 

Scheider is also confident that the 2020 car will be stronger, stating that the team engineer spent time on the previous weak areas. 

Whilst most of the World is currently still under partial lockdown due to the COVID-19 virus, Scheider mentioned that he is spending the time with his two boys and wife at home. 

Talking about what he is most looking forward to in 2020, Scheider quickly mentioned his anticipation for the first line up with his competitors, sending it into turn one (whichever track it might be). 

The German is clearly very anxious to kick off the 2020 season and we can certainly not wait to see the ALL-INKL.com Muennich Motorsport team in action. 

Written By: Franco Theron and Junaid Samodien