Kristoffersson crowned RallyX Nordic champion on home soil.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic

Johan Kristoffersson reigns supreme on home soil in Arvika, as he is crowned the 2021 RallyX Nordic and Swedish Championship champion.

Kristoffersson picked up his third race victory of the season in a dominant fashion but was officially crowned champion after claiming the top qualifiers spot in the Intermediate Standings after entering the weekend with an unassailable lead. 

The final in Arvika certainly ended in a bang, but not for the three-time World RX Champion who had a decent launch off the grid, with Fraser McConnell drawing level around the outside on the run to the turn 1/2 hairpin. 

With a clean exit from the hairpin, Johan comfortably led from start to finish with Fraser hanging around the outside, and Enzo Ide trying to push through, as Anton Marklund shoved him causing the right-hand side bumper damage.

On the run towards the first jump, Ide was challenging McConnell but opted to back out, which meant he was alongside Anton, and as the pair came off the jump, the EKS JC driver landed against the right fender of Marklund ripping it off. 

Anton took third place with Ide hitting him in the rear damaging the front left bumper of his Audi. OMSE's Kevin Eriksson didn't have the dream start or first few corners that he had hoped for after switching to a different differential step up for more front-end grip. He came out of the first few corners in fifth ahead of Sondre Evjen who had a bad start from sixth. 

Opting for an alternate strategy, Ide and Evjen took their jokers on lap one coming out behind Eriksson. 

From there, it was pretty much a formation race, as Johan began to build a buffer to the Jamaican behind. 

As the laps ticked off, McConnell switched things up and took his joker with one lap to go and was followed in by Marklund and Eriksson. The OMSE driver rejoined in second with Marklund in third, with Ide able to jump Eriksson on the merge having taken an earlier joker lap. 

Comfortably in the lead, Kristoffersson left no stone underturned, as he fully sent his Volkswagen Polo Supercar through the joker lap exiting with max speed and comfortably crossing the line 2.238s ahead McConnell, Marklund, Ide, Eriksson, and Sondre Evjen. 

Speaking after the final, Kristoffersson said: "It's always nice to pick up another trophy! I have won the Swedish Championship once before, here in Arvika last year at my home track, and it is good to keep that winning streak going."

The 32-year-old Swede admits that the RallyX Nordic championship is a good experience builder. 

"It's a good experience for me, as I play around with a little bit with setup through the heats/sessions and you know, also learn a lot of things, technically, what's going on with the car. Because there are sometimes a lot of things going on with the car," he adds. "So then I have to dig into and understand what's actually going on."

"We've changed the engine, we have changed a lot of strategies, and also the turbo pressure and anti-lag and all this stuff. We've changed a lot this weekend."

RallyX Nordic title fight goes down to the wire at Arvika

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic

The 2021 RallyX Nordic Championship will reach a dramatic conclusion next week at Arvika, Sweden, as Johan Kristoffersson heads into the final round of the season top of the Supercar standings, and on course to clinch the title in his Kristoffersson Motorsport-run VW Polo. 

27 points clear of his nearest rival - fellow World RX rival Niclas Grönholm, who will not be competing at Arvika - and a further two ahead of EKS JC's Sondre Evjen, with the Norwegian the only driver mathematically capable of denying Kristoffersson the title.

Meanwhile, fourth-placed Fraser McConnell will be hoping for a better turn of fortune in Sweden having claimed his first Supercar victory at the season-opener earlier this year. 

The Jamaican is just one of several other potential race-winners on the entry list. 

Hedströms Motorsport is fielding a formidable squad, with Anders Michalak and Peter Hedström joined by World RX regular Anton Marklund and Dan Öberg – who recently stepped up to the top tier after impressing in RallyX Nordic and Euro RX last year.

Elsewhere, Philip Gehrman will be behind the wheel of an Audi S1 for the first time, whilst Kevin Eriksson makes a guest appearance for Olsbergs MSE in a Honda Civic.

One-off outings for Patrick Guillerme, Daniel Thorén, and Stene Johansen further bolster the Supercar category while regulars Enzo Ide and Andreas Carlsson complete a fiercely competitive line-up in the flame-spitting headline class.

Where to Watch The Season Finale?

All five classes will be broadcast live, free and in high-definition at tv.rallyx.se, with the racing set to get underway on Friday, 13 August and concluding on Sunday, 15 August.

Evjen 'delighted to be second' in RallyX Nordic championship.

PHOTO CREDIT: EKS JC.

Sondre Evjen is delighted to be second in the RallyX Nordic championship after a successful debut with the EKS JC team in Denmark this weekend. 

The Norweigan excelled with a fast pace from the outset, including good starts and lap times at the front of the field. Thanks to a third and then second-place finish in the two rounds, he leaves Nysum second in the Supercar standings.  

"Two podiums in Nysum is of course good, and today it felt really nice to be able to take second place. I’m very happy with my launches and felt more and more comfortable in the new car. But, I struggled a little to do the first and second corners perfectly," Evjen said. "I often drove against Johan [Kristoffersson] and it’s not so easy to pass him considering his level, but we still gave him a good fight."

"Saturday went very well until the final, where I lost out a bit at the start and then decided to take the joker too early. Sunday in the final I did what I could and pushed as much as I dared in the dust, and ended up second." 

"I’m delighted to be second in the championship. We’re all looking forward to Holjes, it’s a track I’m comfortable on and we go there with a fast car, strong team, and good setup. If we continue like this, we will be hard to beat."

After a frenetic weekend in Denmark, teams will have little time to catch their breath before the action resumes with rounds three and four of the 2021 campaign at Sweden’s iconic Höljes circuit in just two weeks’ time (13-16 May). 

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."