Seven days, June 27

The big news of the week surrounds Mattias Ekstrom’s outings in the Munich X Games event and the Swedish round of the FIA European rallycross Championship at Holjes in one of Marklund Motorsport’s VW Polos. Ekstrom has had an open promise with Finnskoga MK, the organiser at Holjes, to take part in its event when it fitted with his schedule and when a suitable car was available. The son of 1980s European series frontrunner Bengt Ekstrom, Audi’s DTM star is an accomplished allrounder with WRC outings and notable victories in the Race of Champions to his credit. A suitable gap in the DTM calendar and the availability of a VW Supercar means that the jigsaw pieces fall right for 2013 when Ekstrom joins a strong line up at Holjes.

The © and Central European zone championships were in action over the weekend. The NEZ series shared a double header event at Momarken in Norway with the third round of the Norwegian national series. National championship runners were in action on Saturday when Herbjorn Haug (Mercedes) won the leading Supernational class ahead of Rune Engesvoll (Lexus) and Borre Hakelia (Volvo S40). Class favourites Lars Oivind Enerberg (Fiesta) and Trond Marthinsen (Saxo) won TouringCar and Super1600 respectively while Joakim Ronnevik topped the Junior order in his venerable VW Golf Mk1.

There were a few Supercars in action for the NEZ round on Sunday when Hakon Nilsen took the win in his Volvo S40, the Norwegian leading home Lithuanian visitor Kazimieras Gudziunas (Puma) and Tony Lund Tjelle. Frabk valle started the event in his Fiesta but did not make it to the end of the day. The NEZ Open category (Supernational) was won by Terje Morstad (BMW E46) who b eat off local star Ola Froshaug (S40) and Fredrik Salsten’s Subaru. Ernestas Staponkus took the Super1600 victory in his VW Polo, Robin Bakker Andresen (Corsa) and Svein Guttorm Nielsen (Peugeot 106) completing the podium. Christian Sandmo switched back to front-wheel drive and won the 2000 class in an Opel Kadett E, leading home Ben Philip Gundersen’s TouringCar Fiesta and Per Magne Royras.

Kakucs in Hungary was the venue for the third round of the CEZ, an event that also comprised qualifying rounds of the Austrian and Hungarian national championships. The event was won by Zoltan Harsanyi in his Mitsubishi Lancer, the Hungarian leading home Austrian pair Alois Holler (Focus) and Peter Ramler (Seat Leon). Klaus Freudenthaler claimed the Super1600 win in his Skoda Fabia, second place taken by Gabor Bankuti (Peugeot 206) ahead of Werner Panhauser (Citroen C2). The Supernational class was won by Czech visitor Jakub Bittman who notably used his Peugeot 206 to hand out a rare defeat to Roman Castoral.

The German Rallycross Championship reached the half way mark with the completion of the third of six events. The summer date at Bustehude’s Estering is won by Bernd Schomaker’s Skoda Fabia. Dutchman Marcel Ottink places second with Jorg Jockel the only other finisher in his Focus. Andraes Steffen (Fabia II) takes victory in the Super1600 class but the series lead remains with Andreas Schrader, Niels van de Warrenburg (Toyota Yaris) and Kim Dall (Renault Clio) complete the top three on the day. The eclectic Supernational class is won by Sewede Ulf Arvidsson’s Volvo PV. Pole Bartlomiej Ruszczynski (Alfa Romeo 156) and German Syvlia Winterhoff (Volvo PV) complete the podium in a class that also included Dutch and Belgian racers. Bjorn Bruning-Zedler was again best of the ‘Cup’ class.

After the cancellation of the scheduled third round, the French championship limbers up for its first event in four weeks with Jerome Grosset-Janin leading the title chase as the series heads to Lavare in the Sarthe. It will be a busy weekend with further NEZ action as well as championship events in Sweden and Finland.

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