Swedish all-round racer Mattias Ekström set to compete at Global X Games Munich and the RallycrossRX round at his native Höljes in the second Marklund Motorsport 560+bhp Volkswagen Polo Mk5 SuperCar.
Marklund Motorsport, one of the world’s most progressive Rallycross teams, is pleased to announce that their second Volkswagen Polo R SuperCar will be driven by Swedish DTM legend, Mattias Ekström at ESPN X Games Munich and in the sixth round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship in Höljes, Sweden.
Marklund Motorsport has 20 year-old Anton Marklund, currently 5th place overall in the FIA RallycrossRX Championship and 2012 European Rallycross Touring Car Champion, as their first driver and are operating a second car for guest drivers in the 2013 SuperCar season. Anton Marklund has played a vital role in getting his team mate Ekström up to speed with this car during testing in Estering ahead of the first race in Munich.
“It’s an extreme car with incredible power considering it’s so small, I have never driven a car quite like this before. It’s enjoyable but a big challenge, which I like. I have to learn the driving style quickly and find a set-up that suits me in a very short time as the competition is very hard and very aggressive. I’m really looking forward to doing these events as my father was a Rallycross driver, in fact the first track I ever came to was here at Estering,” commented Ekström during the test day.
Ekström made his motorsports debut in the Swedish Touring Car Championship in 1997, impressively going straight to the top, taking the silver medal. Two years later in 1999, Ekström won the championship and then graced the podium again in 2000, with a bronze medal. However, the 34 year-old driver is most notably known for his decade long career and success in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), winning the series twice and standing on the podium a further four times.
The team’s owner, Jan Marklund, is thrilled to have the legendary driver in the seat for both events, “With all his experience we definitely think he can fight for top positions in both Munich and Höljes. Having Mattias on board is going to be an injection for the whole team, we’ve found some better set-ups on the test days and have more of a feel for both cars. I hope we, as a team, can enable him to go for the win in Munich where he has so many fans and where there is such a strong connection with the Volkswagen family”.
About Mattias Ekström:
Two-time DTM champion (2004 and 2007), four-time winner of the Race of Champions (2005 [Nations Cup], 2006, 2007 and 2009 [Champion of Champions]) and Swedish Touring Car Champion (1999), Mattias Ekström is a living legend in the world of motorsports, having competed in various disciplines over his lengthy career. In 2004 he won the Group N category of the World Rally Championship rounds Rally Sweden and Rally de Catalunya in Spain. 2013 sees the Red Bull and Audi sponsored driver compete on the international Rallycross stage in both the GRC run X Games in Munich, Germany (29 and 30 June) and in the sixth round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship in Höljes, Sweden (6 and 7 July).
