JC Raceteknik takes double RallyX Nordic titles at season finale
Swedish team JC Raceteknik claimed double RallyX Nordic Chamiponship titles in the season finale at Tierp, amount a six-strong championship medal haul for the Kil-based squad.
It was a thrilling final round of the season in the Supercar category. Robin Larsson claimed maximum points in the Intermediate Classification to put him level with Oliver Eriksson for the points lead.
But, at the start of the semi-finals, Larsson suffered a turbo problem with the Audi S1 Supercar and the 2019 FIA European Rallycross Champion could only finish fourth, and was first reserve for the final. However, event team mate Mattias Ekstrom, who qualified second in the Intermediate Classification, won semi-final two, and with Larsson first reserve for the final, Ekstrom gave up his starting position to allow Larsson to take part.
In the final, Eriksson’s suspension broke on the final lap and second place for Larsson gave him the title by a single point.
Ben-Philip Gundersen secured the title in Supercar Lites by topping qualifying, before he also scored a podium finish in Tierp with third in the final. Norwegian team mate Sondre Evjen finished third in the points with fourth at Tierp while Jimmie Walfridson finished the campaign fifth in the standings. Supercar driver Mats Ohman had a strong event and finished in 10th position.
For the JC Racetechnik Juniorteam drivers, a good season of development in the Xtreme and Xtreme Junior classes ended this weekend. 15-year-old Isak Reiersen took third place in the RallyX Nordic Crosscar class, the same place he finished the last round, while for Alex Gustafsson, aged 12, he finished second in the Finnish Championship, FinRX.
Joel Christoffersson, Team Principal:
“How this race would go, no one could have predicted in advance. Robin was top qualifier but then everything turned with the turbo problems in the semi-final. We are here to win the championship, so the guys fixed the car and Mattias chose to step out of the final. Of course it’s terribly sad that Oliver Eriksson lost out due to technical problems, but it’s part of motorsport and now the luck was on our side.
That Ben-Philip was able to secure the gold so early was great, he was the best this season, and of course it’s great to have Sondre third and Jimmie doing well in the SM (Swedish Championship) also. Both of our Juniorteam drivers also did a very good job and brought home their championship trophies.
It has been a fantastic year and I'm proud of everyone's efforts this season. I would like to say a big thank you to the entire team and our drivers who always gave everything, Mattias Ekstrom and EKS for all the support and of course our sponsors who make this possible. "
Supercar: Robin Larsson (SWE) :
“It feels great to take the championship in both the European Championship and RallyX Nordic this season. Today's event is probably the weirdest I have been in, in my life. It went from everything, to nothing, and then to everything again. For the first time this season, we were absolutely the fastest in qualifying, so we had a great feeling for the semi-finals.
But at the start, there was no boost in the engine and I was last off the line. It was frustrating, but I tried to pick places and eventually came fourth. When I heard that Kevin Eriksson might have been given a penalty, the hope of a final place came back, but that was not the case. The hope disappeared, but I went out to the pre-grid as the last reserve. There I found out that Mattias had chosen to stand down from the finals for us, then the hope of the championship gold came back. I started from the back, but it worked out pretty well. When I saw that Oliver Eriksson was parked up, and I got to the finish and they shouted on the radio that I won, at first I did not believe it.
Me and the whole team have been working really hard this season, so it was nice to be able to bring it all together. A big thank you to everyone who played their part to make this possible: the team, Joel, Ola and Mats, Dad and Simpa, Mattias, EKS and of course all sponsors. Now we have ticked off these two golds, what happens next year we will see. I think it would be very fun to take up the fight against the big guys in the World Championship.”
Supercar: Mattias Ekstrom (SWE) :
“JC Raceteknik is a good team I’ve kown since World RX in Spa, and to drive these Audis is always at the top of my wish list. I think the driving went well in both wet and dry conditions, and it was fun to drive on this track. Then there was a different ending after Robin's car had problems in the semi-finals. I have received a lot of help during my career and know that this group has worked really hard all year. They deserved to take the fight on the track, so I relinquished my final place. For Robin's part, it didn't seem to be working out, but on the final lap everything happened. JC Racetechnik should be proud of their championship medals – I'm happy for them."
Supercar: Mats Ohman (SWE) :
“It just hasn’t been my season in RallyX Nordic. I have definitely had some pace every now and then and that was good, but overall there is not much to hang on the Christmas tree. It was the first season in the Audi and we have been constantly working on adapting it to me and developing it. JC Raceteknik has done a great job. Today, unfortunately, the starts didn’t work at all, but on the other hand I also drove far too slowly. But things went better for the team. Robin has had some misfortune in RallyX Nordic, so it was nice that he also got some luck today. A double gold shows how great this team is and they have done a good job this season.”
Supercar Lites: Ben-Philip Gundersen (NOR) :
“I am very pleased with this season and being able to take this title is nice. The whole team has worked hard for this and I am proud of the work they have done. Also thanks to all the sponsors who made this possible. RallyX Nordic started a little difficult during the first race and there have been some hard fights during the season. But, since then we have had a good rhythm and scored good points. Although I wanted to finish on the top of the podium here in Tierp, I’m satisfied with third place against many good drivers. Now we celebrate a little, but then all focus is on the final round of the RX2 International Series in South Africa.”
Supercar Lites: Sondre Evjen (NOR) :
“The season started pretty well for me, but then things went a bit up and down. The speed has really been there and I have been at the top with Ben-Philip and Linus Ostlund for some time. Taking this third place in RallyX Nordic is good for the team and everyone around me. Thanks to all the sponsors, it's the same group of people that support me every year and they make this possible. Also thanks to the whole JC Raceteknik ream, we have become like a big rallycross family. Exactly what happens next year I don't know, but we will go for the full season in European Championship Supercar and fight for the gold there.”
Supercar Lites: Jimmie Walfridson (SWE) :
“This season has had a lot of ups and downs, but I take it very positively. Among other things, I have had very good lap times, but have not really managed to pull it all together. Being smoother with my driving is something I need to work on, but otherwise the development curve this year has been good. I needed a fifth place to secure the bronze medal, and I managed that this weekend. Now I'm going to work on trying to get a budget together so I can run again next season. And at the same time, I would like to take this opportunity to thank JC Raceteknik, all of my partners, family and friends for the support this year.”
Xtreme Crosscar: Isak Reiersen (SWE):
“This was my first year in Crosscar, so taking a championship medal feels good. RallyX Nordic has been very up and down. There has been everything from technical problems and rolling, to really good pace and fights. Broken driveshafts meant I couldn't race in the first event in Holjes. If it hadn't happened, the championship could have looked different. But, that’s motorsport. We went into the weekend with the goal of defending the bronze, and although we had the chances to take the silver, I am very pleased with the result. A big thank you also to my team, mechanics, sponsors and everyone who supported me this season.”
Xtreme Junior: Alex Gustafsson (SWE):
“This year has been a real experience and coming second in FinRX feels incredible. It was supposed to be a learning year with a goal to finish on the podium in races. But, after finishing second in the first race, we focused on retaining second place in the championship and we succeeded. Even though we had a little difficulty with the starts in the dry, we’ve had good pace. The team has done a brilliant job all year. Thanks to JC Raceteknik who always believed in me, Henrik, Dad, Börje and Nina who have been with me this season and of course all sponsors. It’s difficult to describe how happy I am.”
