74-year-old driver Per Eklund will return for more rallycross action at Arvika next weekend after his one-off appearance at the RallyX Nordic‘s All-Star ‘Magic Weekend’ earlier this month.
Eklund, who team’s up with Dan Öberg in the #MKIVRX outfit in his home-built flame spitting and very loud Volkswagen Beetle for Arvika, made his rallycross comeback at Höljes after being away from the sport for five years.
Eklund is mostly known for his appearances in the rallycross with SAAB cars, where he started with back in 1971, when he also won the first-ever rallycross event held in Sweden, before he was moving on to rally by joining the WRC in 1976.
In 1999 Eklund claimed the Divison 1 FIA European Rallycross Championship title and he is also a two-time of the world famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in America.
He competed last time at Arvika in 2015, at his hometrack where he also was involved to build it – same as Höljes.
“I’m really looking forward to racing in RallyX Nordic again – and this time in the main Supercar class!” Eklund said and continued to joking about the past event.
“It was nice to drive against my fellow rallycross ‘oldies’ at Höljes, but now I really want to see how I measure up against the current stars. I’m certainly planning to arrive well-prepared in terms of spare body panels and parts!”
“On a serious note, though, it’ll be enjoyable to race at Arvika again. It’s my home track – my workshop is literally just down the road – and I was involved in the construction of the Westombanan circuit many years ago. We have been working hard on the Beetle since Höljes and focussing particularly on improvements to the drivetrain to make it sturdier in corners. Hopefully that will make it more competitive and we can go out there and have some fun!”
33-year-old Öberg, who is the owner of the #MKIVRX team, made his Supercar debut at the All-Star ‘Magic Weekend’ in his rare Volkswagen Scirocco. Öberg has been an active sportscar racer between 2016 and 2018 with AMG Mercedes and Lamborghini.
“I can’t wait to race again! I have almost no experience whatsoever of driving on gravel since I have only done circuit racing previously so rallycross is totally new for me, but I already love it! The feeling in a Supercar is great, and the control you can have even on loose gravel is astonishing,” Öberg said about his debut weekend.
“It will be a lot of fun sharing the awning with Per again. There was a fantastic atmosphere inside the team at Höljes – nobody took themselves too seriously – and it was awesome to work with him. What really impressed me about Per is that he is 74 years YOUNG and he becomes like a 20-year-old when he climbs into the cockpit. To have that passion and spark still is incredible. The saying ‘never grow old’ truly couldn’t fit any better.”
Arvika will play host to both the RallyX Nordic series as well as the Swedish Rallycross Championship at the event.
