FIA champions in Supercar prize drive

The Kinnekulle-Ring in Sweden hosted the prize Supercar test for the RallycrossRX TouringCar and Super1600 champions Derek Tohill and Reinis Nitiss yesterday.

The test is part of the prize package for the champions, introduced this season by championship promoters IMG Motorsport. The pair spent a day driving a Marklund Motorsport VW Polo R Supercar at KinneKulle near Gotene in southern Sweden, under the watchful eye of regular driver Anton Marklund who gave guidance and driver tuition throughout the day.

The two took totally different approaches to the 16 laps over four runs they were given to experience the behaviour and brutality of a current Supercar. Tohill’s first run was an aggressive approach to exploring the limits of the car, fast and committed from the word go Tohill was nothing short of spectacular, throwing the Polo R around with confidence.

“That was interesting!” beamed Tohill when he got back to the paddock. “The breaks are so much better than I expected. You can use the handbrake without necessarily loosing as much time as you would in the Touringcar. Everything is much more forgiving, when you’re in the middle of a big moment you can recover it, just keep the shoe in and it will be ok. It’s fantastic, and I think with the ALS you can tame the wrestler!”

Nitiss however, who had raced an older Citroen C4 the previous day at the final round of the Swedish Rallycross Championship on the same circuit, took a steadier approach to the morning sessions, steadily building his pace, clearly applying experience gained the previous day.

“I changed my driving style yesterday in the Citroen. Today is easier because of that, for Derek he is doing his first learning today. It’s really hard at the start getting into the Supercar but my feeling is good, the car is very good. With every lap I’m getting better and better.”

After both drivers had completed two runs each, the car was given a check over while the pair were able to discuss the mornings events with their own engineers and Marklund’s team. The afternoon sessions incorporated the next stage of the learning process in one of the top cars in the world of rallycross, using the launch control system to get away from the start line and complete four laps with the anti-lag (ALS) system switched on. For each of their final runs the pair were able to set the ALS to their own preference, Nitiss going for a less aggressive strategy than Tohill, one the Irish driver realised may not have been the best option, but testing is about learning. “That’s crazy! With 100% ALS the car is just pulling you on and on all the time, it’s not good for a tight track like this but we learnt something valuable there,” said Tohill. “Time in the car is everything, 16 laps in the car today and then four laps as a passenger with Anton driving at the end is brilliant, it’s given me a great insight into what driving a Supercar is all about and how I need to prepare for next year. Being better prepared is invaluable, I know now about technical details of driving and how I can think about that and work on driving technique.”

If the drivers were impressed by the Marklund Motorsport Polo, that was only reflected by Marklund’s opinion of the ability show at the test; “I drove some laps at the end of the day and I have to say that both Nitiss and Tohill did really well today because the loose sections of the track were very rough and dusty, and that made driving the car extremely difficult. It was a tough test for them so I am actually even more impressed with the way that they both drove. It’s a big step to drive a Supercar at those speeds on a track like this and to do that without damaging the car shows how good both drivers are.”

Both drivers were similarly paced by the end of the day, Nitiss was elated with his own performance and the opportunity to drive a top Supercar at a crucial point in his career.

Everything was perfect, this was a great experience. “There is still a lot to think about and new things to learn because a Supercar is so fast and everything happens much more quickly than I am used to in a Super1600, but Marklund Motorsport’s VW Polo was perfect, the best car I have driven and I was able to go faster each time I drove. It’s important for me to have this test now because I am working very hard to get the budget to race in Supercar next year so having the test and being able to prove myself in a Supercar is great. It was a perfect day and I’m very happy that I had this chance from RallycrossRX. I want to be in Supercar, and I’d love to do the World Championship we will see will try to do our best.”

Tohill too was full of praise for the prize drive, and felt it proves the value in doing the European championship in TouringCar or Super1600. “The prize is a great opportunity to drive a Supercar. Any driver in TouringCar or Super1600 who wants to make it in rallycross should be clear now that they have to prepare to win in RallycrossRX and at the end of the year you can get the best preset in the world. Having a test like this is the best prize that you can have as a champion who wants to get into Supercar, it’s a fantastic opportunity to experience the car. The Marklund Motorsport VW Polo is the fastest car I’ve ever driven, the startline performance is shocking, amazing, there’s nothing you could possibly do to match that.”

The two champions will receive the final instalment of their winnings in January at the official FIA prize-giving in London, to include trophies and RallycrossRX cash awards.

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