Volkswagen RX Sweden have revealed today that they will step down from the FIA World Rallycross Championship to concentrate on developing young driver talent for the future.
The Swedish outfit, who finished third in the World RX Teams Championship this season thanks to the efforts of both Johan Kristoffersson and Anton Marklund, has announced that it will contest the 2017 FIA European Rallycross Championship as well competing in selected rounds of the RallyX Nordic Championship.
They have also confirmed that they will run two Volkswagen Polo RX Supercars in Euro RX next year.
Volkswagen RX Sweden CEO, Jan Marklund confirmed the teams plans and the reason why they will concentrate on Euro RX in 2017.
“I believe that to be a front-runner in World RX now you need to have factory support. Instead of investing a huge amount in the constant development of the car, I believe it’s better to give upcoming drivers more seat time to improve their skills. The European Championship is a good platform to prove their qualities.”
The squad was in the fight for victories in the second half of the 2016 World RX season where Kristoffersson won the World RX of France and went on to finish second in the Drivers championship behind eventual champion Mattias Ekstrom.
Marklund praised the efforts made by the team during a very challenging season in 2016 and outlined their aims for 2017.
“This season the team and our partners have put in an incredible effort to stay competitive throughout the whole campaign. I want to say a big thanks to all of our partners that we have worked with and I hope we can continue strong relationships going forward.”
“With the team members and experience we’ve collected over the last three years, we aim to fight for podium finishes with our drivers in 2017.”
The 2017 FIA European Rallycross Championship gets underway at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain on March 31 – April 2.
