Kristoffersson credits mechanics for victory and overall RallyX Nordic lead.

PHOTO CREDIT: Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS.

Johan Kristoffersson has taken hold of the RallyX Nordic championship after the first weekend of the season in Denmark.

The three-time world champion followed up Saturday's second place with a victory a day later.

"I'm very satisfied on the whole. We went through the whole weekend and picked up many points," Kristoffersson said.

The season opener on Saturday caused some technical problems for Johan and his team, but he was still able to claim a second-place finish behind Fraser McConnell. 

There was no time to rest for the Kristoffersson Motorsport mechanics. They frantically worked until the wee hours of the morning to prepare the car for Sunday, where Johan took home maximum points haul as the best qualifier and with victories in both the semi and final.

"A mechanic victory! A super job by the mechanics. No problems with anything today," he adds.  

Tactics are key in rallycross, as Kristoffersson saved tyres for the upcoming rounds of the RallyX Nordic championship. 

"There are a bit tougher tyre regulations here than in the World RX championship, so you have to try to make trade-offs to save on tyres," he said. 

This meant the 32-year-old lost the victory in one of the qualifying rounds, but overall he was in firm control.

"It still felt safe all the way," Tommy Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS manager, said. "We got to patch up the car and give it real love until well into the night after the first race. There were no normal work shifts that the mechanics put down."

Johan returns to Sweden not only, as the overall standings leader in the RallyX Nordic Supercar class but also as the father of a newborn daughter. Congratulations Johan! 

Kristoffersson returns for RallyX Nordic season opener.

PHOTO CREDIT: Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS

Three-time World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson will return for the RallyX Nordic season opener in Denmark next month. 

Fresh from victory in the inaugural Extreme E race in the Saudi Arabian desert, Johan Kristoffersson has confirmed his participation in the 2021 RallyX Nordic season opener in Nysum, Denmark on 1-2 May. 

"It's nice to get going and to visit a track I have never been to before," Kristoffersson said.

Despite not being able to race the Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R supercar that he has used in the World RX championship, the Swede is quite confident of the improvements that have made to the KMS-built and updated Polo GTI RX car last year. 

"The car has a high capacity after last year's updates," he said. 

The team has confirmed that Johan will take the wheel of the Polo GTI RX in a test session next week at the Westombanan track. 

As we all know from his successful motorsport career, the 32-year-old does not aim for anything higher than victories. 

"[The aim is to] take the starts and stay away from problems as much as possible", he says. "The starting field looks to be good, so nothing is given."

At the moment, Johan is only registered to compete in the Danish double-header in Nysum next month, but it's rather clear that he wants to be able to complete the entire Nordic season.

"I hope so. We have that as a goal in any case," Kristoffersson said.

Will Johan return to the World Rallycross Championship in 2021? It does not seem likely at this point in time, as the team waits for the transition to electric power in 2022. But instead of waiting around, KMS aims to compete in the full RallyX Nordic season which consists of four race weekends and a total of seven races. 

"It's good to keep going. We are waiting for electric in rallycross, so this will be good driving training for that, and also for upcoming competitions in Extreme E," he concludes.

Sondre Evjen joins Ide at EKS JC for RallyX Nordic.

PHOTO CREDIT: JC Raceteknik

Sondre Evjen has signed up to race a Supercar in the RallyX Nordic series this season with EKS JC, joining Enzo Ide in the team. 

"It feels really nice to be back with the team. It was with Joel that I started my rallycross career, and we have always had a good dialogue," Evjen said. 

"I’ve had two educational years in the European Championship with the Kristoffersson team, where I developed as a driver and was able to improve the pace in the car. Aside from some tests, Nysum will be my first time in the Audi."

"The car is known for being strong and reliable, but it is also a demanding car to drive. It will be exciting to see if I can get into it straight away and be on the pace immediately in Denmark."

The 23-year-old Norwegian will race an Audi S1 ​​EKS RX Quattro and has already completed some testing pre-season. However, the opening rounds of RallyX Nordic in Nysum, Denmark will be his series debut with the Audi. 

Joel Christoffersson is thrilled by his strong driver line-up for the 2021 RallyX Nordic series. 

"It feels really good to strengthen the team with another strong driver. We have a good line-up and are excited to get to the first round," Joel Christoffersson, EKS JC Team Principal, said.

