Champion returns with new project and new challenge

Reigning FIA European Rallycross Champion Anton Marklund will return to defend his hard-fought Euro RX1 crown with SET Promotion in 2023, after reaching an 11^th-hour deal to take on a ‘new project’ in the fiercely-contested series.

Marklund clinched his third European Championship title last year, adding to his 2012 TouringCar success and the 2017 Supercar spoils in emphatic fashion. Three victories from six rounds and no finish lower than fourth in the high-calibre field saw the Swede lift the laurels with a round to spare at Montalegre in Portugal, before going out and dominating the season finale at Belgium’s legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Having not initially planned to enter Euro RX in 2023, Marklund and SET Promotion have come to a late agreement and committed to a new campaign. The final details are still to be put in place, and will be confirmed ahead of the Hungarian curtain-raiser at Nyirád on 29-30 April.

“SET Promotion sold our winning car from last year, so it didn’t look like we would do anything for a while, but then Jussi [Pinomäki – team owner] approached me with an idea that I felt would be challenging but fun to do,” the 30-year-old revealed. “There is no pressure on me with this new project, but I hope that our collective experience can turn the challenge into a great season. 

“Last year was very memorable, being able to compete at the very highest level each weekend. Everybody in this team is very competitive and we all give 100 per cent in every detail, but most importantly, we don’t forget to enjoy what we are doing and keep a good spirit in the team even if we have had a tougher race than usual for some reason or other. On that basis, I’m very much looking forward to an enjoyable year where we can hopefully bring good speed with us too.”

Marklund’s 2022 triumph represented Finnish outfit SET Promotion’s tenth Euro RX title, making it one of the most successful teams in rallycross history, having registered more than 50 wins and 100 podiums in the European Championship alone.

“Last year was special,” acknowledged Team Manager, Aleksi Koskinen. “I had worked with Anton before and we thought the season could be good, but we obviously didn’t know exactly how it would go until we got into it. With the mix of guys we had in the team, the atmosphere was fantastic and everyone worked brilliantly together – and Anton showed just how good he is.

“It’s great that we are able to continue that feeling into this season, but we will have some changes to reveal too, which we will do in the coming weeks. There are some brilliant old-school rallycross circuits in Euro RX and we can’t wait to get to Hungary for round one, to see how we get on against what will be a high level of competition once again.”