RIP Anders Kulläng

Anders Kulläng (DOB 23.09.1943 – DOD 27.02.2012)

We at RallycrossWorld.com are sad to learn that Swedish Rally legend and Rallycross driver of the 1970s Anders Kulläng has died of drowning while being on holidays in Thailand, where he had a vacation home. In his early WRC years Kulläng drove for Opel, claiming his biggest ever success by winning the 1980 Swedish Rally with an Opel Ascona 400. Later on he became a factory driver for Mitsubishi Ralliart. In the mid-1970s Kulläng took also part in Rallycross events in Sweden, driving a Porsche 911 as well as a Vauxhall Chevette. In 1977 the man from Karlstad in Värmland used his Porsche Carrera RSR to win the Swedish ERC round at the Bergbybanan in Vendel near Uppsala from later European champion Austrian Herbert Grünsteidl (Alpine A310 V6) and fellow-Swede Lars Nyström (Porsche Carrera RSR).

Asked by the newspaper website nwt.se about his long time competitor Per Eklund claimed: “He [Kulläng] was one of the best Swedes of all time. A Rally sport magician, a driving devil. Even when I was still the navigator of my brother Lars it was Kulläng who already ruled. He was the best and also a handy all-rounder who helped many of us. After I got my own racing licence in 1964 I started to compete, among other big names, against Anders. We were fierce competitors, but always got along. He ment a lot to rallying, even when he stopped competing. The rallying school he set up [in 1990; based at Höljes] became famous and one of his pupil was nobody less than Sébastien Loeb [as well as the late Colin McRae and Timmy Hansen].”