Five podiums for JC Raceteknik in 2020 rallycross premier at HÖljes

Swedish drivers Robin Larsson, Alex Gustafsson and Isak Reiersen were event winners and podium finishers with JC Raceteknik in the first big rallycross event of 2020, as the team’s Supercar rookies also impressed.
 
The first two rounds of RallyX Nordic were held at the world-famous Holjes circuit in Sweden, on the weekend that the FIA World Rallycross Championship is normally held. But, instead of the normal 50,000 fans in attendance, the Nordic event was run behind closed doors, and broadcast live online.
 
For JC Raceteknik, the event proved to be a strong and successful start to the season. KYB Team JC driver Larsson prepared for the forthcoming World RX season in the latest-specification Audi S1 Supercar and 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, and finished second in the final to take the championship lead.
 
Supercar debutant Ben-Philip Gundersen impressed. In the round one he looked to qualify for the final, only for an electrical problem to slow him in the very last corner of the semi-final. He also had problems in round two and his pace wasn’t reflected in the results.
 
Belgian driver Enzo Ide, racing in only his second ever rallycross event also impressed. He was on course for a place in the final on Sunday until a small mistake caused a spin in challenging conditions. Mats Ohman was also in action at his favourite rallycross circuit but had a difficult weekend.
 
Supercar Lites driver Jimmie Walfridson had two good events. He lay third in the championship standings after the opening day, but missed a place in the final on Sunday due to a late penalty decision for hitting a track marker.
 
JC Raceteknik Junior team drivers Isak Reiersen and Alex Gustafsson shone at Holjes. Reiersen finished third in round one and took the points lead. He led the final on Sunday and eventually finished second, and is second in the CrossCar points. Gustafsson claimed the first ever win in the new CrossCar Junior category on Saturday. In round two he took the top qualifier position, but stalled at the start of the semi-finals and is fourth in the championship.
 
Joel Christoffersson, Team Principal:
“The team is really pleased with how the event went. It was a different start to the season to how we expected, the plan was that only Jimmie, Isak and Alex would race in RallyX Nordic. But this was a great warm-up for our Supercar drivers and Robin's first race with KYB Team JC. Although we planned mainly to test, a race is always a race. The new car worked perfectly and we are very happy with a win and a second place for Robin. Isak and Alex impressive efforts in their classes. Alex started strong with a victory, and was very fast in round two. Isak had had a mixed weekend, but he had good speed which showed his potential.
 
Ben-Philip impressed me a lot on his Supercar debut, both in the dry and wet. Had we not had any technical problems he would have been even better, but now we are better prepared for the European Championship. Enzo did his second rallycross event and the first in the new car. He still struggles a bit at the starts and when there is a lot of traffic, but the pace is there and his development is great to see. With Mats we have had a bit of a tough weekend, but overall he did a good job. We simply need to go home and test more to help improve the car for him. In Supercar Lites, Jimmie had good speed, and is closer to the top than last year. It was a shame about the penalty on Sunday that meant he missed the final.
 
This is one of the best rallycross events we have been to. The event was been fantastic thanks to Finnskoga MK, NEP and RallyX Nordic. The TV show was something out of the ordinary and I hope we get to experience this again. This has given a good feeling for the World and European Championships, the whole team is raring to go!”
 
Supercar: Robin Larsson (SWE):
“We’ve had two very good events here. 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. 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. 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. Joel the team have made the car 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.”
 
Supercar: Enzo Ide (BEL):
“I have tested on many circuits and Holjes is my favourite, and these events have been good for me. I came here with a brand-new car and a new feeling. The speed evolved and I learned over the weekend to challenge the other drivers more. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and in rallycross there is a lot that takes time to learn. I didn’t come here with the goal of being on the podium, but to prepare for Euro RX. I've done testing in the wet before, but it's not the same as racing in it. It was a challenge and the track changed quickly, but I was second in the semi-finals and maybe I could have made it to the final if I hadn't spun. So on the whole I'm happy. Thanks to Joel and his team for a great job all weekend, and EKS who built and helped prepare the car for the weekend.”
 
Supercar: Ben-Philip Gundersen (NOR):
“Finally we got to race again, and my Supercar debut went very well on Thursday until we got a technical problem. What worked best was probably the starts, which was unexpected as I thought they would be difficult. The result was still better than expected, and although it is bit of a gap to the fastest drivers, it’s not impossible to get there. "
 
Supercar: Mats Ohman (SWE):
“I had never imagined competing in Holjes without an audience, but the event was superb. In terms of driving, this was not really my weekend. I’m most satisfied with Q3 on Sunday, but apart from that I haven’t had good performance. It was difficult in the conditions on the last day, when rallycross it is all about small margins. I'm not really where I want to be with the starts yet, and we will continue to work on that. The team did a great job this weekend. Robin has done very well, Ben-Philip will be deadly in the European Championship this year and Enzo also impressed."
 
Supercar Lites: Jimmie Walfridson (SWE):
“I'm really happy with my starts this weekend, they really worked well. The times have also been quite okay. However, I have to work a little more on my consistency. Overall the weekend went well, but a DNF and the time penalty in the semi-finals put a good result out of reach on Sunday. We will fight back."
 
Crosscar: Isak Reiersen (SWE):
“It’s been a good weekend with a lot of positives in both rounds. That was exactly the goal for the weekend and second place in the championship looks promising for the rest of the season. The competition in the class is fierce and you have to be on the limit all the time. In the first race it was solid in qualifying and the semis, and I came third even with a mistake. In round two I struggled in qualifying with bad starts and traffic. But when the rain came I made a quick change and got help from Joel and other drivers. I had not driven much in the wet before, so it was a good lesson and now I feel ready for the rest of RallyX Nordic.”
 
Crosscar Junior: Alex Gustafsson (SWE):
“The season started very well for me, and it feels great to be the first to take a win in the new Crosscar Junior RallyX Nordic class. I gained self-confidence after the victory, and took that good feeling into the second race. Round two started very well and I was the fastest from practice until Q3. We tried to keep a dry setup in Q4, but the rain came sooner than we though, so it was difficult, but I still was second fastest. In the semi-finals I was on pole position, but when I released the clutch the engine died. I tried fight back, but the visibility was poor and I couldn't attack fully. It was really a shame, but these things happen. I’m just behind the championship leader and I’m going to fight for the title this season. I want to thank the team for a fantastic weekend, RallyX Nordic and Finnskoga MK who delivered an incredibly good event.”