Eklund startet in Rally Legend 2011 San Marino

„Rally Legend San Marino“:
Volkswagen startet mit zwei historischen Golf GTI

Wolfsburg, 7. Oktober 2011 –
160 historische Rallyeboliden, dutzende Welt-, Europa- und Landesmeister sowie 50.000 begeisterte Zuschauer – das ist die „Rally Legend San Marino“.
In der kleinen, gleichnamigen Republik findet alljährlich im Oktober das spektakulärste historische Rallyeereignis der Saison statt. Legendäre Rennfahrzeuge, die ansonsten nur in Museen zu sehen sind oder zu eher geruhsamen Ausfahrten hervorgeholt werden, kann man hier zwei Tage lang wie zu ihren Glanzzeiten im vollen Renneinsatz erleben. Eines der Highlights ist dabei ein Golf GTI 2 der Gruppe A; Volkswagen wurde mit dem 170-PS-Fronttriebler 1986 Weltmeister. Ebenso faszinierend: die Replik eines 225 PS starken Golf GTI 1 Rallye von 1980. Volkswagen Classic bringt die Fahrzeuge gemeinsam mit dem technischen Partner KWL-Motorsport an den
Start.



Golf GTI 2 – WM Fahrzeug von 1986: Dieter Depping geht mit Weltmeister Peter Diekmann als Beifahrer auf die zehn Wertungsprüfungen. Selbst für den dreifachen deutschen Rallyemeister und Dakar-Piloten ein ungewohnt pures Erlebnis. Mit nur zwei angetriebenen Rädern und einer Leistung von rund 170 PS ist auf den winkligen Prüfungen voller Einsatz gefragt. Für den 67-jährigen Weltmeister Peter Diekmann ist das Wiedersehen mit „seinem“ ´86er-WM-Golf ein ganz besonderes Ereignis: Diekmann: „Die alten Weggefährten wiederzusehen, die Begeisterung der Fans zu erleben – einfach wunderbar. Und zusammen mit Dieter Depping macht es einfach Spaß, dem Publikum eine gute Show zu bieten“.

Golf GTI 1 – Replik des Rallye Monte Carlo-Fahrzeugs von 1980:Per Eklund wird mit dem Golf GTI Rallye ebenfalls eine eindrucksvolle Vorstellung liefern. Der ehemalige Rallycross-Europameister, zweimalige Pikes Peak-Sieger und frisch gebackene schwedische Rallycross-Meister geht mit einem komplett neu aufgebauten Golf GTI Rallye an den Start.
Und auch dieser Golf hat es in sich: Volkswagen Classic präsentiert in San Marino damit zum ersten Mal jenes Fahrzeug, das dem Rallye Monte Carlo-Einsatzfahrzeug von 1980 nachempfunden ist – die detailgetreue Replik leistet immerhin 225 PS und spornt den erfahrenen Piloten Eklund mit seinem Beifahrer Hans Sylvan zu Höchstleistungen an: „Dank der sehr guten Pirelli-Reifen und dem wirksamen Sperrdifferenzial erreicht der leichte Fronttriebler ein erstaunliches Gripniveau“, erklärt die Rallyelegende Eklund.



Sowohl Depping/Diekmann als auch Eklund/Sylvan waren nach dem Shakedown, dem typischen Auftakt zur Rallye, sehr zufrieden mit ihren Sportgeräten. Die „Rally Legend San Marino“ startet offiziell am Abend mit einer spektakulären Nachtprüfung und wird bis Sonntag dauern.
Neben den Volkswagen Teams treten weitere Legenden für den Volkswagen Konzern an: Jacky Ickx pilotiert seinen Dakar Porsche 911 von 1985, Weltmeister Hannu Mikkola startet mit seinem Beifahrer Arne Hertz im 84er Audi Quattro, und Michael Gerber wird mit dem atemberaubenden Gruppe B Audi S1 an den Start fahren.
Mit Nachdruck geht es zudem in die Zukunft des Rallyesports: Ab 2013 wird Volkswagen mit dem neuen Polo R WRC wieder in das aktuelle Rallyegeschehen auf den Pisten dieser Welt eingreifen. Eben erst auf der IAA in Frankfurt präsentiert, absolviert der Polo R WRC bereits erste Testfahrten; ab dem übernächsten Jahr geht es dann in der WRC um alles – und um die Fortsetzung einer großen Rallyetradition!




