World RX of Sweden: Top five reasons to tune in

The ‘Magic Weekend’ is upon us again – a unique event on the international motorsport calendar, with tens of thousands of fans already descending upon the tiny Swedish village of Höljes, located deep in the Värmland forest. Here is what we have to look forward to...

Hansens plot home soil fightback

For Hansen World RX Team, World RX of Norway was literally a hellish event, as neither Timmy Hansen nor younger brother Kevin reached the final for the first time in the FIA World Rallycross Championship’s electric era, marking the Swedish squad’s worst-ever combined result in the series.

That, though, is now firmly in the past, with the focus fully turned towards Höljes’ ‘Magic Weekend’ and a return to the top step of the podium. The last time World RX visited Värmland, in 2021, the Hansen siblings scored a one-two finish. A similar result two years on would go a long way to igniting their title challenge...

Åhlin-Kottulinsky targeting rostrum repeat

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky was one of the undisputed stars of the FIA RX2e Championship curtain-raiser in Hell, rivalling the established front-runners for raw pace on her debut in the all-electric series and going on to take the chequered flag third in the final.

Nine years ago, the Swede – Extreme E championship runner-up in 2022 – contested the ‘Magic Weekend’ with a one-off outing in RX2e’s combustion-powered predecessor, RX Lites, advancing to the final. She will be targeting the same again and a bit more besides as she bids to maintain her early-season momentum on home turf...

Former champions aiming to gatecrash Euro RX1 party

No fewer than 24 drivers are gunning for glory in the FIA European Rallycross Championship’s headlining category at Höljes, with many potential storylines in the high-calibre field. Can defending champion Anton Marklund finally open his victory account for the year? Can Jānis Baumanis bounce back from his disappointment in Hell? Can Sivert Svardal – buoyed by his emotional breakthrough success at his home track – win again?

Perhaps the greatest intrigue this weekend, however, comes from outside the regular contenders, as a pair of former champions in the shape of JC Raceteknik duo Andreas Bakkerud and Robin Larsson return to the fray. With nothing to lose, the two fan favourites are ready to throw caution to the wind in their pursuit of ‘Magic Weekend’ glory. Ready to race...

Isaksætre’s time to shine?

In his maiden campaign behind the wheel of Volland Racing’s all-conquering Audi A1, Espen Isaksætre has been firmly on the pace in every round-to-date – but on each occasion, the Norwegian has had to watch one of his team-mates ascend the top step of the podium.

By dint of finishing second in Hungary and Portugal and third on home soil in Norway, the Flisa native is Damian Litwinowicz’s closest challenger in the chase for the crown – but at 12 points adrift of the Pole and only two rounds left to turn the tables, he needs to rapidly reduce that gap. Can Isaksætre finally come away with the victory he has been threatening all season to take the Euro RX3 title fight down to the wire?

Kerbing drivers’ enthusiasm

One of the biggest talking-points amongst competitors pre-weekend at Höljes has been the modifications to the kerbs on the entry and exit of the joker lap and at Turn Nine heading towards the circuit’s iconic jump.

Higher and more aggressive than ever before, the kerbs now pose drivers a dilemma – do they try to take more kerb in an effort to gain time and optimise their approach to the next corner, at the risk of picking up damage or a puncture, or do they play it safe in the knowledge that a braver rival could grab an advantage? Risk vs. reward...