Kristoffersson aiming to seal the deal in style

Last year, Kristoffersson sealed the deal during the heat stages at World RX of Türkiye, but in the final, a penalty for failing to take his joker lap demoted him from second place to sixth, while in 2023, he was similarly denied the runner-up spoils in Hong Kong when his car stopped on-track on the last lap, having earlier in the day secured his sixth Drivers’ title. 

This coming weekend, the Swedish superstar will endeavour to add an extraordinary eighth FIA world championship trophy to his collection – an achievement that would leave him just one shy of the all-time record held by FIA World Rally Championship legend Sébastien Loeb.

In order to accomplish that objective, he will need to fend off a fired-up Niclas Grönholm, who sits just 15 points in his rear-view mirror with 56 remaining in play – and the flying Finn has been a thorn in his side season-long. KMS ace Kristoffersson says his strategy is very straightforward.

“I’m better at driving than speculating,” jokes the 36-year-old Arvika native, who has incredibly triumphed in 47 of the 119 World RX finals staged to-date. “The simplest recipe is to go there and win. We were strong in Türkiye last year, but Niclas was also fast then, so it could be an interesting showdown...” 

In order to prevail, Kristoffersson will need not only to get the better of Grönholm, but also keep his nose clean in a 14-strong field, with many of the Euro RX1 regulars bolstering the grid in Istanbul. While they will not be eligible to score world championship points, the extra cars on-track will nonetheless engender added jeopardy and increase the risk of race-ending damage.

“It’s a short starting straight, and it will be crowded into the first corner, which means it will be a challenge to stay out of trouble,” muses KMS CEO Tommy Kristoffersson, whose eponymously-named outfit is aiming to replicate its Turkish success from last year, when it lifted both the Drivers’ and Teams’ laurels in Istanbul.  

“We have good self-confidence after two one-two wins in a row. The preparations have been thorough as usual and our staff are prepared for all scenarios and the quick adjustments that may need to be made. Everything that we can influence ourselves, we have prepared in the best way possible.”