"Sondre has been on a short trip with the KMS team for a couple of years, and we’re pleased to have him back with us again. We know each other so it will be fun to work together and for the first time really focus on Supercar. Sondre’s a fast driver who has developed enormously during his two years in Supercar, so we will definitely be trying to fight for the top three at the end of the year."

EKS JC to field Enzo Ide in RallyX Nordic

PHOTO CREDIT: Jan-Kåre Rafoss

Belgian racing driver Enzo Ide will continue his rallycross venture with the newly formed EKS JC team in the full RallyX Nordic season. 

Ide has a successful circuit racing background with a Champion’s title in Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup and several podium finishes in various GT endurance races. In 2018, he made a switch to rallycross and since has competed in selected World RX, RallyX Nordic, and British Rallycross Championship rounds. He finished the 2020 season with a double 2nd place in British Rallycross Championship at Lydden Hill and also qualified for Semi-finals at two FIA World RX races.

The 29-year-old Belgian has committed to the full RallyX Nordic championship season in 2021 with EKS JC, in the EKS built and prepared Audi S1 EKS RX Quattro Supercar. 

"I am really happy to commit to a full RallyX Nordic season this year. Last year at Höljes I had good fun, but it was also quite tough. At the time I had very little time in the car and I was not fully ready. It will be different this year, as I have had a chance to adapt to the car and it suits me very well. I feel really excited to get back in the rallycross car, and enjoy RallyX Nordic, which features very nice race tracks and has good competition," Enzo Ide said. 

"I am pleased that I can continue to drive the Audi S1 EKS RX quattro with the EKS JC team. It is important for me to have a good atmosphere in the team, like we always have. It makes me feel comfortable and it helps to improve my result on track, while we still have a good fun in the paddock."

EKS JC Team Manager Joel Christoffersson says the team will begin their preparations with a pre-season test session, in order to be fully ready for the race in Denmark. 

Christoffersson adds that the main goal for Enzo in the RallyX Nordic championship is "to show a consistent and growing pace." 

"If he [Enzo] can continue from where we left last year in Lydden, he will have no problems fighting for the Final and podiums in every race," he concludes.

The championship will consist of four races, starting in May at Nysum (Denmark), that will be followed by rounds at Höljes (Sweden), OuluZone (Finland), and Arvika (Sweden).

Three double-headers and a super Swedish showdown to decide RallyX Nordic title fights.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic.

Finland rejoins the RallyX Nordic schedule in 2021 with a double-header weekend at OuluZone.

Despite the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic, RallyX Nordic bucked the trend in 2020 with a tremendously successful season. Not only did the series stage the first major international rallycross event of the year last summer – Höljes’ ‘All-Star Magic Weekend’, attracting some of the biggest names in rallycross and rallying, namely, Johan Kristoffersson, Niclas Grönholm, Timmy Hansen, Oliver Solberg and Thierry Neuville.

Over the course of the campaign, NEP Sweden produced more than 43 hours of cutting-edge, live high-octane action, state-of-the-art drone footage and privileged behind-the-scenes insights (all of which can now be viewed for free here), taking viewers right to the very heart of the events during a period when trackside attendance was strictly off-limits.

In addition to keeping fans royally entertained – with pulsating title fights in every class rooting them to their seats season-long – it also ensured competitors enjoyed unprecedented levels of exposure and their sponsors benefitted from unparalleled return on investment, at a time when value for money was arguably more important than ever.

With five classes on the agenda – the pre-existing Supercar, Supercar Lites, CrossCar/Crosskart and CrossCar Junior categories joined by Open 2WD in 2021 – and interest already running at record levels, everything is set for another spectacular season of RallyX Nordic competition as bumper grids are anticipated across the board.

The 2021 campaign will get underway with a Danish double-header at Nysum – scene of last year’s title-decider – on 1-2 May, while Sweden’s iconic Höljes circuit plays host to rounds three and four a few weeks later (13-16 May). 

Finland makes a welcome return to the calendar on 5-6 June with the double-header contested at OuluZone in the north of the country, before Arvika in southern Sweden brings the curtain down on proceedings with a single-header showdown on 13-15 August.

“We are delighted to confirm Finland’s return,” said Jan-Erik Steen, CEO of RallyX Nordic promoter, RX Promotion. “We have always maintained a good relationship with the Finnish event organisers, and it was a shame we were not able to go there last year due to scheduling difficulties.