Volkswagen Kommunikation
Produktkommunikation
Martin Hube
Tel.: +49 (0) 5361 / 9-49874
Fax: +49 (0) 5361 / 9-26768
Email: martin.hube@volkswagen.de
www.volkswagen-media-services.com

Per Eklund drives at Rally legends 2011

After a successful weekend in Sosnová, Czech Republic, where Per Eklund finished 7th overall in the last ERC rallycross race this year,Eklund will run in the 'rally legend' event this weekend at San Marino (I).
Together with Hans Sylvan, he will drive this event with a Volkswagen Golf I, with the Piersburg adds.
More info of this event:
Click here

Here are the first pictures of this very nice car.

More will follow!

"He’s still got it”, Eklund Swedish champion!

from www.erc24.com

Per Eklund is crowned Supercar Champion in a dramatic ‘one event’ finale of the Swedish Rallycross Championship.


(c) 2011 Pär Backman

The final weekend of the Swedish Rallycross Championship held at the Kinnekulle circuit near Götene hosted a Supercar final that would be a clean final competition and would thus crown a Swedish Supercar champion, (the championship having this year only hosted Super Nationell, National 2400 and the Swedish Junior Championship). Hedström had initially taken an early lead in the Supercar final but had his lead snatched away from him after his Skoda Fabia ‘Helga’ recently rented from Belgian Rallycross star, Jochen Coox, caught fire. Race Marshalls immediately ‘red flagged’ the race, leaving the race set to be restarted, and Hedström left to exit the circuit deflated and out Championship contention; his car’s damage too significant to enter the Final restart. It was Per Eklund who emerged as leader in the restarted final snatching victory form Swede Stig-Olov Walfridsson. The Swedish legend and Rallycross veteran took the win after passing Walfridsson who was forced to slow due to a puncture.

For Peter Hedström, the events in the race could lead to damaging consequences. Hedström on ‘Facebook’ post-race: “These things happen in this sport, it is just a shame I was struck by such bad luck whilst taking the lead in the final, but it’s the nature of Rallycross.” Peter Hedström had rented the Skoda Fabia with hope of taking the Swedish title in Götene, the place where he grabbed the Swedish junior Rallycross Championship ten years ago. Hedström was reported to have had his sights set on gold here, and then to follow he would compete in the Czech Republic in the ERC, if the car was in good condition for the event next weekend. Speaking to Swedish Newspaper, “Värmland Folkblad” Hedström said: “It will be a tough competiton but my sights are set on gold. We take one thing at a time. But if the car is not too demolished then there is an absolute chance that I had could compete next weekend. You just have to hope that the sponsors are as generous as they are now.” Hedström was focused on a good European Championship effort which could pave the way for a hefty investment in the championship next year for the Swede. The Norwegian Ole Håbjørgtook the touring cars in Sweden ahead of Lars Rosendahl and Irishman, Derek Tohill.


(c) 2011 Pär Backman

1. Per Eklund (S), SAAB 9-3
2. Stig-Olov Walfridsson (S), Renault Clio
3. Tomas Andersson (S), BMW E81
4. Mats Öhman (S), Volvo S40
5. Peter Hedström (S), Škoda Fabia
6. Pekka Mustakallio, Lancer Evo 8

Model news part 8: Subaru Legacy

IXO models released last July several Subaru Legacy RS models and one of them is the 1992 RAC rally car of Per Eklund and co-driver Johnny Johansson.

Per Eklund finished 12th with this car in de Lombart RAC Rally back in 1992.

IXO Models, nr. RAC217

ERC: Toomas on podium, third place in Sweden

The youngest driver in the four-wheel-drive main class, 20-year-old Toomas secured fourth place on the grid for the A-final and rose to third place in the course of the race.

The winner of the Swedish round was Tanner Foust, a well-known stunt driver, who also took the lead in the ERC standings. Kenneth Hansen from Sweden was second, with no previous placings this season.

Sverre Isachsen, the current European Champion from Norway, started on pole in Höljes but had to settle for fourth place behind Toomas. In the total scores, Isachsen is second after Foust, two points behind the lead.

After winning the previous round on his home track in Trondheim, Norway, Mats Lysen did not make it to the A-final this time and came seventh. He holds third place in the ERC, five points behind Isachsen. Toomas moved up one place in the total standings and is now in seventh place, only eight points away from third place.

