Østreng plotting Euro RX1 comeback following season’s absence

Hans-Jøran Østreng is planning to return to the FIA European Rallycross Championship this year following a season’s absence from the grid – promising to keep fans entertained with his motto that ‘sideways is best’.

Østreng made his Euro RX debut on home soil in Hell in 2019. After sitting out the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign, the 37-year-old Norwegian rejoined the fray in 2021 with a Hyundai i20, scoring points in every round to wind up 11^th in the Euro RX1 standings.

Last year, Østreng raced in RallyX Nordic, placing ninth overall, but now he is preparing to test his mettle once more at the highest level of European competition.

“We are working to get the car ready for the coming season,” the Høland native revealed. “We had a great experience in Euro RX1 in 2021, and we hope to enjoy more moments like that. Although our budget is not large, we are aiming to drive five of the six rounds.

“I hope we manage to reach some semi-finals this year, and a final would be great. It would be good to get stopped for some TV interviews in my bad Norwegian-English!

“The car has had some upgrades since 2021, so hopefully we can keep up a bit better, but the motto is still ‘sideways is best’!”