“As we said at the time, it was very much our intention to reinstate Finland to its rightful place on the RallyX Nordic calendar, and to have reached an agreement to race at OuluZone is fantastic news for all concerned. Together with Nysum, Höljes and Arvika, we are confident we now have all the ingredients for an exciting, varied and thrillingly unpredictable season ahead.”

2021 RallyX Nordic Calendar

May 1-2           Rounds 1/2 Nysum, Denmark    RallyX Nordic only

May 13-16        Rounds 3/4 Höljes, Sweden    RallyX Nordic and Swedish Championship

June 5-6          Rounds 5/6 OuluZone, Finland   RallyX Nordic only

August 13-15  Round 7         Arvika, Sweden    RallyX Nordic and Swedish Championship

Kristoffersson withstands Eriksson challenge to seal hometown Nordic RX win.

Johan Kristoffersson leads at the start of the Supercar final at Arvika.
PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic.

Johan Kristoffersson claimed a second straight victory in the RallyX Nordic series on home soil in Arvika, but Oliver Eriksson made sure he had to work for it. 

The two-time World RX champion asserted his dominance from the get-go with a clean sweep in all four qualifying sessions, semi-final, and went wheel-to-wheel with Oliver Eriksson in the six-lap final.

In the final, Eriksson braved it out around the outside of the first corner before snatching the inside line on the exit of Turn Two to lead.

For the next two laps, the Swede led the field and withstood every attempt that Kristoffersson made to get past. Time and again, the Volkswagen Polo driver pulled alongside, but the two-time RX2 Series Champion boldly hung onto the lead.

Unable to find a way past, Kristoffersson took the joker lap at the end of lap three to get some clean air in an attempt to jump Eriksson.

Eriksson knew he needed to get the hammer down if he was to retain his advantage. Unfortunately, a mistake at the last corner saw him tap the barrier on the inside, and the contact would ultimately leave him with a double puncture.

Kristoffersson powered to his second victory from three starts in RallyX Nordic this year, while Eriksson was going in the opposite direction. Linus Westman snuck past on the last lap to record an excellent second-place finish, with the  Eriksson having to properly get his elbows out to fend off Peter Hedström on the run to the chequered flag. Flashing across the finish line on only two rims, the third position marked an astonishing effort.

"I said all along that you need to be extremely sharp if you want to achieve a clean sweep," Kristoffersson said. 

"Oliver [Eriksson] was really on it in the final. I had a little bit too much wheelspin at the start and he pulled a great move up the inside of me and over the jump. After that, we had a fun battle for a couple of laps – it was only a shame it was cut short as I was looking forward to continuing the fight."

"Still, I’m very happy that we were able to put on such an exciting show."

Written By: Junaid Samodien

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

Arvika returns to RallyX Nordic schedule as next round of 2020 season.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic

The revised 2020 RallyX Nordic calendar has been confirmed, featuring upcoming events at Arvika in Sweden and Nysum in Denmark.

 

RallyX Nordic kick-started the international rallycross season at Höljes earlier this month, with the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend attracting the likes of two-time FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson, defending World RX champion Timmy Hansen, fellow World RX race-winner Niclas Grönholm, reigning Euro RX Champion Robin Larsson and five-time FIA World Rally Championship runner-up Thierry Neuville.

After the original RallyX Nordic schedule was disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak, alternative dates and venues needed to be sourced, which has resulted in a welcome return to the fray for Arvika.

 

The Värmland County circuit last hosted the series in 2018 and has always generated spectacular racing. It will rejoin the calendar for a single-header event next month – a weekend that will also comprise the Swedish Championship (SM) final across all classes – before competitors head across the border to Nysum four weeks later for an eagerly-anticipated Danish double-header.

 

“We are delighted to be able to officially confirm the upcoming RallyX Nordic events,” said Jan-Erik Steen, CEO of RX Promotion. 

“Arvika has long been a RallyX Nordic favorite, and it is great to be going back there again after a year away. With a willingness on both sides to make something happen, it did not take long to reach an agreement. Similarly, we are grateful to the organizers at Nysum for working so closely with us to fix an alternative date after government restrictions made the original one impossible.

