Kristoffersson to defend World Rallycross title with Volkswagen

The four-time WRX champion clinched the title last year in dramatic circumstances at the Nurburgring when he overturned a 17-point deficit to beat fellow Swedish driver Timmy Hansen on wins countback.

Last season Kristoffersson jumped behind the wheel of an Audi S1, with his previous world title triumphs coming in a Volkswagen entry, which he returns to for 2022. The Kristoffersson Motorsport-run squad will enter three electric Volkswagens in the series’ inaugural all-electric campaign, with the exact model and specification yet to be confirmed.

Every WRX car will be powered by 500kW twin motors, able to produce the equivalent of 680bhp, with the RX1e kit developed by Kreisel Electric.

Kristoffersson made electric racing history in 2021 by becoming the inaugural Extreme E champion alongside teammate Molly Taylor for Rosberg X Racing and is relishing the new era for WRX.

“It’s really inspiring to be part of rallycross’ new electric era right from the outset” Kristoffersson said. “The last time we undertook a project on a scale of this kind was in 2014, when we built our own cars for the first season of the world championship. The big difference is that back then, I was completely inexperienced in rallycross – whereas things are a little different now.

“There are obviously a lot of unknowns when everything is so new. In recent years, we have all followed proven concepts, so the development steps have been comparatively small – but there is much greater potential with these new cars.

“Electricity is the future for both motorsport and the automotive industry in general, and helping to drive that development is one of the most fascinating aspects of the sport for me. I expect an incredibly tough and competitive season ahead, and I’m excited to get started!”

Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS, Johan Kristoffersson

Photo by: Uncredited

Johan’s father and team manager Tommy Kristoffersson added: “This will be the largest project in KMS’ history, with a small family business building and developing three new cars in accordance with a new concept.

“That clearly comes with great personal responsibility, but we can rely upon a team of extremely skilled individuals as well as a wealth of knowledge and experience from Germany and within our own workshop in Arvika.

“It’s a great privilege to work in such an environment, and at this level, you realise that the more you learn, the more you understand how little you actually know!”

The 2022 WRX season gets underway in Sweden at Holjes on 2-3 July to start a seven-event campaign with double rounds scheduled for Norway, Latvia, Portugal and Belgium.