Kristoffersson raced in the season opener in Portugal with a combustion-engine Volkswagen Polo. However, starting from this weekend’s Swedish round, he will be behind the wheel of a fully electric version of the Volkswagen.
In the World Rallycross Championship, both combustion and fully electric cars are permitted. While efforts are made to equalise performance between the two technologies, electric cars appeared to have a clear edge in Portugal.
Finland’s Niclas Grönholm, driving an electric car, claimed victory in Portugal. Only two combustion-engine cars made it to the final – those of Kristoffersson Motorsport’s Ole Christian Veiby and Johan Kristoffersson. Veiby finished third and Kristoffersson came fifth.
According to the rules, a team may change its car’s powertrain once per season. Kristoffersson Motorsport took this option after Portugal, and from now on both Kristoffersson and Veiby will race the fully electric Volkswagen Polo RX1e.
Team principal Tommy Kristoffersson said the team would have raced with the electric car already in the season opener if the regulations had been finalised earlier.
“It was unlucky this year that it was late with the rules. That’s also why we were struggling, because it’s impossible to know what you should enter if you don’t know what you’re entering,” Kristoffersson told DirtFish.
“But of course the purpose and the idea was to run the ICE car this year. That’s no secret – I mean, everybody knows that since we build them we like to compete with them.”
Kristoffersson Motorsport last raced with fully electric cars in the 2023 season. Last year, Johan Kristoffersson returned to a combustion car after the regulations allowed competition against electric entries.
The Swedish round will be held in Höljes on Saturday and Sunday. Only two combustion-engine cars will feature: one driven by Finland’s Juha Rytkönen and the other by Ireland’s Patrick O’Donovan.