 

“NEP set a new standard for live rallycross broadcasts at Höljes, and we look forward to seeing what they have in store for fans at Arvika and Nysum. In times like these, you need to think ‘outside-of-the-box’ and do things differently. That is what we did with the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend, and we look forward to building upon that momentum over the coming weeks and months. There is plenty more exciting news still to come – so watch this space!”

 

Revised 2020 RallyX Nordic Calendar

July 02-05         Rounds 1/2        Höljes, Sweden

August 07-09         Round 3                Arvika, Sweden

September 04-06 Rounds 4/5        Nysum, Denmark

Larsson happy with RallyX Nordic results.

Robin Larsson leading the pack.
PHOTO CREDIT: JC Raceteknik 

Reigning RallyX Nordic Champion Robin Larsson claimed a win and second-place finish at the 'All-Star' Magic Weekend in Höljes this past weekend.

Larsson renowned for his trademark 'just-gotta-send-it’ style powered to victory by 0.662 over Johan Kristoffersson in the first Supercar round at the RallyX Nordic Magic Weekend. 

But it was not all smooth sailing for the Swede, Niclas Grönholm won every qualifying session including his semi-final, but it all came undone in the final where Robin was able to get off the line better than his rival to take the lead into the first corner. 

The Swede went on to win the first round of the RallyX Nordic 'All-Star' Magic Weekend ahead of Kristoffersson and Grönholm.

"For the first time in the new car, I got into it quickly and we increased the pace over the weekend. Starting with a win in the first round was a nice result for me and the whole team," he said. 

Whilst Sunday provided to be a bit of a challenge for many in the field. Robin still managed to claim second-place after being beaten to turn one by Johan Krisoffersson who won the final by 4.677 seconds in wet conditions. 

"In the final on Sunday, it was raining hard and we knew the start would be critical. It was a shame that we lost out there to [Johan] Kristoffersson because apart from that we had the same lap times. At the same time, [Niclas] Gronholm made a mistake in his semi-final, so it shows how small the margins are. It was a tough weekend, so a second-place feels good anyway," Larsson adds.

For JC Raceteknik, the event proved to be a successful start to the season. Larsson who will be driving for KYB Team JC in the FIA World Rallycross Championship in the latest-specification Audi S1 Supercar began the weekend with victory in round one on Thursday. He also had the pace in mixed conditions in round two on Saturday and Sunday.

"We came here as a warm-up for the World Championship and now I know that we are okay in the rain too when we get going," he said. "Joel and the team have made the car work like clockwork. Our pace was good against the other World RX drivers, Niclas who was really sharp last year is a good measure. Now we just need to make some small adjustments and get better starts."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

YellowSquad pleased with Supercar Lites debut.

Henrik Krogstad leading the field.
PHOTO CREDIT: #YELLOWSQUAD/SANNA KRANTZ

YellowSquad claimed their first Supercar Lites race win in the second round of the four-day RallyX Nordic Magic Weekend double-header, with Henrik Krogstad topping the timesheets in Qualifying 4 and also winning his semi-final.

Krogstad was a contender for victory all weekend, after scoring the team's first podium three days earlier in the first round of the championship.

As the rain arrived on Sunday, Henrik's pace took a turn for the better, when he dominated Q4 in wet and muddy conditions to top the session. Despite being beaten to turn one, he pulled off a brilliant switchback move on the exit of the velodrome hairpin, powering past Linus Östlund on lap two and then passing Jesse Kallio as the Finn took his joker lap.

He followed that up with another strong performance in the semi-final, comfortably winning the race to secure a front-row grid slot of the final. Unfortunately, a lack of grip off the line meant that Krogstad dropped to third by turn two, and the first-lap joker deployed by Mats Oskarsson turned out to be the optimal race strategy, leaving Krogstad fourth.

"I really thought we had this one. I made a very small mistake on the grid, running the revs a little bit too low at the start and that small error made a big difference to the outcome of the race. Getting to the first turn in third instead of first meant my hope of victory was pretty much over," he said. "This was my first race weekend in a Lites car after almost a year and a half, and getting starts right in the rain is not easy; it’s not something you do that often."

"It’s a good sign that I was fastest in Q4 and my semi-final. It’s just a question of time before everything clicks and I get that win. Everything else within the team is working great; it’s just the small details and increasing my experience even more that will make the difference.