"ABSOLUTELY GREAT"

Toomas, who was fourth, eighth and fourth in the three heats, was very pleased with his upward performance.

"Right from the start of the season my goal has been to achieve podium places, but due to some minor setbacks this never materialised in the previous races. It feels absolutely great to achieve the goal for the first time," he says with a happy smile. "I'm especially pleased that I was able to be at my best in the final, just when it counts."

"The direction is now right. From here, I can confidently go on and pursue my first victory in the season's remaining rounds," said this young driver from Joensuu, with the sixth, disqualified, eighth, fifth and third in the five rounds now behind him.

from: (c) www.erc24.com

Eklund klar för Höljes

Varken ålder eller Saab:s kris kan stoppa Per Eklunds start i rallycross-EM i Höljes
– Man får inte ge sig så lätt, säger nyblivne folkpensionären inför sin säsongspremiär till helgen.

Men starten i årets rallycross-EM har hängt i en skör tråd eftersom hans unge finske adept Toomas ”Topi” Heikkinen har första prioritet i EM. Det är han som betalar.

– Först Topis bil, sedan min, förklarar Per Eklund.

Med andra ord är det mesta sig likt i Eklunds värld - en ständig kamp mot klockan i garaget och på motorbanan.

Det var i fjol som Per Eklund tog in den då 19-årige finske racingtalangen som ”pay-driver”, detta för att finansiera sin verksamhet. Samarbetet blev ett riktigt lyckokast både för Heikkinen och Eklund. Inte nog med att Topi vann finska rallycrossmästerskapet, han vann även finaltävlingen i det nordamerikanska mästerskapet.

Jättetalang
– Vi pratar om en jättetalang, dessutom är Topi smått otrolig i sin ambition, han är en riktig vinnare, säger Per Eklund och tillägger att nu börjar de riktiga framgångarna komma.

– Han är i A-final, bara vägen dit är lika tuff som att köra finalen. Ja, ännu tuffare.

Per Eklund säger att han hoppas att Topis och hans framfart i rallycross-EM stärker Saab och företagets personal.

– Vi ger oss inte, varken Eklund Motorsport eller Saab Automobile.

Minimalt stöd
I dag är stödet till teamet minimalt från Trollhättan av förklarliga skäl. Per har deltagit i större kundevent som förarinstruktör och arvoderats för dessa inhopp under vintern. Inget mer.

– Och sedan finns det moraliska stödet, det är ömsesidigt, säger Per Eklund.

I tungviktsklassen Supercar är 35 ekipage anmälda. Förutom Per Eklund startar även svenskarna Stig-Olov ”Stecka” Walfridson, Kenneth Hansen, Peter Hedström och Mats Öhman. Stecka vann i Höljes 2009 och var fyra i senaste EM-tävlingen i Norge.

from www.nwt.se

Giving it up for the kid

Eklund misses Norwegian chance after muddy test with Heikkinen.

Organising a two-day test at Höljes for his young Finnish protégé, Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikkinen, cost Per Eklund his chance of starting in this weekend’s Norwegian ERC round, but the veteran Swede is as philosophical as ever about it, and reckons the test was more than worthwhile.

“I promised Toomas a test before the season began but then we did not get the car finished in time because parts were late and since then it was race, race, race so there was no time for a test. We went to Höljes a couple of weeks ago and did two days with him but it rained a lot and there was so much mud that we had to strip the car completely afterwards and the time we lost doing that made the difference between finishing my car and not,” said Eklund who, true to form, worked marathon hours in a bid to race, “The shell was painted late on Sunday night and we took the shell from the paintshop on Monday and started to build it up. We needed another half-a-day and it would have been finished, I wanted to work through the nights but the rest of them needed to sleep! We could not have tried harder, we got here five minutes before scrutineering finished on Friday.”

Out of action since the end of last year, Eklund is eager to race, but also getting satisfaction from being team boss. “I miss driving but there is not the money for me to race. I know when the tank is empty, not like some of these Norwegians racing on borrowed money. It’s good working with Toomas. He listens to advice and learns fast but he still needs more experience. The test was good for him because these cars are difficult to race in the rain and Rallycross is not like Formula One or Touring Cars where it rains and the drivers say ‘Ooh, we can’t race in this’, they are, what do you call that? Gay!” said Eklund.

