With Johan Kristoffersson, son of Tommy Kristoffersson, the next offspring of a former Rallycross hero is set to walk in the shoes of his dad. After starting his own motorsport career in tarmac racing Johan K. is ready for his first Rallycross event.
Coming Saturday will see the opener of the 2013 Swedish Rallycross Championship, to be held at the Strängnäs Motorstadion. A venue just off the E20, about 90kms west of the capital town of Stockholm. The SRC kick-off is scheduled to have a “Support Race” for SuperCars, the top category of Rallycross should be back to old glory in Sweden from 2014 on. Over the last two years the former Division 1 did not make part of the whole Swedish championship series, but was decided in a one-off event only, the Finale of the SRC, held at the Kinnekulle Ring near Götene. Reigning SuperCars champion is Peter Hedström, who won the event in September last year from Stig-Olov Walfridsson and Kenneth Hansen.
On top of the SuperCars entry for Strängnäs is Johan Kristoffersson, the 24 years old son of Tommy Kristoffersson. Kristoffersson senior was one of the leading European Rallycross drivers of the 1990s, first driving an Audi quattro with 10-valve TransAm engine and later on an Audi Coupé S2 with 20-valve IMSA engine, producing 700+bhp. Tommy lost his interest in Rallycross after the 1997 ERC and subsequently found a new battlefield in the Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC). His company Kristoffersson Motorsport (KMS) became the Audi Sport representative in Sweden, regularely scoring top results and over the years claiming a total of five Swedish titles. In 2011 the Swedish and the Danish Touring Car series merged and STCC became the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship. Last year it was rising youngster Johan Kristoffersson who won the STCC title with a Biogas engine powered Volkswagen Scirocco. Moreover he claimed the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia title and in the Italian Superstars Series he won the Italian title, the International title and the Rookie Trophy. However, this season Kristoffersson junior is set to do circuit racing as well as Rallycross, the early motorsport of his father.
“This will be something completely new and far from anything I’ve done before. I will probably have skidded more after just the first heat than I have done throughout my whole previous motorsport career. With verging on 600bhp, from a standing start with almost slicks on dry pavement to loose gravel, including a spectacular jump, well then you have a lot to do behind a steering wheel to keep everything under control”, says Johan Kristoffersson about his upcoming experience with a real car monster.
Ex-Rallycrosser Tommy Kristoffersson: “Right, we have some experience with Rallycross previously. But as in all motorsports progress goes forward with a furious pace. With that in mind we are fully aware of the coming debut. However, we see not only the first race, but throughout the whole year as part of our development. Our goal is to build a good car from scratch, and not delude ourselves with quick solutions that in the short term may prove advantageous, but are not reliable in the long run.”
The Rallycross SuperCar is based on a third generation Volkswagen Scirocco and has a two-liter turbocharged engine from the VW family. Virtually the entire car is designed and further developed by Swedish companies. Key components, such as shock absorbers, the engine development and the transmission is also all Swedish made. “Sweden is at the forefront in the design and construction of Rallycross cars. We have managed to tie up some extraordinarily talented and experienced Swedish guys, while we gradually hope to continue our long and good cooperation with Volkswagen Motorsport”, continues Tommy Kristoffersson. The aim of his Rallycross squad ‘Volkswagen Dealer Team KMS’ is to develop the car in 2013 for to seriously fight for the top place on the 2014 SRC rostrum.
