END OF THE RALLY CROSS ROAD FOR EKSTROM
Former champion to walk away from mixed-surface sport
Two-time DTM champion and 2016 World Rallycross title-holder Mattias Ekstrom has ended his full-time rallycross career at the conclusion of his fifth year in the series.
Ekstrom finished second in the final round of the 2018 season in South Africa to secure second in the drivers’ standings for the second consecutive season, before announcing that he would be stepping down from his career as a full-time rallycross driver with immediate effect.
Ekstrom and his squad won both the drivers’ and teams’ titles in 2016, before securing official Audi support for the following year. With Audi having increased its backing for 2018, Ekstrom ended his DTM career with a farewell drive at the Hockenheim season-opener to focus on rallycross. Audi then announced its withdrawal from the EKS programme in August, instead choosing to focus on DTM and Formula E.
Ekstrom entered the final round of the season in a four-way fight for the runner up position, but was assured of the place when team-mate Andreas Bakkerud failed to finish his semi-final. He then finished second in the final. “It’s always nice to end on the podium, for sure we tried to win but I think this year you can say we deserved second place to Johan [Kristoffersson] because he did a very good job,” said a tearful Ekstrom. “For me it was a very different year because I did not have the right flow which I would like to have, but that is also coming when you’re trying more than you can achieve. But anyway, I had a good time and a fantastic team working with me. I must say I enjoyed it and as this will be my last World RX race as a full-timer it was quite a happy end as well.” It is unclear if or where Ekstrom will compete in the next stage of his career, while the future of his EKS team is also uncertain. “I had a fantastic five years as a driver here and I think for the moment it’s time for me to close the chapter off and look for some other challenges,” he said. “What will happen with the team we are still not 100 per cent sure but as soon as we have something to say we will tell this as well, but I think it’s not more than fair enough to say farewell in a nice way. This has been a big chapter of my life. It’s nice to see all the people from the team here for sure, but when you know it’s for the last time it’s something special.”