Mattias Ekström claims a podium finish for EKS Audi Sport in Riga.

PHOTO CREDIT: Audi Sport 

EKS Audi Sport claim their sixth podium finish in the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship season. At the ninth round of the season in Riga, Mattias Ekström finished second, only 2.3 seconds behind the racer winner and championship leader Johan Kristoffersson.

Ekström had a smooth road to second place in Riga: by being placed third in the intermediate results. The Swede qualified for the semi-final where he clinched a place in the final after finishing second behind Kristoffersson. In the crucial final, Ekström was again only once again beaten by Kristoffersson and thus claimed the sixth podium finish for EKS Audi Sport in the 2018 season.

“I’m pleased about the solid weekend, we had several good preliminary races and made great starts,” said Ekström. “But I obviously want to win races – and we were very close again here. There are several world championship rounds still ahead of us and we’ll be fighting just as hard.” 

In the drivers’ classification, Ekström moved up to second place ahead of his team mate Andreas Bakkerud, while EKS Audi Sport maintains second place in the teams’ classification.

Nico Müller, contested his first wild card race of the season in Latvia, also qualified for the semi-finals. However, Müller and Bakkerud were both out of luck: in a collision at the start. 

“As a result, my front suspension was damaged,” reported the Swiss driver. As a consequence, both drivers missed making the cut for the final. “It was one of the hardest weekends that I’ve had this season,” said Bakkerud. “I fought at the beginning with my pace and to find the right set-up. In the semi-final I made a good start, but I got squeezed by the two Peugeots in the first corner and my race was destroyed as a result.”