Another victory for Johan Kristoffersson – this time in Portugese snow storm

av Webmaster | apr 29, 2018 | News

Just when we thought we had seen it all in the FIA World Rallycross Championship, Christmas arrived to the Portugese championship round. And Johan Kristoffersson and his team PSRX Volkswagen Sweden could enjoy the best gift of them all – Johan finishing on top of the podium.

Round two of this year’s FIA World Rallycross Championship wasn’t a walk in the park, but still it ended in the same way as the season premiere in Barcelona a couple of weeks ago – with Johan Kristoffersson taking the win. This was his second victory in two events and he now extends his overall lead in the drivers’ championship. His team-mate and PSRX Volkswagen Sweden owner, Petter Solberg finished third and these great results also put the team at the top of the team championship.

”What can I say? Today included just about everything! In Q3 and Q4, nothing worked that well for us, but with the crazy weather and very small time differences in the top, we knew that anything was possible. From the second row in the semi-finals, my plan was to follow the leader but after Andreas Bakkerud went wide, I took my chance and was really happy to win the heat” said Johan.

Everyone expected difficult and changing weather this weekend, but no one expected the drivers to race in a snow storm on Sunday. The patient Portugese fans didn’t mind the weather, they simply zipped up their jackets and let themselves be entertained by the performance that Johan gave in the final. Both him and the Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R Supercar were magnificent.

”When the snow started to fall for real, I wondered what would happen in the final – but eventually it all played out perfectly for us” said Johan. ”The car was great and I couldn’t be more pleased. Sure, the fight in the top gets tougher so winning two times in two rounds – and having Petter on the podium as well – is an amazing start to the season for me and the whole PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team.”

Johan Kristoffersson won at the World RX premiere

av Webmaster | apr 16, 2018 | News

Defending world champion Johan Kristoffersson and his team PSRX Volkswagen Sweden started the new season in the FIA World Rallycross Championship in the same way they finished the last one – with a victory.

”It was a tough start of the new year so taking the victory makes me really happy” said Johan. ”The competition was tough and the weekend was rough. To start with a brand new car in these conditions (on Saturday) was difficult, we struggled a lot with the grip. It was a day where you just tried to survive and to have both our PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo R Supercars was a great confirmation for the team after the hard work that they’ve done during the winter.”

The opening day of the FIA World Rallycross Championship 2018 offered grey skies and heavy rain, which made the Catalunya track in Barcelona extremely muddy and slippery. Johan still managed to claim third place after the first two qualifying heats and found himself in a great position for the remaining two heats.

On Sunday, the weather was finally sunny again and a good performance in the morning, Johan stayed in third place and moved on to the first semi-final. The race was tough and after having to fight in the first corner, Johan stroke back, passed Andreas Bakkerud after a fantastic joker lap and finished second.

It was set for a real fight in the final and a dramatic incident already in the first corner caused Johan’s team-mate Petter Solberg to crash into a pile of tyres, while Johan battled his way to second place behind Mattias Ekström. But after investigating the accident in the start, the organizers came to the decision to disqualify Ekström and the victory went to Johan instead.

”The semi-final was good and gave us a good result and position in the final. I’m really sorry for what happened to Petter in the first corner. And like I said, it’s been a tough weekend but we’re coming home with points and that’s what matters at the end of the season” said Johan.