For years and years we have seeing Andreas Bakkerud being this kind of journeyman of rallycross, from a meteoric start at Olsbergs MSE to the factory drives with Ford and Audi, then the runner-up finish in the 2019 World RX season with Monster Energy RX Cartel, the Euro RX1 Championship title with ESMotorsport where he went from his couch in Bergen to a dominant title run, and more recently Nitrocross with Dreyer & Reinbold. So, what is next for the Bergen rallycross driver? Starting from scratch, climbing up the ladder again with a firm goal in mind, which is returning to the FIA World Rallycross Championship.
Up until now, Bakkerud’s career was built by going from team to team to remain at the top level, which indeed gave the success he wanted, but the 33 years old Norwegian opted to do things differently by setting up his own team, which he calls Bergen Motorsport Evolution, with Monster Energy and HTB Racing staying with him in the journey that will start in the national side, with a full season in Rallycross-NM, the national championship in Norway, competing in the Class 4, which is essentially for rear wheel drive cars with up to 3000 cc, having 500 horsepower under the bodywork.
Bakkerud initiated the return to the competition this year, with a one-off run with Aaberg Racing in the Class 2, driving their Ford Fiesta for a win just before the shortened season that culminated in the end of Nitrocross. At the moment, the car he will drive in Class 4 is still to be revealed.
Along with the plans for Rallycross-NM, Bakkerud also aims for some international appearances in competitions he is really well versed in. According to Bakkerud himself, the list includes the World RX round at Höljes, a visit to Rallycross France as he will go back to Lohéac, where he was present for the last time in 2023, and even one or two appearances in RallyX North aren’t discarded. These sporadic appearances might be how Bakkerud will dictate his activities, since the plan is for Bergen Motorsport Evolution to be in World RX in three years, when the new RX1 rules will be in place, potentially generating more symbiosis between it and the World Rally Championship and giving more options in terms of chassis to use.
The Rallycross-NM calendar for 2025 still needs to be announced, although some rallycross events in Norway are confirmed for early January.
PHOTO: Andreas Bakkerud
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