The 2020 season of the FIA World Rallycross Championship is going in the way to have some unexpected events, and another return for Mattias Ekström is one of those topics, as the Swede returns for another go in rallycross.
But if you’re thinking he will try to secure another championship title, unfortunately the answer is a no, as the 2016 World RX champion is confirmed only for the first double header of the season at Höljes, and of course the machine will be an Audi S1 EKS RX, more specifically one of the cars in possession of KYB Team JC, which was initially set to have Janis Baumanis, but budget issues will keep the Latvian away from a full season drive, which opening the gap to call Ekström.
Retiring from motorsport after the end of the 2018 season didn’t mean that Ekström was away altogether, as his team, EKS, still aligned a car for Krisztián Szábo, while also working on support for the teams for which he sold his fleet of Audis, which included KYB Team JC itself. While supporting on many levels, like parts and setup support and performance tips, Ekström found his way back to driving duties, competing at the Spa RX with JC and also giving a hand to Larsson’s title bid in RallyX Nordic at the Tierp Arena finale.
Also, while Ekström claims it’s for the fun, whenever he had to return to the wheel, he proved why he shouldn’t be underestimated, becoming a semifinalist in both World RX and RallyX Nordic with pace enough for a bit more, which may repeat in 2020 despite the increase in level of the World RX grid.
While the Höljes RX double header will be on 22nd and 23rd August, the Swedish circuit already had some of the World RX competitors racing in the RallyX Nordic regular season, with KYB Team JC, Olsbergs MSE, GRX TANECO and VW BAUHAUS aligning on the grid.
PHOTO: Mattias Ekström
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