‘Tip-top’ triumph for Veiby on KNA Rally Finnskog

Ole Christian Veiby dominated last weekend’s KNA Rally Finnskog, as the Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS FIA World Rallycross Championship star returned to his rallying roots once again during the winter off-season.

Taking place in typically snowy conditions around his hometown of Kongsvinger, the event attracted a 56-stong entry, with Veiby lining up alongside experienced rally co-driver Jonas Andersson in a Kristoffersson Motorsport-run Volkswagen Polo GTi R5.

The pair won all four stages that made up the 75.46km itinerary to triumph outright by the margin of 53.5 seconds.

“Fantastic weather, lots of people, the car in top condition and the world’s best rally roads – everything was tip-top,” enthused the 27-year-old Norwegian. “It was perfect to be able to wake up at home, drive for half an hour and arrive at the rally to find fantastic roads, which have at least partially been used in Rally Sweden.

“Jonas [Andersson] and I click together well and he always does a good job. There was a lot of laughter in the car, and that was the main goal. It can be easy to forget that what we are doing is also fun. When you drive Rally Sweden, everything immediately becomes very serious. Here, we could just enjoy and have a good time.

“Of course, it goes without saying that we pushed hard as well. I don’t turn up at the start-line with any other approach...”

Fellow rallycross regular Jens Hvaal – who fans recently voted as their ‘Driver of the Year’ for 2023 in Euro RX3 – similarly contested KNA Rally Finnskog, finishing sixth overall behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta R5.