Ramona Karlsson to race in World Rallycross

Experienced Swedish rally driver Ramona Karlsson will contest a minimum of seven events in the new-for-2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship this season, becoming the first female driver to sign up for the new World series.

Karlsson will race an Eklund Motorsport Saab 93 Supercar in World RX, and will be joined in the team by Henning Solberg for a selection of events. “It feels great to be working with Per Eklund, one of Sweden’s top racing drivers,” said Karlsson. “The team has a lot of experience and the Supercar class is where the most extreme rallycross cars are so I’m excited to be involved.  I’m obviously looking to fight with the top drivers and it’s good that I’m able to score both Euro RX and World RX points this year. I can’t wait to get the season underway in Portugal.”

Solberg has made sporadic appearances in the European rallycross championship in recent years, making it to the final at the Swedish round of RallycrossRX in 2013 at the wheel of an Eklund Saab. Karlsson too is no stranger to racing, having twice won the Swedish Crosskart championship before moving to rallying, where she has competed as high as the PWRC and in a Skoda Fabia WRC in the Swedish Rally championship where she became the first female driver ever to win an event outright last year.

Per Eklund, the man who brought Toomas ‘Topi’ Heinninen into rallycross and ran him in his first full European championship season will engineer the well-proven Saab Supercars on events this season, and is excited by the challenge;

“It feels really fun and exciting with Ramona in the team, Said Eklund. “She is fast in rally, and rallycross now becomes a new challenge. We have previously invested in the young Finn Toomas ” Topi ” Heikkinen, when he came into rallycross, and now he is one of the fastest in the world. It feels extra fun with a female driver, something that has never occurred before. It will be very interesting and exciting to follow Ramona’s development. The experienced Swede is also excited to again be working with Solberg. “Henning is very quick, last year he did no testing before events and still got good results, he is a proper driver.”

Karlsson’s 2014 campaign will begin at the first round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Portugal (May 3-4) and will be joined by Solberg for the first time at  RallycrossWorld.com/RamonaRallying Hill for round two (May 24 25).

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