"What Q4 and the semi-final did show is how much more consistent my pace was. Working with #YellowSquad is helping with that aspect of my driving a lot, especially with learning how to analyze my data in detail, understanding what I’m doing wrong, and then working to improve those areas. I feel like the team has gelled very well this week, both in terms of working together and also having fun while doing so!"

Whilst teammate Dan Skocdopole worked hard for his place in the round two semi-finals, as his car engaging safe mode in Q2 cost him time and precious intermediate points. Despite lacking experience in the wet, he fought back to score the points he needed, qualifying for the semis in 10th place.

But the rain continuing to fall meant that he had to focus on putting in five clean laps, so as Krogstad used his past experience in Supercar Lites from 2018 to great effect, Skocdopole ensured that he made the most of the experience with a mistake-free run. Fourth place in the semi-final was still a strong result on his debut Lites weekend but not quite enough to join Krogstad in the final.

"I'm pretty happy about how it went. We had natural speed all weekend; the only issue is I struggled to put it all together and get the result a few times," Skocdopole said. "Reaching the semi-final in both rounds and the final in the first round is a good debut result; if we keep going like this, good results will come in the future. Thank you to the team for all their efforts during this very long weekend!"

Kevin Hansen, the YellowSquad Team Principal is happy with his drivers and how the team performed on debut at the RallyX Nordic 'All-Star' Magic Weekend. 

“There were promising results for both drivers: Henrik has made a fantastic comeback after his one-year sabbatical, stepping up massively to be fast ever since the first qualifying session on Thursday. His driving today was fantastic: so stable, consistent and mature. To score a podium with Henrik was definitely the best part about this weekend, along with having a real shot to win today's race," Hansen said.

“Dan has also developed so much during this weekend alone, getting to know the car better and better and becoming more comfortable with the team; we're all learning how to work best together. His approach has been really mature. There have been some rookie rallycross mistakes from lacking a bit of experience, which is to be expected because he's a rookie! But we're working on those points very hard before the next race and I'm sure he's hungry for more. He'll know the car is fast given the times Henrik was achieving this weekend."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

A weekend of ups and downs for Grönholm-duo at Rally X Nordic

PHOTO CREDIT: Gronholm RX

It was a weekend of ups and downs for father-son duo at the Rally X Nordic ‘All Star’ Magic Weekend.

 

The 'All-Star' Magic Weekend kicked-off on Wednesday afternoon with a free practice session and a full first round on Thursday. Niclas Grönholm was on the pace straight from the first start and won all three of the Qualifying rounds and his Semi-Final, but a small mistake at the start of the Final cost him a perfect race score, and he would eventually finish in third.

 

Round two started on a similar note for Niclas who topped the timesheet in free practice and the first two Qualifying runs. Rain arrived for Q3 which was a disadvantage as he would start on a semi-wet track and lost time to those who had raced in dry condition. Another top 3 finish in Q4 saw him retain the lead in the Intermediate classification. 

The Finn had a bad start in the Semi-Final which saw him stall the Hyundai i20 RX, but he eventually fought back to fourth-place, but it was not enough to secure a place in the final.

 

"It was an up-and-down week for us here at Höljes. For sure it would have been nice to win or at least to fight for the win, but it was not to be," he said.

Despite not achieving the desired results in Holjes, GRX Taneco's main aim was to gather as much information on the updated Hyundai i20 RX Supercar. 

"Our main goal here was to get as much mileage in our updated car as possible and to learn how the new updates work in this challenging track and in various weather conditions," Niclas  said. "From this aspect we had a quite good race and we have a lot of positive to take with us from this to be better prepared for the FIA World RX opening round here."

 

Niclas' shared a car with his father who took part in the Legends Race. Marcus Grönholm (his father) topped the leaderboard of the flying lap shootout race as well as first Qualifying race. In Sunday’s Final, he went on to take a commanding lead straight from the start and finished ahead of his rivals.

 

"It was nice to have a fun race with some old friends and check out our new car," Marcus Grönholm said.

"But this race wasn’t about me - at the end, it was more about working on the car and helping Niclas and the team to be ready for our main goal at World RX."

 

Jussi Pinomäki, GRX Taneco Team Manager adds that the team were able to answer many questions over the course of the weekend, which they will use to improve the Hyundai i20 RX ahead of the FIA World Rallycross Championship season opener in August. 

