Rallycross set for ASI show as Andersson moves to Supercar

The Autosport International Show in Birmingham, UK in early January will begin the 50^th anniversary celebrations of rallycross in the Live Action Arena, where cars and drivers from the history of the sport will perform  in the arena and speak on stage. The first ever winner of a rallycross event, Vic Elford, will drive the Porsche 911 that carried him to his first victory, with rallycross legends John Taylor, Martin Schanche, Will Gollop and Kenneth Hansen among those making appearances in various capacities. The modern era will be celebrated and demonstrated by current day Supercars from the British, European and World Championships.

Marklund Motorsport has announced that it will run a pair of Volkswagen Polo RX Supercars in the FIA European Rallycross Championship next season for Anton Marklund and graduating TouringCar racer Magda Andersson. Marklund has raced in the World Championship for the last three years and will focus on both rallycross and circuit racing in 2017, while Andersson finished second in the EuroRX TouringCar division last season, missing out on the title by a single point at the final round. “I’m really looking forward to working with Marklund Motorsport. I’m super happy to have the opportunity to race with one of the world’s best rallycross teams, with one of the best Supercars,” said Andersson. “Looking back on the last two years in TouringCar, myself and my team felt that it’s time for the next challenge and moving up to Supercar is very exciting. I’m really looking forward to the start of the season in Barcelona next April.”

Swedish team JC Raceteknik has announced that it has formed a Junior Team for next season, supporting a pair of drivers in Swedish crosskart. JC Raceteknik owner Joel Christoffersson hopes that by setting up the team it will aid drivers in their progress into rallycross and form a career in the sport. The team’s drivers will attend rallycross tests and races during the year to learn from the team’s Supercar Lites drivers. Crosskart racers Isaac Reiersen (13) and ten-year old Alex Gustafsson will race 125cc and 85cc machines respectively in the squad.

Haas Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean raced in the third round of the Andros Trophy series at Alpe D’Huez, where the Frenchman claimed victory on the second day of competition in a DA Racing run car alongside reigning champion Jean-Baptiste Dubourg (Renault Clio). Former F1 driver Oliver Panis (Audi A1) won the final on day one ahead of Dubourg and Benjamin Riviere (Mini) while Grosjean claimed victory on day two from points leader Jean-Phillip Dayraut (BMW M2) and Adrien Tambay (Mazda 3). The latter driver clashing with Panis in a battle for the last podium finish which involved a fracas after the finish of the race. Eddy Benezet (BMW M2) and points leader Nathanael Berthon claimed a win each in the Elite category, while Christophe Ferrier won twice in the electric category to extend his margin at the top of the championship table.