EKS JC claims victory and five podiums in Danish RallyX Nordic season-opener

Swedish rallycross team EKS JC scored five podiums and a victory in the opening two rounds of the 2021 RallyX Nordic season at Nysum in Denmark.
 
EKS JC – the team formed out of the EKS and JC Raceteknik squads – ran a pair of cars in both the Supercar and Crosscar categories respectively, and leaves the Danish round holding strong positions in the championship standings.
 
In Supercar, Sondre Evjen made his maiden start in the team’s Audi S1 ​​EKS quattro. Despite that, he excelled with 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. Team mate Enzo Ide also displayed front-running pace, including setting a fastest time but unfortunately didn’t start in either final. He finished fourth in the semi-finals on Saturday and was then disqualified from his semi-final on Sunday. He lies sixth in the points.
 
Isak Reiersen battled in traffic during qualifying on the opening day in Crosscar, but was fastest in Q3, before winning both the semi-final and the final. He again showed he had the pace on Sunday in his new-for-2021 Crosscar and finished third overall. In Crosscar Junior, reigning champion Alex Gustafsson had a weekend of mixed results. He finished fifth in round one on Saturday, but had a better day on Sunday and claimed a podium. Ahead of the next two rounds at Höljes, Sweden on May 13-16, Reiersen is second in Crosscar and Gustafsson holds third in Crosscar Junior.
 
Joel Christoffersson, EKS JC Team Principal:
"Finally we’re racing again, it feels so good to have got the season started. The goal for the weekend was to score podiums in all classes and we managed to do that. All of our drivers showed they have the pace to do well this year, and we’re really happy that three of the four drivers are in the top three in the championship standings overall. That’s a strong start.
 
I'm really happy with Sondre's speed in Supercar. He tested in wet conditions earlier this year, but despite that he made great starts all weekend in the dry and had great pace too. He can do well this year! We know Enzo is fast and he showed that straight away, I was very impressed that he was fastest in Q3 on Saturday. He needs more rallycross experience, and that’s exactly why he’s racing in RallyX Nordic this year.
 
Our young Crosscar drivers have done a great job this weekend. I’m pleased that Isak could hit the ground running and show what he can do. Crosscar is very competitive and he proved he has the ultimate pace by winning on Saturday. Crosscar Junior is also very tight with many good drivers. We know Alex is fast, we’re pleased with his podium on Sunday and we will work hard on certain details with him to help him improve further still. It’s going to be an exciting season!”
 
Sondre Evjen (NOR), Supercar:
“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. 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.
 
Yesterday it went very well until the final, where I lost out a bit at the start and then decided to take the joker too early. Today in the final I did what I could and pushed as much as I dared in the dust, and ended up second. EKS JC did a great job in the paddock and I’m delighted to be second in the championship. We’re all looking forward to Höljes, 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.”
 
Enzo Ide (BEL), Supercar:
“I’ve just started with rallycross, but the speed is already there and as I’ve already said, I drive in RallyX Nordic to gather experience before the World Championship. Even though I havn’t done so many races yet, I’ve tested a lot. We knew we would have good pace even though it’s a completely different experience to drive against other drivers. I'm not completely happy with the weekend and there were some incidents and tough driving on the track, but I will take the positives going forward.
 
My pace was good, but I also made some big mistakes. The team is very happy with my lap times and I adapted quickly, even though it was my first time at this track. EKS JC did a fantastic job all weekend, the car worked perfectly and I’m very happy with it. Unfortunately there was no final and I know that the team is a little disappointed with my black flag in the semi-finals today, but at the same time it was my fault and not theirs. Now I look forward to Höljes, it’s my favourite track.”
 
Crosscar: Isak Reiersen (SWE):
"I had a really good weekend, it’s great to prove that I’m fighting at the front straight away with a victory and a third place. When I have clear air I’m definitely among the fastest. It's so tight in the Crosscar class this year, we’re more or less fighting for hundreds of a second and if you make a small mistake you’re gone. That’s fun, it means you have to be on it in every corner. I struggled with a bit of traffic in the first few laps, and because it's so close it’s hard to climb through the pack. Nysum is technically demanding with a lot of challenges, and I like that. I’m second in the championship and have many important points, but this season will be really exciting. Thanks to EKS JC for a great weekend, and thanks to all the sponsors who make this possible. It's fun to be back on track again and I can’t wait for Höljes.”
 
Crosscar Junior: Alex Gustafsson (SWE):
"It’s great that the season is underway and I finished on the podium. It was an up and down weekend for me. Overall it was good and we learned a lot, but we didn’t achieve the results we wanted and struggled a bit with the setup. On day one we didn’t really have the rhythm, but got some good results and went fastest in Q2. I won two races on Sunday and took a podium in the final. We had to work hard for the results but it was really fun. I’m third in the points before Höljes, and it’s going to be a long season. I’ll do everything I can before Höljes to be in a good position to collect more points. Thank you to all of our partners for their support in 2021, and thank you EKS JC for the weekend, it feels great that we took so many podium places in the team and of course congratulations to Isak for his win."