"It was a very valuable race week for us, as we had a lot of unknows regarding our potential performance," Pinomäki said. "We were able to answer many of the questions on our list, but we will still have a big homework to do when we get back to the base."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Wet-weather masterclass sees Kristoffersson win RallyX Nordic round two.

Johan Kristoffersson leading Oliver Solberg.
PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic

Johan Kristoffersson reminded everybody just why he is a two-time World RX Champion with a wet-weather masterclass at the RallyX Nordic 'All-Star' Magic Weekend in Höljes, Sweden.

The Swede had been there or thereabouts throughout Saturday’s two qualifying sessions, but never quite on the pace in his rebuilt 2016 Volkswagen Polo. But when the heavens opened on Sunday, that all changed.

Kristoffersson outclassed all of his rivals in Q4 as conditions deteriorated, before simply driving away from his rivals in the semi-final, going almost ten seconds faster than anybody else could manage. That earned him a front-row spot for the final, and after nailing the start to out-drag pole-sitter Larsson to Turn One, he was untouchable.

 

Round one winner and reigning RallyX Nordic Champion Robin Larsson added the runner-up trophy to his round 1 victory, with former title-holder Oliver Solberg reaching the rostrum on his series return.

"It’s very nice to be back! When the sniff of a win was there, I felt I could be really threatening on pure pace. It was great to get back into a super-competitive mode, analyzing everything and trying different lines in the rain when I had a gap behind me," Kristoffersson said.

 

"My start in the final was very good – all three wet starts were very good, in fact. The Polo is easy to launch in the wet, controlling it with the clutch and throttle. I made sure to spray the cars behind me so they couldn’t see anything – that was planned! From there on, I tried to push a little harder on the first lap while making no mistakes, and then just focussed on banging the laps in with a safe margin."

 

"I haven’t driven this car much before, so it was nice to see how it handles and it worked very well, with no problems whatsoever. I’m very happy."

Kristoffersson will return to World RX this year with Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS.

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Father-son duo takes on RallyX Nordic 'All-Star' Magic Weekend.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco. 

Father-son duo takes on this week’s RallyX Nordic 'All-Star' Magic Weekend at Höljes, Sweden. Niclas Grönholm will enter the Supercar class, while his father, double FIA World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm will compete in the Legends Race on the same event.

 

GRX Taneco will field one car for the Rally X Nordic ‘All Star’ Magic Weekend event that will be shared by both Grönholm family members.

 

“It’s going to be awesome to finally get back to racing and rallycross!," Niclas said. "It’s been a long break for the sport’s world and way too long time out of the Hyundai for me personally. But that’s behind us and now I’m very much looking forward to get out on the track and face many of my racing friends again. I expect the racing to be very tough in Höljes so it will be a great chance for us to get ready for the upcoming World RX season, shake off the “rust” and test our updated car."

 

The Legends Race will feature greats and champions of the yesteryear. Amongst them is GRX Taneco Team Principal Marcus Grönholm. “This is not a comeback – I promised my family to stop permanent racing already some time ago," said Marcus Grönholm. "But as an one-off event, with fast cars and many great drivers, Höljes will be great fun and I’m looking forward to enjoy every bit of it in our GRX Hyundai i20 Supercar. Also, I’ll get to compare my lap-times with Niclas and I am sure he will give me a hard time chasing him.”

 

The Finnish squad intends to use this event as a part of the pre-season testing, in order to prepare themselves and the car for the World RX season that will start at Höljes in late August.

 

“Niclas and Marcus will push the car to its limits in a very real racing environment, giving us a real data to work with and allowing us to be better prepared for the World RX season,” said GRX Taneco Team Manager Jussi Pinomäki.

 

Rally X Nordic ‘All Star’ Magic Weekend event will start on Thursday, July 2nd and will last throughout the weekend, featuring two RallyX Nordic rounds and one Legends Race competition.

The countdown is on to Höljes' 'All-Star' Magic Weekend

There is less than a week to wait. Less than a week until the starting lights go out on the first major rallycross event of 2020. Less than a week until some of the biggest names in the sport – several coming out of retirement especially for the occasion – descend on Höljes in Sweden to battle wheel-to-wheel for glory. Less than a week...until the eagerly-anticipated ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend (2-5 July).

