Fantastic double victory JC Raceteknik at Holjes

European Rallycross Championship leader Robin Larsson continued his run of event wins in the series with a commanding win in the final with the JC Raceteknik Audi S1, while Norwegian Ben-Philip Gundersen claimed the honours in the RX2 International Series final. There was also success for JC Raceteknik Junior Team driver Isak Reiersen, who finished on the podium in the Crosscar Star Challenge.

In front of 48,350 spectators at the Magic Weekend, Robin Larsson maintained his maximum points haul from Euro RX events this year with first in qualifying, winning the semi-final and storming to victory in the final to extend his margin in the standings. Mats Ohman made his first Euro RX start in the Audi S1 and delivered strong pace on track, but problems with the starts meant he didn’t qualify for the semi-finals.

In RX2, Gundersen finally made it onto the top step of the podium. The season hasn’t been easy for the Norwegian, and even despite setbacks in Holjes, he won both the semi-final and final at arguably the biggest event of the year to climb to fourth in the points. For Swedish driver Jimmie Walfridson, who is only racing in a handful of RX2 rounds this season, he took on the regular competitors and made the semi-finals, where he finished fifth.

The weekend started with a guest race on Friday evening, the Crosscar Star Challenge, a one-off event where legends like Marcus Grönholm, Kenneth Hansen, Stig-Olov Walfridson and Sverre Isachsen took on some of the rising stars of the sport. 15-year old Reiersen overcame some issues in the qualifying races to finish second in the semi-finals and third in the final.

Find full results and championship standings here.

JC Raceteknik will return to action for the fourth round of RallyX Nordic in Riga, Latvia (July 20 – 21).

Joel Christoffersson, Team Principal:
“It really was a Magic Weekend for us. It’s always fun to win races, but this is even better at home. I almost cried in the final, I’m incredibly proud of the whole team. We have had some difficulties at Holjes in previous years, so it feels extra nice to finally get this result. Robin had another brilliant weekend and with good the whole time. Victory was the icing on the cake. In RX2, it feels really nice to finally get that victory the whole team has been fighting for. That Ben-Philip managed to turn yesterday's ninth place into a win today is fantastic.

Mats had a good weekend and showed in Q1 that the speed is on the track. But unfortunately we have problems with the starts, it is something that we must solve before Riga. Jimmie has suffered from fever this weekend and was not really in his usual form, but he has done a good job. I’m so happy, but we are already focused on the next event.”

Supercar: Robin Larsson (SWE) :
"A third victory feels really good, especially to win in Holjes. I always push extra hard here and you want to put on a show for the crowd. We had about 215 people here and also our a very own Larsson stand in the final corner, but even in the rest of the crowd there have been many yellow jerseys and a lot of cheers. It is awesome to experience.

I have had a flawless weekend and the team has done a brilliant job with the car. The only little nervous moment was yesterday when the rain came because I haven’t driven so much in the wet with this car, but there I set a second-fastest time so it worked well. Apart from that, I took the fastest times in every session. Unfortunately, Thomas Bryntesson didn’t start in the semi-finals. That’s a shame because wanted to have a real fight in the final. We have extended the championship lead, and even though I could take it a little easier now, I’m still aiming for wins."

RX2: Ben-Philip Gundersen (NOR) :
“Like everyone says, Holjes is a special event. Everyone wants to win here. This weekend has shown that you really should never give up. The event was up and down for me, we had bad luck with the weather and after a penalty in Q3 I was in ninth place overnight. Then I felt that if I could get into the final, I must be satisfied. So being able to win feels totally indescribable for both me and the team. We picked up good points and climbed up towards the overall podium. Thanks to everyone who made the weekend even better and who supported me. Thanks also to the team and the mechanics who did a very good job with everything and to adjust the car for the always-changing weather. "

Supercar: Mats Ohman (SWE) :
“Holjes is the best event for the whole year, it's something you always look forward to. So getting a qualifying race victory is always fun, especially with this crowd. The car was great all weekend and I have the speed, but right now the starts are a disaster. No Supercar is easy to start, but I have several aids and there is too much torque to keep track of and that costs time. Now it’s important to simplify the starting system. We have worked on a better solution, so now we are going to go home and test it in the car. Hopefully it will be clear before the next race. This weekend it was the first time I was driving the car in the wet and we learned a lot about the car and the setup for wet conditions. The mechanics have done a good job the whole weekend and the whole team was very professionally as always. "

RX2: Jimmie Walfridson (SWE) :
“The weekend has been okay for my part and I have to be satisfied with the semi-finals. The goal was to get to the final and I had good chances to be there, but got a little held up in the semi-finals. Even so, I take a lot of positives from here. We have found some new settings on the car and tested other ways of thinking that I think fit me, in addition, the more driving you get in the car the better. The home race at Holjes is always fun. I've been here a lot growing up and seen my father and all old stars compete, so to be driving myself now is awesome. The next race for me will be RallyX Nordic in Riga, it's a new track for me and I’m looking forward to going there.”

Crosscar Star Challenge: Isak Reiersen (SWE)
“Getting to compete at The Magic Weekend, with all the crowd and atmosphere, has been very special. Then the result just made it even cooler. I have grown up on the track in and seen my big idols compete here. Now I got the chance to meet them and to also be faster - it was amazing. I must be satisfied with the third place, even though I felt that I had more to give throughout the day. In Q1 I took a fourth time despite a double joker, and in Q2 I spun after an action-packed start but then also took a third time. In the final it was tough again. Those who started with me in the final are the fastest guys in the regular series, with Marcus Gronholm also there, so it was fun to finish the podium. I’m glad I got the chance to race here and hope that we can do something similar going forward.”