EKSTROM: ELECTRIC RX CARS ARE THE FUTURE

World champ backs future tech MN’S RALLYCROSS MAN

New World Rallycross champion Mattias Ekstrom believes the sport is perfect for electric cars and hopes he can compete in an electric Supercar at some point in the future.

The potential electrification of RX has been a hot topic on the future of the sport, and the first car to be powered by an electric motor – the Peugeot 207 S2000-based STARD – was unveiled recently.

Ekstrom drew comparisons with the Group B rallying era when asked about the potential for electric rallycross.

“I think the Group B era of rallying is what many people talk and think about as being the good old days. For me rallycross is the good coming days for similar reasons, because here the cars are really fast and fun to drive and to watch,” he said.

“The only thing that I beg and hope that rallycross can do in the coming years is that it can include electrically driven cars with 1000 horsepower. I think that would be the dream for any driver in the paddock, to have even more power and drive with an electric car because this format would suit it perfectly. I hope I have the honour to drive an electric Supercar with 1000bhp. That is the future of the sport.”

Ekstrom’s DTM employer Audi, which has also supported the Swede and his World RX team, EKS, referred to the electrification of rallycross in its World Endurance Championship withdrawal press release recently.

“What some other disciplines have forgotten is that people want to see fast cars and extreme things and I think rallycross offers this today and can also offer this in the future,” added Ekstrom.

“People today are a bit spoilt with how you want to be entertained and I think rallycross breaks a lot of borders with how fast the cars are, the format of the racing and how everything is done.

“I really look forward to seeing where rallycross develops in the future.”