Volkswagen Motorsport, Marklund Motorsport and the FIA World Rallycross Championship

Swedish Rallycross team Marklund Motorsport have agreed an exclusive three-year partnership with Volkswagen Motorsport (current World Rally Championship champions) for the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Marklund Motorsport recently unveiled 2013 GRC Champion Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikkinen as their lead driver for next two seasons and Topi along with teammate Anton Marklund will line-up in their new Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo RX Supercars at round one of the FIA World Rallycross in Montalegre, Portugal on May 3rd.

Jan Marklund, Marklund Motorsport team owner, believes Volkswagen's involvement gives the team the perfect platform to back-up its ambitions for title success. He said "Volkswagen’s pedigree in motorsport is there for everyone to see, there is no better manufacturer for us to be partnered with than the current WRC champions. Volkswagen is looking to make an immediate global impact in the world of Rallycross and I’m happy that Marklund Motorsport is their chosen partner for the FIA World Rallycross Championship."

The announcement comes just days after the officially supported Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team announced it was contesting the Global Rallycross Championship with a pair of Polos before switching to new GRC specific Beetles later in the season. With support from Volkswagen America the team will be pushing for the championship title with drivers Tanner Foust and Scott Speed.

Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team

A tie up between Volkswagen of America and Andretti Sports Marketing has created tremendous interest in the 2014 Global Rallycross series. The new Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team will start the season in Volkswagen Polos (based on the all conquering VW Polo R WRC car) before switching to GRC specific Beetles later in the season. The Beetles should be ready for competition in time for the X Games in June, they will be 4 wheel drive with around 600BHP.

The Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team entry will be driven by former GRC Champion, rally driver and Top Gear host Tanner Foust. Tanner has plenty of experience behind the wheel of rallycross cars, not only in the GRC but also in Europe as well - having proven to be a match for the finest in Europe every time he competed.

Scott Speed will drive the 7UP Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team car in the 2014 season. Speed was one of the most impressive drivers during the 2013 season, winning two races in and going on to finish a very impressive fifth overall. Scott Speed brings a huge amount of driving experience (and an amazing driving talent too) having competed in Formula 1 (in the Scuderia Toro Rosso team) as well as NASCAR too.

The Global Rallycross series starts in Barbados in May and concludes in Las Vegas on the 5th of November.

Marklund Motorsport in the FIA World Rallycross Championship

 
Swedish Rallycross outfit Marklund Motorsport is delighted to announce that 2013 GRC Champion Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikkinen will lead the team in their bid for title success this coming season. The 22-year-old Finn signs for Marklund Motorsport on the back of a dominant season behind the wheel – taking two X Games gold medals, AKK Driver of the Year and the overall GRC title - and joins the team alongside Anton Marklund, who now heads into his second season in the Supercar Class.

Heikkinen, Marklund and the team will debut brand new Marklund Motorsport-built Volkswagen Polo RX Supercars in 2014 following a year of testing and developing the car last season, the team are aiming to be immediate title contenders in both driver and team championships.

Marklund Motorsport now continue their preparations for the 2014 season, which will see them compete in the newly formed FIA World Rallycross Championship and the summer X Games at COTA in Austin, USA.

Rallycross RX 3rd Round, Hungary

Swedish driver Anton Marklund finishes 8th in Nyirad, proving that he’s part of the team of young drivers that will clearly make their mark on rallycross.

This weekend saw thousands of rallycross fans congregate to sunny Nyirad, Hungary, to witness the fuel-filled excitement the third round of the FIA European Championships brought to the track.

Anton, who with 20 years of age is the youngest driver in the Supercar class, impressed with consistent quality driving and speed that meant even long-established competitors were left in the dust. 

Despite some trouble with the steering throughout practice, a tricky start and an involuntary stop due to a spin in front of him during the first two heats, Marklund managed to qualify for the semi-finals in 3rd overall position, having won his third heat and showing great tactical and technical understanding throughout.

A slight hesitation at the start in the semis lead to Marklund being stuck behind Skoda driver Knut Ove Borseth who finished third and grabbed the final place in the finals. Marklund ended the semi-finals in fourth position, finishing this round of the Championships overall in 8th.

“I made a mistake at the start, leaving room on the inside for Borseth to get in front of me – he was driving very safe from then on, leaving me no opportunity to get past him. I’m happy with today’s performance though. This being my first season driving Supercar, I’m taking all this as learning experience. The car is going really well, and I feel we’re improving every time”, comments Anton, “I’m looking forward to showing Finland what we’ve got.”

Marklund and his No. 92 Volkswagen Polo R Supercar are now on 42 points and in 4th position in the Championships, one point ahead of Rallycross legend Petter Solberg. 

{photo QNIGAN.COM}

Global Rallycross - Barcelona

There is not much to report unfortunately. No German car win, in fact no win for anyone!
It rained heavily in Barcelona before the rallycross cars tried to compete. The track had no drainage, the clay surface quickly turned into a grip-less rink and the control tyres were totally unsuitable meaning the only safe option was cancellation.
Thus ended the the rallycross debut of Carlos Sainz (VW Polo) as well as the rallycross debuts of two Minis (driven by Liam Doran and 'Nani' Roma) - all before they had really begun.
Lets hope the next round in Munich/München is better suited to a sport that in ERC/RX form is perfectly capable of running in even the wettest weather on the muddiest circuits.....

Mini at Global Rallycross in Barcelona

Liam Doran debuts his new, Prodrive built, Monster Energy Mini John Cooper Works RX at today's GRC round in Barcelona.
Doran's Mini is a converted WRC car and still runs the 1600ccm engine (smaller in capacity and lower in power than all the other GRC cars) but the track layout at Barcelona is expected to compensate for the lower power. Prodrive have had an intensive build programme just to get the Mini ready in time for Barcelona (the second round of the GRC) and acknowledge that there are still parts in development that will make the Mini a truly competitive package.
Liam will continue to use and develop (in conjunction with Prodrive) the Monster Energy Mini John Cooper Works RX throughout the remainder of this year's GRC season with the intention of being truly competitive and potential champions in 2014.
Naturally Prodrive are also hoping to sell a few customer cars into the ever expanding world of rallycross.

'Nani' Roma will also be competing in a Mini at the GRC in Barcelona, the Spanish Dakar legend using a Mini Cooper Countryman prepared by Spanish team PCS Sport. 
As with the Monster Energy Prodrive car the PCS Mini will be down on power compared to its competitors but the team hope the agile handling of the car will negate much of the power deficit. Whilst not as developed as the Prodrive Mini the PCS Countryman could still spring a few surprises, especially with 'Nani' behind the wheel!

Volkswagen at the Global Rallycross in Barcelona

 

Can Carlos Sainz crown a great May for Spanish motorsport fans by winning the Global Rallycross round in Barcelona?
The combination of 'King' Carlos and a 600 PS Red Bull sponsored Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo should prove competitive, especially as Carlos has set the car up differently to traditional rallycross thinking - opting for softer suspension for more traction on the gravel/dirt sections.
Anton Marklund  had an excellent first round performance in his VW Polo despite a puncture ultimately ruining the end result. With the Marklund Motorsport team benefiting from Sainz's input and experience there is a hope that this new car and team combination can also battle for an outright victory.