One of the most successful rallycross drivers to have come from Denmark, ‘The Danish Dynamite’, Ulrik Linnemann, will make his return to the FIA European Rallycross Championship scene for a full-season campaign after being away for the last year.
Linnemann is a no stranger to Euro RX, he took three championship runner-up spots in the Super1600 class in 2011, 2015 and 2016 with his privately run team in a Peugeot 207 and a 208.
In 2016, he was offered the chance to make a wildcard appearance in Supercar for first time with the French team Pailler Competition at the first-round in Mettet, Belgium, he ended the weekend in twenty-third place overall.
After being involved in Super1600 for many years to become one of the most successful Super1600 drivers in modern time, he made the decision to buy a former Marklund Motorsport built Volkswagen Polo Supercar to enter his first-ever full-season in the Supercar class in 2018, he had a promising season, claiming sixth overall in his first season.
Last year, he took a break from Euro RX to drive for Olsbergs MSE in the RallyX Nordic with one of the Honda Civic Coupé that they brought over from United States having previously run in the now defunct Global Rallycross series.
Linnemann also became the first-ever Danish driver to compete in World RX, at the Höljes round, and also become the first driver to enter a Honda in World RX.
For this season, Linnemann has bought a brand-new car for himself, the Ford Fiesta MK7 was built by no other than the famous rallycross legend Jos Kuypers from Belgium.
The car has been modified with all-carbon body parts from RX Carbon, the design is made to look like the cars the Austrian FIA World Rallycross Championship team STARD used to race with before switching over to the Fiesta MK8 last year.
The Checkered Flag’s Pontus Lindroos spoke with Linnemann ahead of the season to talk about his career and the future.
How did you career start?
“My brothers had many cars to drive for fun at home on the farm when I was a small kid, then my brothers started in Folkrace and I was truly in love with the sport allready from day one.”
Why did you choose rallycross?
“I started in Folkrace, which is a good ground for Rallycross and in my opinion Rallycross is the most fun and spectacular sport in the world.”
How has your Supercar career been so far?
“I have only completed one full-season in the Euro RX Supercar, in 2018 with an old Marklund car from 2013. I felt we made a strong performance, both my team and me, to acheive the 6th overall in the first season with 4WD.”
What are the highlights in your career?
“It may absolutely be the Silver medals in S1600, (2011,2015,2016) all the victorys, in Super1600 and ofcourse my 2 finals in 2018 (Barcelona and Mettet)”
Do you consider to do a full-season in the World RX in the near future?
“I would love to be on the grid in World RX. I am trying all the time to find people who would like to see me in the big game! Unfortunately Rallycross is not the most seen sport in Denmark.”
What goals are you hoping to achieve in the future?
“I hope to take the European title and to fight in the World RX!”
What have you been up to during the lockdowns?
“I have been working flat out all the time to earn money, its hard for both me and my sponsors, so you can’t get to much money I think.”
What race do you look forward the most this season and why?
“I really hope Höljes and Spa will be, Höljes is a great track and it looks like Spa is a fun track too.”
How is your new Supercar compared to the other Supercars you have driven?
“Its a brand new car and there is still room for improvements I guess but I am really happy with the handling. It is easy to drive, and I think it may be the key, as you make less mistakes with an easy driven car.”
What are your thoughts if the Euro RX will use the similar format as World RX of 50/50 line-up of EV and ICE Supercars in the future?
“I think it will be fun to drive anyway. It will be difficult to make 100% fair for everybody but it will be fun to watch.”
