Borseth’s Move

Knut Ove Borseth returned to the FIA European Rallycross Championship in 2013, for his first full season in the headline Supercar category.

In a mid-season change of direction, the Norwegian driver has parted company with Hedstroms Motorsport and will drive his own Ford Focus Supercar from Norway onwards.

 “The start of this year has been really tough,” says Borseth. “The Skoda just isn’t me, we haven’t been getting the results I want and it just wasn’t working out so I felt I had to do something. I know the guys at Hedstroms Motorsport did all they could for me and I thank them for that.”

Having won the TouringCar division in 2009, Borseth defended his title in 2010 before switching to the Supercar category, in a Ford Focus. Despite plans to race more often, Borseth was only able to contest selected events over the last couple of years, his Drive For Life campaign taking up most of his time.

For that reason, Borseth decided to join a team for the 2013 RallycrossRX Championship, leaving him time to concentrate on his other commitments. His team of choice was Hedstroms Motorsport, in a Skoda Fabia. However, after four rounds of RallycrossRX this year, Borseth has made the decision to leave Hedstroms Motorsport and recreate the team that ran the TouringCar programme with him.

“I always had plans to re-create my own team again in 2014, in conjunction with Drive For Life, so I suppose it is only 18 months early, but we had no plans for this year. The car has been ready since the winter, but there are lots of little things that need doing, like making sure all the FIA stuff is in date, like the fire extinguisher. We’ve got to do all the stuff that you would normally do it six months in four days!”

Borseth is a man used to running at the sharp end in rallycross, having been successful in the Norwegian SuperNational class before moving to the European Championship and winning in TouringCar. His 2013 season so far has been blighted by niggling problems, retirement from the semi-final in Finland with clutch problems the nail in the coffin for Borseth.

“I called my guys on Sunday night to tell them I had a plan but because they know me so well I think they already knew. They had watched Finland on live TV, and saw how I was when I retired from the semi-final so I think they were expecting my call. They are really, really motivated for us to do well.”

Borseth last drove his ex-Pauwels / Duval Ford Focus at his home event last year, making the B final. In the current system, that result would have been well inside the semi-finals.

“Anything can happen now, and even with bad luck with have been into the semi-finals. We will all be working really hard in Norway and then Sweden. It won’t be easy but the goal is to visit the podium as soon as possible. I feel that Petter, Jeanney and the Hansen cars have got something the rest of us haven’t. We need to find that, we can’t just watch them get away.”

Despite the spilt, Borsth has no hard feelings with Hedstroms Motorsport; “I respect Peter but we are two different people both on and off the track, and I think I will be far more comfortable the in Focus. I wish Hedstroms all the best, and hope for them that they can get some good results soon”.

Borseth will be a busy man in Hell, with the majority of children involved in his Drive For Life programme coming to watch the event this weekend.

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