Forget the
fairytale, it’s real… PSRX Volkswagen Sweden rules the world
- PSRX Volkswagen Sweden
seals back-to-back FIA teams’ titles*
- World champion Johan
scores a 10th win of the season
- The Polo R Supercar
reigns supreme at home
- Petter wins semi-final
but retires from the final
Have you heard the story about a team that didn’t exist two years ago,
yet claimed, given a chance, they could spin their way to gold? Fanciful,
in the extreme.
But they got their chance. Granted, they weren’t locked in a tower, but
they did come up with the goods with an outstanding 10th win
from 11 races for Johan.
In Buxtehude, the fairytale capital of the world, PSRX Volkswagen Sweden
delivered a real-time fairytale, clinching its second consecutive FIA
World Rallycross teams’ title. Petter Solberg’s Torsby-based team has
faced down some of the fiercest competition in the history of rallycross
to rule the world for a second year running.
But it wasn’t easy. World RX of Germany had a sting in its tail. Or
should that be tale.
Either way, when PSRX Volkswagen Sweden’s world rumbles, it still wins.
In fact, we could call this story… Rumblestillwin**
Driver Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 INTER SF F
Johan
Kristoffersson 2 1 6 3
1 3 1
Petter Solberg
1 3 5 8
5 1 2
Pernilla Solberg
(PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team principal)
“This is what we work towards. This is the dream. When we won the teams’
championship last year, it was such an amazing achievement when you think
we had only been in operation for 10 months.
“This time, I think we all knew the season was going to be even tougher.
OK, we had some more time before round one, but now we had this really
big target painted on all of our backs – we were the ones everybody
wanted to beat. It’s definitely a little bit easier being the hunters
rather than the hunted.
“I remember so well at the Silverstone test at the start of the year, we
were a little bit stressed. Some of the other cars were coming so quickly
and everybody was talking about the others teams with their faster cars
and fancy parts; we had to find some more speed. Volkswagen Motorsport
delivered a fast and completely fantastic race car in the Polo R
Supercar. And PSRX Volkswagen Sweden delivered the team and the drivers
to make good with that car. This year really has been the dream, to win 10
races for Johan is something just unbelievable. This team has pulled
together and worked as one – everybody who wears the PSRX Volkswagen
Sweden shirt is part of this incredible story and we thank them
all.
“Now we want to end the story in the best possible way with a win in
South Africa next month and then we start to think about next season and
how we can try to improve on an already brilliant 2018!”
Johan
Kristoffersson (SWE) #1
“I can tell you now, the view from the top step of the podium in Buxtehude
is a good one!
“At times this weekend I was thinking: “It’s Buxtehude again, I’m still
not going to make the podium!” It was a tough weekend. Some of the
qualifying races were really hard with the traffic and some interesting
lines into the first corner!
“But I did it. It was a shame that Petter and I were in the same
semi-final, but we both made it through and going into that first corner
after I came from the joker lap was a little bit like syncronised sliding
– that was really good fun.
“The final worked well, but I’m really sorry for Petter. You know last
time out in Texas, he was the super-quick guy and he was really on it
here again. I think we’re going to see Petter even more
determined in South Africa.
“For me, this sport and this championship’s not about numbers. Winning 10
races is nice, but that’s something to look back on when I’m old and have
grandchildren on my knee to tell them the story about when Grampa was a
fast driver!
What’s important here and now is the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team story.
There are so many people who work so hard behind the scenes and today is
for them. To win one FIA world title as a team is an amazing achievement,
but to win two in the way we have done is a mark of a group of people who
truly are the best in the world. I want to thank you all!”
Petter Solberg
(NOR) #11
“World champions again! That’s a fantastic thing to say today. We came
here with one goal and one objective and we did it. I’m so happy for my
team, for Volkswagen Motorsport, for Volkswagen Sweden and all of the
partners and sponsors – we achieved this together guys.
“On a personal level, I’m so happy that I continued to pick up my speed
from Texas. I feel much better now and what happened in the final,
when I retired with a technical issue, it’s disappointing, but it doesn’t
stop me knowing I have the speed and the fight to be at the front. That’s
so important to me.
“Now, we have to celebrate four titles in two years – that’s unbelievable
when you think about where we were, with no team and no car just 22
months ago! I am so, so proud of what PSRX Volkswagen Sweden has done.
“For me, I’m going back to rallying next week. I drive the Polo GTI R5
for Volkswagen Motorsport at Rally de Esapaña in Tarragona. I go there to
enjoy my first rally in six years with no pressure and no expectations.
After that, it’s south to Cape Town for the last race of the season… and
I want that one. I really want that win!”
Volkswagen R
performance fact:
Just 12 per cent of the lap at Buxtehude is full throttle. So, for 88 per
cent of the lap, 600 horses are under the control of the drivers right
foot.
#PSRXVolkswagenSwedentheChamp
First event: World RX of Barcelona 01.04.17
First victory: World RX of Belgium 14.05.17
Events: 23
Wins: 18
One-two finishes: 3
Podiums: 28
Finals made: 39
Points scored: 855
Result:
1 Johan
Kristoffersson 3m33.568s
2 Mattias Ekström
3m35.417s
3 Andreas
Bakkerud 3m36.650s
4 Niclas Grönholm
3m38.598s
5 Petter Solberg
DNF
6 Kevin Hansen
DNF
Drivers’
championship positions:
1
Kristoffersson 311pts
2 Ekström
228pts
3Bakkerud
224pts
4 Solberg
221pts
5
Loeb 205pts
6 T
Hansen 179pts
Teams’
championship positions:
1 PSRX Volkswagen
Sweden 532pts
2 EKS Audi
Sport 452pts
3 Team Peugeot Total
384pts
*subject to
confirmation from the FIA
**Apologies to the
Brothers Grimm of any of their fabulous fairytale has been taken out of
context
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