Seven days in rallycross, January 23

In a busy few days we have learned the identity of four more of the front running drivers in the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship and seen some interesting moves by star names.

Marklund Motorsport was first out of the blocks and, on Monday, announced that 2013 GRC winner Toomas Heikkinen would lead its two-car assault in WorldRX. “Topi” Heikkinen will drive alongside Anton Marklund, the pair to have new VW Polo Supercars for the season.

Heikkinen has spent the last two seasons racing in the US for Ford team OMSE, so his switch to Marklund and VW left questions about who would drive at OMSE. The Ford announcement came on Thursday, when OMSE named Andreas Bakkerud and Reinis Nitiss as its drivers for the World championship. Oddly, Nitiss had a Supercar test with Marklund last autumn, part of his prize for winning the Super1600 title (video below). Bakkerud moves from LD Motorsport where he won two events (Sweden and France) in his debut Supercar season, while Nitiss steps up from Super1600 where he won the championship in his first full year in the European series in 2013.

The Ford team driver lineup was accompanied by news that BTCC champion Andrew Jordan will take part in the British round of the World championship at Lydden as a wild card entry, Jordan joining OMSE, along with former World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm, as a driver coach.

The day also added that the OMSE developed Supercar Lites initiative will appear at five rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship as a supporting feature. OMSE will run Supercars in the GRC for Patrik Sandell and Joni Wiman with further entries in the STCC for Sebastien Eriksson and Daniel Holten.

All of this came on the back of Robin Larsson’s announcement that he will race a Supercar this year. The Swede moves from TouringCar with a new team assembled around him and a new Audi A1 Supercar which is in build and scheduled to be ready to test in the spring.

Liam Doran will start his 2014 season with an appearance at the Arenacross event in Birmingham this weekend. Doran will have his Citroen DS3 Supercar at the event in the LG Arena where it takes centre stage in the Monster Energy Pit Party and will also demonstrate the car on the track during the event.

In Sweden Ramona Karlsson organised a training camp for up and coming young female drivers. A gorup of seven underwent fitness and media training, included among the selected group was Junior rallycross driver My Adolfsson.

[portfolio_slideshow]

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhWZAIqLas8&feature=c4-overview&list=UUoYzFocs1LZb8qFyoLQPjBw[/tube]