Double European Rallycross Champion Ludvig Hunsbedt set to drive the Ford Focus Mk2 SuperCar of fellow-Norwegian Stein Egil Jenssen in the Swedish WorldRX round.

Norwegian 1993 (Group N) and 1997 (SuperCars) European Rallycross Champion Ludvig Hunsbedt has informed ERC24 that he is going to participate in the Swedish World Rallycross Championship round at Höljes, to be held on July 5 and 6. After a break of two years ‘Ludde’ has decided for a one-off comeback to see if he is still fast enough to battle with the new generation of drivers as well as to find out if his “fire” for competing in Rallycross is still burning.

In the Finnish 2010 ERC round at Kouvola Ludvig Hunsbedt made it to runner-up, the event was won by Briton Liam Doran. © JKR/ERC24

The Czech 2011 Euro round at Sosnová, driven with his Volvo C30 SuperCar, marked the 210th ERC round for the Norwegian. © JKR/ERC24

The car he is going to use is the Ford Focus Mk2 SuperCar Hunsbedt already drove in the 2010 ERC to 8th place overall, with as highlight a second place in the Finnish round at Kouvola. “The Focus is of course no car for top places these days, but we think it is still fast enough to play a bit with the boys. We will see what we can achieve at Höljes, to find out if we’re doing more sporadic events later on,” said the entrepreneur from the town of Kvinesdal in the deepest south of Norway to ERC24.

‘Ludde’ in 1983 with Opel Ascona i2000 – the start of a 30 year long Rallycross career. © EL/ERC24

From hero to competitor – Ludvig Hunsbedt and Martin Schanche pictured in 2001 at Lohéac in France. © EL/ERC24

Those were the days my friend … we’d fight and never lose… © SK/ERC24

The 54-year-old has started his Rallycross career in the early 1980s, being a great fan of ‘Mister Rallycross’ Martin Schanche, who used to live in Stavanger by then, not too far from Kvinesdal. Such a great fan that the twenty-something went with his bike to Schanche’s garage for to watch the rising Rallycross star building his car. In 1983 Hunsbedt started his own ERC campaign by using a Group A Opel Ascona i2000, to claim the bronze medal of Division 1 and to become ‘Rookie of the Year’. Between 1983 and 2011 ‘Ludde’ participated in a total of 210 ERC rounds, crowning his career with the FIA European Rallycross Championship titles of 1993 (with a Group N Ford Escort RS Cosworth) and 1997 (with a Ford Escort Mk7 SuperCar).

1997 marked the pinnacle of Hunsbedt’s career, the Ford Escort Mk7 driver (here at Lyngås) claimed the ERC title in SuperCars. © EL/ERC24

Top photo: Hunsbedt will drive Höljes with the Ford Focus Mk2 he drove in 2010 to second place at Kouvola. © JKR/ERC24