 

As the world gradually begins to open up again, Höljes is preparing to stage Europe’s first high-profile motor racing event since lockdown. More than 90 competitors have signed up to take part across the five classes – ‘Legends’, Supercar, Supercar Lites, CrossCar/Crosskart and CrossCar Junior – and fittingly, amongst them are some heavy-hitters indeed.

 

In the invitational ‘Legends’ class – for drivers who are no longer active but whose past achievements make them incontestable titans of the sport – two-time FIA World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm will take on 74-year-old former FIA European Rallycross Champion Per Eklund, fellow rallycross heroes Andreas Eriksson and Stig-Olov Walfridson and rallying and rallycross star Henning Solberg. It is the kind of tantalising line-up that has never been seen before – and arguably, never will be again.

 

In the Supercar category, double FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson will mark his return to the discipline following a sabbatical season in the FIA World Touring Car Cup. The ‘Super Swede’ will be up against a host of fellow title-winners, including reigning FIA Euro RX and RallyX Nordic presented by Cooper Tires Champion Robin Larsson, former RallyX Nordic Champions Oliver Solberg and Thomas Bryntesson, two-time RX2 Series Champion Oliver Eriksson and ex-FIA Junior World Rally and WRC 2 Champion Pontus Tidemand.

 

There will be two notable ‘debuts’ in the 22-strong Supercar field, as both JC Raceteknik’s Ben-Philip Gundersen – last year’s RallyX Nordic Supercar Lites Champion – and Jamaican ace Fraser McConnell (Olsbergs MSE) make their maiden appearance in the class, while GRX Taneco’s Niclas Grönholm reached the World RX final at Höljes in 2019 and will be fired-up to kick-start his 2020 campaign with victory.

 

Supercar Lites promises to be fiercely-contested, too, as a gaggle of young chargers rev up to duel doorhandle-to-doorhandle around the iconic Värmland circuit. Defending Höljes winner Thomas Holmen will take on local specialist Linus Östlund, leading lady Nathalie Petersson – back after a bruising rookie season in 2019 – rapid rallycross returnee Henrik Krogstad, highly-rated Swedes Marcus Höglund, Martin Enlund and Nils Andersson and fast Finn Jesse Kallio, who came, saw and conquered in his only previous RallyX Nordic outing on home soil at Kouvola last summer.

 

Five-time FIA World Rally Championship runner-up Thierry Neuville and reigning FIA World Rallycross Champion Timmy Hansen headline the 40-strong CrossCar/Crosskart entry, as the Belgian and Swede team up under the new LifeLive Nordic banner. Ten CrossCar Juniors complete the line-up, as for the first time RallyX Nordic welcomes competitors as young as 12 – proving that the future of the sport is every bit as bright as its present and past.

 

“After many weeks of planning, we are all tremendously excited to get the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend underway,” enthused Jan-Erik Steen, CEO of RallyX Nordic promoter, RX Promotion. “A tireless effort has been put in by all involved, and the result is that we have a mouth-watering entry list, huge interest from all around the world and a broadcast arrangement that is set to bring viewers more live rallycross action from a single event than ever before.

 

“The start of a season is always something to look forward to, but the three-month pause has left everybody hungrier than ever for real-life racing – and that is what we are proud to present. The drivers are ready, the cars are ready, Höljes is looking superb and now all that remains is for fans to settle down on the sofa and tune in for what will unquestionably be the motorsport event of the year so far.”

 

The joint brainchild of RallyX Nordic promoter RX Promotion and Höljes’ organising club Finnskoga MK, and supported by the Swedish arm of international broadcasting heavyweight NEP, the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend will follow a purely digital, pay-per-view livestreaming model to adhere to current COVID-19 restrictions.

 

The commitment is to bring more rallycross action, highlights and ‘insider’ content than ever before to fans all around the world, with a global English-language feed, a presenting team composed of Andrew Coley, Hal Ridge, Neil Cole and Molly Pettit and no geoblocking.

 

Prominent Swedish streaming platform StayLive will host the ‘All-Star’ Magic Weekend, with the attractively-priced subscription package offering more than 26 hours of live-action and interviews for just 249 SEK (c. 460 ZAR). Subscribers will also gain complimentary access to all 2019 RallyX Nordic races as a bonus. You can sign up here.

Content Supplied by RallyX Nordic.