Heikkinen also rated the Höljes test as valuable. “It was good to have time in the car, I still need to learn about it and work with the setups. We had one dry day and then it rained so it was good to have different conditions, kind of perfect,” he said, “There’s no time to experiment in a race, you have to learn the track and go for it, so a test like that was very good for me.”

Depending on his progress in Norway and Sweden, and how the car comes through those events, Heikkinen may add the Finnish championship’s ‘Sambacross’ event to schedule. “Mikko Hirvonen will be in that event so it will have more attention and because of that it would be good for us to go there. We are thinking about it but will not make a decision until after Sweden,” he said.

By Tim Whittington, http://www.rallycrossworld.com/

Heikkinen with engineer Per Anders Eklund, son of Per Eklund.

Heikkinen positive, but out

Still one of the youngest drivers in the paddock, Finnish champion Toomas Heikkinen continues to impress in the second event of this first full ERC season, the 19-year-old running under the watchful eye of team boss Per Eklund.

“It’s going the right way, we are close to the front and the direction is right. Per could be my grandfather but it’s really good work with him, he’s a really smooth guy and he gives me a lot of advice about how I could do things better and that helps me a lot. I also have the experience that I can bring from Formula Renault and that helps also,” says Heikkinen who made the switch from circuit racing to Rallycross last year and feels that his previous racing also plays a role in his form on mixed surfaces. “There are many things from circuit racing that I can use here; the basic car control is the same and this is racing just like Formula Renault was racing, the racecraft is a big part of this. Now there is no problem on the gravel either, I drove a lot in the winter on snow and ice and that has helped me a lot with the gravel speed: here I was fastest on the gravel sections on Saturday so actually we have changed the setup in the car a little bit to try and get better speed on the asphalt.”

The Eklund Motorsport Saab 93 Aero has been extensively re-engineered over the winter, it’s Prodrive transmission replaced by a Sellholm system which has allowed the engine to be repositioned for a better weight balance in the car. “There is now more torque in the engine and now the car handles better, the understeer that we had last year is gone and I can use a more aggressive style, it’s much nicer to drive now,” said Heikkinen who won the final event in last Autumn’s inaugural US Rallycross Championship and who is working together with his father to try and return to the States later this year. “I hope to go back. We are talking about it and there is a good possibility, but we still have some work to do before we can say that we will go there. I want to go because I need to be seen there and to keep my name known, so we’ll see how it goes.”

A puncture on Saturday afternoon left Heikkinen with a lot to do and no margin for error on Sunday and while his second heat brought a respectable ninth place the third taught him a harsh lesson of ERC life: exclusion after a run-in with Marc Laboulle bringing his event to a swift and pointless end.

by Tim Whittington, Rallycross world

Toomas in A-Final!

At the first race of the FIA European Rallycross championship at Lidden Hill, UK, Toomas Heikkinen finished 6th in the A-final!

The Finnish champion 2010 driver of the Per Eklund Motorsport team drove a very good qualification. The first heat on sunday 24th of April Toomas drive only a 13th time overall. The next day it was much better. The second heat, it was an amazingly good third time overall and in the third heat it was even a second time overall!
These resuls gave the Saab 9-3 driver a direct third place at the start grid of the A-final.


(c) www.erc24.com

In a finale he was less fortunate. Due to a flat tire, he lost a position and finished 6th. A very good result at this first race.


(c) http://www.erc24.com/

Results A-final

1. Sverre Isachsen (N), Ford Focus


2. Marc Laboulle (F), Citroën C4


3. Davy Jeanney (F), Citroën C4


4. Liam Doran (GB), Citroën C4


5. Timur Timerzyanov (Rus), Citroën C4


6. Toomas Heikkinen (Fin), SAAB 9-3 ASS

Here some very great onboard videos!

First race ERC 2011: Heikkinen

At the first race of the European Championship rallycross at Lydden Hill Race Circuit (Wootton) in England, team Eklund motorsport starts again with 2010 Finnish Rallycross Champion Toomas Heikkinen (SAAB 9-3 ASS).

The young Finn completed the 2010 season with a win in a Rallycross event at New Jersey Motorsports Park at Millville, NJ (USA) back in November.
Heikkinen continues his partnership with Eklund Motorsport in 2011 and therefore Per Eklund and his team build a brand new SAAB 9-3 for the Finn for the complete European Championship. Earlier this week, at Strängnäs Motorstadion in Sweden, the team had their final test session.


from: www.rallycross.com