Andersson: I’m confident I could put up a good fight in Euro RX1

Since winning the Swedish title behind the wheel of a BMW 120 back in 2021, Andersson has almost exclusively plied her trade in electric machinery, contesting a pair of rounds in the FIA RX2e Championship that same year – missing out on a podium finish by barely a second on her maiden appearance at Spa-Francorchamps. 

Subsequently recruited by CE Dealer Team to compete at the highest level in the FIA World Rallycross Championship, the Löberöd native made history when she reached the rostrum at Montalegre in Portugal in 2022. She counts four top three finishes to her name to-date at the international pinnacle of the dual-surface discipline.

Last summer, Andersson joined forces with PGRX to race alongside Andreas Bakkerud in the French Championship at iconic Breton circuit, Lohéac. Taking to the track in an ICE Hyundai i20 in front of more than 50,000 passionate fans, the 25-year-old might have been apprehensive, but she swiftly settled in.

“It was a super fun weekend,” she enthused. “The atmosphere was really special, and it was just an honour to be there. After four years of racing an electric Supercar with its instant torque and distinct characteristics, I was so intrigued to try out combustion power.

“The team was hugely supportive, and my first laps in the car during pre-event testing actually felt very natural. The presence of a propshaft and gearbox is obviously the biggest difference and I inevitably had to adapt my driving style a little bit, but I was able to get onto the pace pretty quickly. 

“I messaged Niclas [Grönholm – former World RX team-mate] before the weekend asking him how to launch the car and he replied with a step-by-step guide. I still came out of the first corner last in my first heat, but then I managed to put down some good laps to get the win!” 

Despite constantly changing conditions – ‘amongst the trickiest I’ve ever raced in’, she admits – Andersson impressed again in Q3 to place fourth in the high-calibre, 35-strong field and was running second following an early joker in her semi-final when a puncture forced her out on the penultimate tour. She hopes she might get another chance on 29-30 August, when the FIA European Rallycross Championship stops off at Lohéac for the first time in five years. 

“The puncture broke my heart a little bit,” the Sweden National Team member reflected, “because it was probably one of the best drives of my career and I was looking forward to starting at the front of the grid in the final. Our lap times were really strong, and I’m proud of the pace and performance we displayed. 

“I’ve stayed in close contact with PGRX since then, and we’ll see what opportunities come up – it would be cool to do something with them again. It’s a great team, with a super welcoming vibe and extremely skilled and passionate people.”

Three-time FIA European Rallycross Champion Bakkerud, last season’s Euro RX1 runner-up Damian Litwinowicz and rising star Andor Trepák have all already committed to the forthcoming campaign, and Andersson is pushing flat-out to similarly secure her spot in what is widely expected to be a capacity field. 

“We’re working hard to put together a programme in the European Championship this year,” she asserted. “It’s not easy, but we’re trying our best to get the budget together and it feels like we’re making progress, so hopefully we can make something happen. 

“It’s a great calendar, full of the kind of old-school rallycross tracks that we all love, and from everything I’ve heard, it seems it will be a stacked grid, so it would be really fun to be a part of it and put on a great show for the fans. I’ve learned a lot over the past four years with CE Dealer Team in the World Championship, and I’m confident I could put up a good fight against the top guys in Euro RX1.”