Kristoffersson re-writes the history books in Latvia.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Super Swede Kristoffersson has re-written the history books having beaten his own record for the number of victories in a year. The defending World RX champion has claimed eight wins from nine races. 


The Swede's latest victory was crafted from an exceptional race weekend where he showed the kind of pace and determination of a world champion. And it’s a race win that takes him – and PSRX Volkswagen Sweden – another step closer towards another title. 

The unstoppable Swede recalls fond memories of claiming his maiden FIA World Rallycross Championship in Latvia last year. “I had some great memories of winning my first world championship here last year and it was nice to be back again," said Kristoffersson. "We did our testing here in the middle of the year, but to see the grandstands full again was really bringing back the memories of last year – it made me want another world championship!"

Kristoffersson beat Frenchman Sebastien Loeb by just 0.009 seconds in Q1, claiming the fastest time and slotted into P1 in the standings. "Q1 was crucial here – it was so tight, but beating Loeb by nine-thousandths of a second was vital to get pole for Q2," explained Kristofferson. "That helped shape the whole weekend."

By claiming pole position for Q2, the Swede was able to keep out of trouble at Turn 1. Turn 1 claimed quite a few victims, including his teammate Petter Solberg in semi-final one.

"Turn one here is so important, we saw a lot of chaos here and I tried my best to keep out of it and succeeded thankfully," says the Swede. "From pole it is, of course, much easier to brake late and keep position."

The semi-final seemed fairly easy for the defending champion, but he reveals that it was not as easy as, it might have appeared. “In the semis, the first couple of laps were actually quite messy and I made a few mistakes; I was more cautious as I knew my pace was good," says Kristoffersson. 

After a messy semi-final, Johan made a few changes to improve the Volkswagen Polo R Supercar for the final. "We had a great launch off the line, the car was fantastic and I felt comfortable pushing," the PSRX Volkswagen driver said. 

"I have to thank the team for their hard work to improve our starts which was so important here, it's worked well and really made this victory possible."