Global RallyCross Championship regular Briton Andy Scott informed ERC24 about his entry for the Benelux rounds of the European Rallycross Championship.

Andy Scott, Scott-Eklund Racing Team Principal and driver commented to ERC24 on his return to the FIA European Rallycross Championship for rounds seven (Belgium) and eight (The Netherlands), during his break in Global RallyCross Championship commitments:

“With the break in Scott-Eklund Racing’s American campaign, I return to the FIA European Rallycross Championship with great enthusiasm, confident of delivering a big result in Belgium. Tony Bardy Motorsport has worked very hard on the ERC car, my Ford Focus ST. The guys quickly found and resolved the problem we had in Dreux, while thanks to Scott-Eklund Racing’s on-going partnership with TiAL Sport we bring back some encouraging technical innovations from the US.

I’m very confident that we head to Belgium with a competitive package. I want a step on the podium, that’s for sure, and I’ll be disappointed if I don’t achieve that. Depending on how things go, we might also contest what’s billed as the biggest European Rallycross event, at Lohéac (France) in September.

Racing in both the GRC and ERC this year hasn’t been a problem for me. It’s easy for me to adapt to each championship’s format, which are naturally different. The GRC has an intense programme where we go straight from the course build in to racing, which is a great spectacle for the fans but rarely allows time to improve the car once racing begins.

After four GRC rounds it’s become apparent that the most important factor is your seeding performance. You don’t get a lot of chance to recover if you have a tricky seeding session. With the European format three heats decide the grids for the Finals, which gives us time to make technical adjustments and improve pace throughout the event.

The GRC and ERC are very different championships with a great deal to offer, but it will be good to get back to a full Rallycross circuit in Belgium with some genuine gravel sections.

Of course, the Scott-Eklund Racing Saab 9-3 and the Ford Focus ST cars also have distinct characteristics. The Ford is all about torque and short-shifting to keep in the power band whereas the Saab is a higher revving engine so you need to operate at a high rev range, but I expect to make the transition without any problem.”

Photo: At Dreux in France Andy Scott finished his latest ERC outing with a frustrating 14th place. © JKR/ERC24