Wilen joins JC Raceteknik for RallyX on Ice Championship showdown
Leading Supercar Lites team JC Raceteknik will be joined by Swedish rally sensation Pelle Wilen for the final round of RallyX On Ice this weekend at Ostersund, Sweden (March 11), as the team fight for the Championship title.
Wilen, who comes from Eskilstuna in Sweden, is a household name in the rallying scene. At 25-years old he has two Swedish Championship gold medals to his name, and has also claimed two rally sprint titles, but this weekend will mark the first time he has ever experienced rallycross competition.
The team will run its last ice test session of the winter this week to help Wilen – who has very limited four-wheel drive experience – get acclimatised to the Supercar Lites machine.
JC RaceTeknik’s regular RallyX on Ice drivers, Sondre Evjen and Oscar Solberg, enter the final round right in the mix for overall honors. Evjen, who won the second round in Gol, Norway last weekend, is just two points behind points leader Mitchell De Jong, while Solberg is fourth in the standings and in the hunt for a podium finish overall.
Joel Christoffersson, Team Principal :
“It will be fun to work together with Pelle. He is one of Sweden's best rally drivers so it will be interesting to see what he can do in RallyX on Ice. I know he doesn’t have much experience of four-wheel drive, but we'll run a test during the week and try to get him as prepared as possible before the race. We travel to Ostersund with Sondre as one of the of the championship contenders, and Oscar fourth in the points, so the goal is to get both cars on the podium when the points are counted on Saturday.”
Pelle Wilen (SWE) :
“I have a gap in the rally calendar and the desire to drive is always there, so this is a great way to not have withdrawal symptoms. Driving in RallyX on Ice will be really fun. I haven’t been in a rallycross car before and have very little experience of four-wheel drive. However, I have competed in some folk races, so I'm used to having other cars around me. Although rally always held the main focus for me, I dreamed of someday driving in rallycross too. If it’s a fast track my rally experience won’t be an advantage. But, there is no pressure, I will accept it if I am not at the front. Since it’s my debut, I have no major expectations. This is something I’m going for fun, and a good result would be a bonus.”
RallyX on Ice Championship standings (top 6):
1 Mitchell De Jong (USA) 27 poäng
2 Sondre Evjen (NOR) 25
3 Alexander Westlund (SWE) 18
4 Oscar Solberg (NOR) 14
5 Vasily Gryazin (RUS) 10
6 Thomas Bryntesson (NOR) 8
The picture to the right shows Wilens Lites car. (The picture is a photomontage).
