Sjökvist only
debuted in rallycross three years ago, but the Swede has swiftly established
himself as one of the undisputed rising stars of the dual-surface discipline. He
reached the rostrum on his maiden RX2e appearance on home soil at Höljes in
2021, repeating the feat at Spa-Francorchamps to secure fifth position in the
overall classification, despite not contesting the opening round.
The following
year, he got the better of Nils Andersson in the fight for second in the
standings courtesy of his breakthrough triumph in the Catalunya finale, before
narrowly giving best to his countryman ten months later, missing out on title
glory by just seven points in his first season in #YellowSquad colours. Sjökvist’s
tally of nine podium finishes to-date in RX2e – two of them on the top step – is
unrivalled in the all-electric single-spec category.
The one trophy
missing from the 22-year-old Uppsala native’s cabinet is the big one – the drivers’
crown. Exploiting the experience he has gained and the lessons he has learned –
allied to Hansen Motorsport’s unquestionable expertise in the sport – that is
something he is aiming to rectify over the coming months.
“I’m super-excited to have signed for another year with #YellowSquad,” Sjökvist enthused. “We’re making great progress and I know we have
what it takes to achieve our goals together.
“It’s an honour to get this opportunity once again and encouraging for
me that they have trust in me. I would also like to take a moment to thank all my partners, including the Hansen family and my own, and everyone
else that is giving me this opportunity.”
Hansen
Motorsport’s commitment to RX2e supports its vision for a more sustainable
future. The team is approaching its third campaign running a pair of electric
RX1e cars in World RX, and will add further #YellowSquad drivers to its roster alongside
Sjökvist this year.
“We’re
excited to go into another season with Isak,” commented Team Manager, Eric Färén. “From the beginning, the
relationship felt like a perfect fit. We all work well together and have a lot
of fun.
“Of course, it also feels a bit like unfinished
business. We have long-term goals, but we want to win the RX2e championship so
that is what we’ll be pushing for this year. Isak has been working hard over
the winter and we will try to be as prepared as we can to give him all the
tools he needs to secure the title.”
The
forthcoming RX2e campaign will get underway at Essay in France on 8-9 June,
followed by World Championship-accompanying rounds at Höljes in Sweden (6-7
July), Nyirád in Hungary (27-28 July), Mettet in Belgium (17-18 August) and
Montalegre in Portugal (7-8 September).
Italy
Sweden
France
