A range of incredible drivers will be burning up the circuit at the Gumtree World Rallycross of South Africa, from world champion Johan Kristoffersson to Frenchman Sebastien Loeb.
The Gumtree World Rallycross of South Africa will be hosted at the Killarney International Raceway in Cape Town on November 24 -25 2018 and is sure to satisfy your need for speed.
Take a closer look at these top 10 rally cross drivers in the world to understand their talents and potential.
Current World Champion Johan Kristoffersson – the speedy Swede’s big interests are family, fitness and Rallycross. He drives a factory-developed Volkswagen Polo Supercar for Team PSRX Volkswagen Sweden and in 2017, he drove it to 11 out of 12 finals. Of those finals, Kristoffersson took home a record-breaking seven victories with five of them being consecutive and was awarded the ‘drivers title’ by a very large margin.
Kristoffersson is currently topping the 2018 Championship Leaderboard and rates Höljes in Sweden as his favourite World RX track. He can’t go without pasta, believes in pushing hard towards personal goals, and would love to have Jason Statham, Kimi Räikkönen and Barack Obama over for dinner.
Mattias Ekström of EKS Audi Sport is another Swede who has made a huge impact on World Rallycross (RX), winning the Championship in 2016 and racking up his fair share of race wins since then. He has been hanging around RX paddocks since he was a youngster, watching his father compete.
Ekström also won the 2004 and 2007 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) touring car titles. Family, food and tennis make him happy and he considers his biggest rival to be himself.
Norwegian driver, Petter Solberg, is Kristoffersson’s racing partner in team PSRX Volkswagen Sweden. He was the first person to be crowned an FIA World Champion in two different motorsport disciplines: a World Rally Championship title in 2003, and two WRX titles in 2014 and 2015.
He has earned the nickname ‘Hollywood’ thanks to his crowd pleasing antics, and regards drivers Colin McRae and Tommi Mäkinen as his biggest inspiration.
Andreas Bakkerud, originating from Norway races alongside Ekström in the EKS Audi Sport team, driving an Audi S1 Quattro. He started karting at the age of eight and switched to Rallycross when he was 15 years-old.
He is the only driver in WRX history to have accumulate maximum points through each stage of an event weekend, which he did in 2016. He enjoys skiing and kickboxing.
Sébastien Loeb is a legendary Frenchman and the world’s most successful rally driver who has won an astounding nine consecutive World Rally Championship (WRC) titles and won 78 times overall. He is a more recent star on the FIA World Rallycross Championship (WRX) circuit and races for the Peugeot Total team.
He took six podiums in 2017 and considers the Lohéac track to be his favourite. A fan of rib beef and a lifelong lover of all things racing, Loeb has seen and done it all…and won over a whole lot of fans in the process.
In addition to these fantastically fast five are triathlon-running Timmy Hansen and his fun-loving brother Kevin, young upstart Niclas Grönholm, Latvian champion Janis Baumanis and experienced Russian Timur Timerzyanov that make up the top 10.
Fifteen other super-quick drivers will join them over this scintillating weekend, ensuring that you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to finding a favourite.
Executive manager of Killarney International Raceway, Des Easom says the event is for race car driving enthusiasts.
“The final round of the World Rallycross Championship for 2018 is the type of motor racing that appeals to race fans and families alike. There is the drama and action of Rallycross cars that out-accelerate Formula One’s and driven by the world’s best drivers on tar and dirt, but WRX offers way more: spectators, friends and families can have a marvellous day out with racing and entertainment on and off track, aerobatic displays, fun activities and enough to eat and drink,” he said
Event details
Tickets cost R 220 – R750 and can be purchased from Ticketpros.
Children under the age of 12 years-old can enter the event free of charge.
Date: 24 – 25 November 2018
Venue: Killarney International Raceway, 6 Potsdam Rd, Table View, Cape Town
Website: www.wrxsa.co.za
Picture: World Rallycross