EKSRX Press Release
“Money can’t buy you goose bumps!” says an ecstatic Mattias Ekström after the first victory of EKS in FIA World Rallycross Championship. In front of almost 35,000 sharing spectators in Höljes/Sweden the local hero caught the checkered flag ahead of Andreas Bakkerud and Petter Solberg, both from Norway.
“As I stood on top of the podium today, filled with the joy of winning and with my entire team in front of me – I must say it was one of the best moments of my life! Not as a driver but as a team member. All the hours we’ve put in, all the hard work and doubts. To build a team from scratch, completely after our own heads, has certainly been a journey. The victory today was the first checkpoint and to be able to do it on home soil made it even more fantastic! It tells us we’re on the right track and that we have truly worked as a team.”
“RX is a fantastic sport. It is racing for real, fair rules, real cars and hard fights. We always want to put on a show, and we defiantly did today. The audience here in Höljes was amazing so it feels extra good to able to give something back to them. Thanks everybody who came out and made my first victory in RX such a unforgettable moment!” concludes a very happy Mattias.
The beaming winner had a nearly perfect weekend on home soil after winning three of his four Heats and took also the win in the semi final. In the showdown he crossed the line with an advance of 10.442s on runner-up Bakkerud. EKS team-mate Pontus Tidemand did also well during the whole weekend. After a win in his second Heat and a very constantly performance the Swede followed compatriot Mattias to semi final for the first time and missed the final round by just a hair. He crossed the line in fourth position – 0.130s behind Liam Doran.
Round six of World RX will take place in Belgium next weekend. Mattias will miss this event, because he is on duty for Audi in the DTM event in Moscow the same time. Wild card driver Edward Sandström will take over the wheel of the Audi S1 EKS RX and team up with Pontus.
Photo credit: EKSRX
