NEGOTIATION: 2022 FIA European Rallycross Championship – Höljes, Sweden
The “Magic Weekend” of rallycross on the legendary Höljes Motorstadion takes place this weekend as 2022 FIA European Rallycross Championship heads to the track that many would argue is its spiritual home. The event is already enchanting, as the list of 25 people is a veritable “who is who” of rallycross talents such as former champions, rising stars and the biggest World Rallycross all-time drivers are lured back into action.
Höljes is located in northern Värmland and is one of the cities most affected by motorsport in the world. The city’s population is only around 140 people, but “Magic Weekend” (always the first weekend in July) can attract over 40,000 people to visit. The atmosphere for the fans is always something very special. Happy Street, which connects the paddock to the Velodrome corner, will return after a two-year absence and will feature live bands, pop-up discos and thousands of enthusiastic rallycross fans. And that is before we even get to the fantastic starting list.
Double European Champion Anton Marklund proved to be a force to be reckoned with at the start of the season Nyirád. A fantastic weekend with driving, speeding up the heat, winning his Progression Race, semi-final and finally the final, saw the Swede take first place when he made his debut with SET campaign. Another driver who impressed was #YellowSquad racer Jānis Baumanis, who despite having never competed at Red Cauldron before, managed to challenge Marklund’s pace for much of the weekend before a technical problem dropped him to fourth in the final. When he spoke afterwards, Baumanis said “If there is a race next year here, I could certainly push on from the first practice, because I know all the little details and tricks you need to know here – it’s so important.” Since Höljes is a track that he has a lot of experience on, the expectations of the Latvian driver will be high.
But all Euro RX1 regulars must be at the top of their game in Sweden, as some real rallycross titans will return to fight for the victory, including four-time world champions in rallycross – Johan Kristoffersson. The Swede comes with his all-rounder Volkswagen Polo GTi to Höljes, and his goal is crystal clear: “If you compete a lot, you will be good at competing. If you win a lot, you will be good at winning…expect that the hunt for another victory continues on Höljes. ” It would be a brave person who bet against Kristoffersson this weekend.
Reigning Euro RX1 champion Andreas Bakkerud also make a comeback this weekend in the same EKS Audi S1 which took him oh so close to the 2019 World Cup success, with points with champions Timmy Hansen like water on countback. He will work with Belgium Enzo Ide which continues to impress, having taken a magnificent second place recently in Hungary.
But aiming to disrupt the status quo are some rallycross stars, including a very famous name who are hungry for success. Oliver Solbergson of two-time world champion Petter, may make his Euro RX debut on “Magic Weekend”, but he is no stranger to success in this discipline, and takes RallyX Nordic Championship the title back in 2018 when he was only 17 years old. That competitive spirit is obviously alive and well. says Solberg “I’m looking forward to a fun weekend, but most of all I want to win!” Last year’s Rookie of the Year Sivert Svardal will certainly mix it with the big guns, having shown their deadly potential with a fifth-place finish in the opening round.
While Marklund is gaining momentum in this round, the breadth of talent online cannot be ignored. Expect everyone fighting against all fiery weapons, hungry for success, eager to prove themselves against the power of rallycross legends. This weekend promises to be a really magical weekend.
NO. | DRIVER | NAT. | COMPETITOR | NAT. | CAR |
2 | Oliver O’DONOVAN | IRL | Oliver O’Donovan | IRL | Proton Iriz |
3 | Johan KRISTOFFERSSON | SWE | Kristoffersson Motorsport | SWE | Volkswagen Polo |
6 | Jānis BAUMANIS * | LVA | #YellowSquad | SWE | Peugeot 208 |
12 | Anders MICHALAK | SWE | Carexperience AB | SWE | Volkswagen Polo |
13 | Andreas BAKKERUD | NOR | EX | SWE | Audi S1 |
14 | Oliver SOLBERG | SWE | Hedström’s Motorsport | SWE | Hyundai i20 |
17 | Dan ÖBERG | SWE | Dan Öberg | SWE | Volkswagen Polo |
21 | Linus ÖSTLUND | SWE | Linus Östlund | SWE | Volkswagen Polo |
24 | Sivert SVARDAL | NOR | Sivert Svardal | NOR | Volkswagen Polo |
26 | Gustav BERGSTRÖM | SWE | Kristoffersson Motorsport | SWE | Volkswagen Polo |
30 | Tom André SAETNAN | NOR | Tom André Saetnan | NOR | Volkswagen Scirocco |
31 | Stefan KRISTENSSON | SWE | Team Skåab | SWE | Ford Fiesta |
33 | Ulrik LINNEMANN * | DNK | Linnemann Promotion | DNK | Ford Fiesta |
38 | Mandie AUGUST * | DEU | ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport | DEU | SEAT Ibiza |
44 | Dariusz TOPOLEWSKI * | TERMINAL | Oponeo | TERMINAL | Ford Fiesta |
50 | Attila MÓZER * | HUN | Nyirád Motorsport KFT | HUN | Ford Fiesta |
52 | Ole Christian VEIBY | NOR | JC Raceteknik | SWE | Audi S1 |
55 | Paulius PLESKOVAS | LTU | TSK Baltijos Sportas | LTU | Ford Fiesta |
67 | Frank VALLE | NOR | Frank Valle | NOR | Ford Fiesta |
69 | Sondre EVJEN | NOR | JC Raceteknik | SWE | Audi S1 |
73 | Tamás KÁRAI * | HUN | Kárai Motorsport Sportegyesület | HUN | Audi S1 |
87 | Jean Baptiste DUBOURG | FROM | Jean Baptiste Dubourg | FROM | Peugeot 208 |
88 | Marcin GAGACKI * | TERMINAL | Oponeo | TERMINAL | Ford Fiesta |
91 | Enzo IDE * | BEL | EX | SWE | Audi S1 |
92 | Anton MARKLUND * | SWE | SET campaign | FIN | Hyundai i20 |