Female Focus: Future Star

‘My goal is to become the first female World Rallycross Champion’, asserts Klara Andersson, and on the evidence of what she has achieved so far, the Swede is certainly on the right path towards establishing herself as one of the discipline’s leading stars.

The younger sister of former FIA Euro RX TouringCar event-winner Magda Andersson, Klara secured multiple regional karting titles, but a five-year career break then looked to have halted her burgeoning momentum in its tracks.

Demonstrating her determination, the Löberöd native returned to the fray in car racing in 2018. After scooping the runner-up spoils in the Swedish Junior Rallycross Championship in 2020, she impressively clinched the overall crown a year later behind the wheel of a BMW 120, defeating no fewer than 55 male rivals in her rookie campaign at ‘Senior’ level – only her fourth season in cars full-stop.

Andersson subsequently turned heads on her FIA RX2e Championship debut at Spa-Francorchamps last September, getting the better of champion-elect Guillaume De Ridder in a tense Q2 scrap and falling just short of the podium in the final. She rejoined the field at the Nürburgring the following month, registering her maiden qualifying race win in Q3 to further enhance her burgeoning reputation.

The 22-year-old FIA Rally Star ambassador’s performances were sufficient to secure her fifth position in our end-of-season top ten driver vote – beating some big names in the process from both World and European RX. Her next objective is to join them.

“My goal is to become the first female World Rallycross Champion,” Andersson states. “Motorsport is my passion in life, and I want to explore it for as long as I can. One of the things I love about it is that it’s one of the few sports where men and women can compete on equal terms. That means you race against the very best drivers, no matter the gender. I would love to see more females behind the steering wheel discovering this incredible sport!

“I’m the third generation in my family to compete in motorsport – my mum and dad actually met at a rallycross race back in 1992! That meant it was quite natural for me to be put in a go-kart when I was seven-years-old, and I immediately fell in love with the feeling of speed. 

“I love the intense and unpredictable nature of rallycross. It’s a sport where you need to be quick, smart, technical and fearless as a driver. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to drive in rallycross, and to be just 22 and the reigning Swedish Champion is something I’m very proud of. Also to make my debut on the World Championship package at Spa last year was so memorable!

“There’s a lot happening in motorsport right now, like electrification and the creation of new championships, and I’m super excited for the future!”