Linnemann aiming to ‘put up a fight’ as great Dane rejoins Euro RX1 grid

To rallycross fans, Linnemann is a familiar face and a popular protagonist, beloved for his all-out approach behind the wheel and never-say-die nature. Having debuted on the international scene all the way back in 2008 in Division 1A, the triple national champion reached the Euro RX rostrum for the first time two years later as he rapidly established himself as a leading contender. 

In the inaugural season of Super1600 (now Euro RX3) in 2011, he wound up second in the final table behind Andreas Bakkerud – the first of seven consecutive top five championship rankings, three of them as runner-up and missing out on the coveted crown in 2016 by a mere two points. Stepping up to Supercar (now Euro RX1) level in 2018, the Skivum native concluded proceedings sixth in the standings in the 37-strong field.

Following a three-year hiatus from the European stage, Linnemann all-but matched that result in 2022, placing seventh overall courtesy of a pair of podium finishes at Nyirád and Montalegre, and was then in fine form the following year as he finished third in Sweden and second in Belgium. He was similarly well in the mix at Germany’s Estering, sitting fifth after the opening day – until disaster struck in Q3...

A small error as he came over the crest of the hill towards the end of the lap sent him into a spectacular barrel-roll, and while the 37-year-old thankfully emerged unscathed, the same could not be said for his Volkswagen Polo – a machine piloted to Euro RX Supercar glory six years earlier by Anton Marklund.

True to his mantra to ‘never give up’, Linnemann dug deep and refused to allow the accident to end his career, determinedly rebuilding the VW and rejoining the field at Höljes in 2024, when he once more featured firmly up at the sharp end prior to a clash with eventual champion, Patrick O’Donovan that prematurely curtailed his challenge. 

Since then, he has focused his efforts predominantly on the Scandinavian scene with his Linnemann Promotion outfit and young driver academy, and having clinched the RallyX crown in 2025, he is aiming to extend the ‘Indian summer’ of his career for at least a few more years...

“For the last couple of seasons, I’ve raced closer to home, which worked well for me, but deep down, my heart has always been in the European Championship,” acknowledged Linnemann, 11 times a Euro RX event-winner at Super1600 level and the only Danish driver ever to have made an FIA World Rallycross Championship start. “When I saw the level of interest in the series for this year, that really appealed to me and I knew I had to give it another go.

“The calendar looks very cool. The first three tracks are all ones that I love, and Lohéac is always special. For the moment, I’ve committed to the opening half of the season and then we’ll see how things are going and how the budget is looking – if I’m in a good position, we will clearly try to figure something out.

“We know the pace is there from the last time we competed in Euro RX1 and our success in 2025. It’s clearly going to be difficult with such a big grid, including a number of ex-World Championship cars, but I love a challenge and this one really motivates and inspires me. I’m particularly looking forward to racing against Andreas Bakkerud again; we had a lot of fun fights back in the Super1600 days – and now he’s famous!

“We’ve developed the Polo as much as we can, upgrading both its engine and suspension, and as an overall package, I believe it’s better than ever before. It’s what I would call an ‘old-school’ rallycross car, but I will certainly be pushing it as hard as it will go!

“My main goal will be to reach the final as often as I can – because as we all know, in rallycross, once you’re in the final, anything can happen. I don’t want to set any unrealistic expectations, but if we get the set-up completely right and have a good weekend, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to put up a fight and push for the podium.

“For me, this is just the beginning of a longer-term plan, and if we can’t complete the full season in 2026, we will aim to do so in 2027. I’m interested in the World Cup in Jakarta at the end of this year – that looks like a very special event – and I have a dream about being on the World RX grid when it returns in 2028, because the new regulations and cost cap really appeal to me. There’s obviously a lot of work ahead to make that happen and like I say, at the moment, it’s only a dream – but sometimes, dreams come true...”