Its safe to say that the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship has been an up and down year for 2016 Champion Mattias Ekstrom, however the last five rounds present the opportunity to bring a long overdue positive note to his season.
The EKS Audi Sport driver is one of five drivers in the fight for second place in the Drivers Championship and the eighth round of this years World RX season is the first hurdle he must cross to makeup ground.
Ekstrom is fighting some of the best drivers in World RX for second place in the Drivers Championship. Credit: Petr Sulcik / Audi Sport
For Ekstrom, the journey to the “Temple of Rallycross” is a great honour and he looks forward to seeing the expected number of over seventy thousand spectators this weekend that will also make the pilgrimage to Loheac.
“Traveling to Lohéac is a great honour every time, the many enthusiastic spectators there make us drivers feel like rock stars,” admits Ekstrom.
However its not just the thrill of the fans that brings Ekstrom to Loheac, its the challenge of the high speed circuit and how to setup the EKS Audi Sport S1 Quattro to race at its fastest on both days of competition.
Ekstrom loves making the journey to Loheac every year to see the massed ranks of rallycross fans. Credit: Petr Sulcik / Audi Sport
There is one section of the circuit that the 2016 World RX Champion finds especially enjoyable. That section is Turn 5: a fast, long right-hander that runs parallel to the Joker Lap.
“There, you drift in third or fourth gear, constantly keeping the car’s nose very close to the wall,” explains the EKS Audi Sport driver. “The Joker Lap itself is very special as well with the jump to negotiate when you enter the corner.”
