Åhlin-Kottulinsky completes World RX grid for Hong Kong season finale

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky will make her FIA World Rallycross Championship debut in Hong Kong next weekend (11-12 November), as the rapid Swedish racer joins forces with Johan Kristoffersson and Ole Christian Veiby in a three-car line-up at Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS.

Åhlin-Kottulinsky is no stranger to either the team or the car, having contested the full FIA RX2e Championship in 2023 for Team E, which has close ties to the Kristoffersson Motorsport-run world championship outfit.

The 30-year-old finished third in the title table at the end of a season in which she consistently took the fight to compatriots Nils Andersson and Isak Sjökvist – both of whom have considerably more rallycross experience under their belt. Indeed, at Mettet in Belgium during the summer, she left the pair trailing as she finished runner-up to guest entrant Kristoffersson, with whom she currently leads the Extreme E standings.

Around World RX’s first-ever downtown circuit in harbourside Hong Kong, Kristoffersson and Åhlin-Kottulinsky will be gunning for glory once again in the single-spec ZEROID X1, with the former seeking to secure a sixth career crown in style and the latter bidding to showcase her skills at the absolute pinnacle of the dual-surface discipline.

“If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that I would get to drive the world championship finale in Hong Kong with KMS, I would not have believed them,” confessed the Karlstad native, who will celebrate her birthday the day after the race weekend.

“It’s a dream come true to step in and be part of the best team in World RX – that’s pretty awesome! It was fun working with Johan and Ole Christian when they drove in RX2e in Belgium. I’m looking forward to continuing that collaboration and to working with the incredibly talented engineers and mechanics in the team.

“It's hard to say what your goals are when you go into something for the first time like this. We’ll have a little more power in the cars than I’ve been used to in RX2e, and the circuit will be new for everyone. It’s a city centre event, which is super-cool, and I've enjoyed this type of track before. I'll certainly be giving it my best.”

Åhlin-Kottulinsky’s addition to the grid for Hong Kong sees her join countrywoman Klara Andersson (CE Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment), who reached the rostrum in World RX in Portugal last year. KMS Team Principal Tommy Kristoffersson believes the former TCR Scandinavia Touring Car Championship runner-up is more than capable of coming away with a similar result.

“I’m super-pleased that we can contribute to a great end to the world championship season,” he commented. “We’ve seen Mikaela’s potential in both Extreme E and RX2e, where she has shown strong development, and I’m also well aware of her results in STCC. I see this opportunity as a chance for Mikaela to show off – a springboard for next season.”