21 June, 2009

Eklund sixth at second Rallycross Norden race

Eklund ended in this midsommer weekend on a sixt position in the A-final in Trondheim, Norway.

"There was something wrong with the gearbox, I could not use the second and third gear".
With a 4th time in the first heat, a 6th time in the second heat and a 4th time in the third heat, Eklund starts on a 6th position in the A-final. It was rallydriver Henning Solberg who won the race, just before Isachsen and Jernberg.

Results A-final:

  1. Henning Solberg, Ford Fiesta ST
  2. Sverre Isachsen, Ford Focus ST
  3. Michael Jernberg, Škoda Fabia
  4. Kjell Arne Smerud, Cirtöen Xsara
  5. Tony Croon, Ford Focus
  6. Per Eklund, SAAB 9-3 SportSedan

15 June, 2009

SC Tomelilla: Eklund second with new car

From www.rallycross.de:

The first round of the 2009 Swedish Rallycross Championship got underway at the Svampabanan at Tomelilla on June 13 under very bad weather conditions for most of the day. Stig-Olov Walfridsson (Renault Clio Mk3) won Division 1.

The track at Tomelilla hosted a Division 1 event counting for the Swedish Rallycross Championship for the last time in 2004. Since that time several changes and improvements to the track were made. Already in 2005 the famous hill on the Svampabanan was completely gone. In preparation for this 2009 event some more changes were made in consultation with the member drivers of Tomelilla Motorklubb. The right turn downhill for example after the long first corner has been made much smoother. Instead of an almost 90 degrees right turn it is now converted to a more 45 degrees right turn allowing drivers to keep up more speed. Further down, the small jump section has been widened as the joker lap was moved from that area on the track to the last corner. Someone of the organizing club told us that from the right turn downhill on, at every section some minor or major changes were done.

The 2009 championship holds four events for Division 1 and 1A with Tomelilla, Höljes, Kalix and Götene. No Division 1A drivers came to Tomelilla while only four Division 1 cars passed scrutineering and were allowed to take part in this season's opener. Winner of the last Division 1 event at Tomelilla in 2004, Per Eklund (SAAB 9-3 SportSedan) was one of them. Stig-Olov Walfridsson (Renault Clio Mk3), Tony Croon (Ford Focus) and Mats Öhman (Ford Focus) completed the Division 1 starting list.
For Per Eklund is was a race against time to get a 'new' car ready to race for Tomelilla as his car was heavily damaged after the last round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship in Austria when two other drivers crashed into the SAAB. "After we came home from Austria we decided to get the new car up and running. The car was already some time in the workshop but we never found the time to finish it but this week after the crash in Austria we were forced to do so", Eklund said on Saturday morning.



As Öhman and Croon were pulled out of the event very early, Division 1 at Tomelilla was down to a duel between Per Eklund and Stig-Olov Walfridsson. The public should be served with four duels, however only three duels took place. In the first heat Walfridsson made two times a jump start and was excluded. "I am used to the starting system in the European Championship", he said. "In the European Championship the red light is only flashed while here we need to wait until the green light is showen and i didn't pay attention to the different system in use here", Walfridsson continued. The first straight duel afterwards went to Eklund, the second to Walfridsson setting the fastest time of the day. The third and final duel of the day (i.e. the so-called 'A' final) went to Walfridsson.

13 June, 2009

Eklund vill fira - med Koenigsegg

from www.expressen.se

Motorlegendaren Per Eklund, 62, har tävlat i en Saab sedan 1965. I dag kör han SM-premiären i rallycross på Svampabanan. Eklund välkomnar kompisen Christian von Koenigseggs köp av den svenska biljätten. - Blir det så ska vi ha riktigt roligt, det kan jag lova, säger han.

Med sina 62 år är Per Eklund en av svensk motorsports största profiler. Redan 1972 fanns han med i startfältet på Svampabanan - och vann med en Saab V4.
- Jag tänkte på det nyss när jag stod i duschen, att det är helvete vad en håller på.
- Detta blir väl min 45:e säsong.
Sedan 1965 har han kört Saab, och välkomnar Christian von Koenigseggs intresse i att köpa bilföretaget.
- Jag känner ju honom sedan tidigare. För tre år sedan körde jag min rallycrossbil över hans parkering vid fabriken i Ängelholm.

"Intresserad och kunnig"
- Han är ju jäkligt motorintresserad och kunnig, så han sprang ut för att se vad som stod på.
Per Eklund fick visa och berätta om sin modifierade Saab - och fick sedan provköra en Koenigsegg.
- Vi tog en sväng tillsammans i bilen. Det vore ju en jäkla kovändning om han köpte Saab, då ska vi ha riktigt roligt, det kan jag lova dig.

Leran stör inte Eklund
Regnet vräkte ner över södra Sverige under hela gårdagen. Något som inte gjorde förutsättningarna bättre inför SM-premiären i rallycross på Svampabanan i dag.
- Äh, den var lerig redan innan det började regna. Visst blir det halt men det är lika för alla, säger Per Eklund.
- Jag har kört på Svampabanan hur många gånger som helst, men nu var det länge sedan sist.
Vad blir segerreceptet i leran?
- Enda receptet är att komma först.
- Blir det dessutom klart mellan Saab och Koenigsegg i morgon tror jag vi tar en sväng förbi fabriken i Ängelholm på hemresan till Värmland, säger Per Eklund.

Av Erik Terneborn

12 June, 2009

Eklund till start i SM

From: www.nwt.se:

Per Eklunds Saab blev helt demolerad i kraschen i EM-tävlingen i Österrike förra helgen.Men han kör ändå SM-premiären i Tomelilla på lördagen.

– Vi har byggt en annan bil, säger den 62-årige rallycrossnestorn från Arvika.
Den kraschade bilen, som blev påkörd i bakändan, kommer det ta många timmar att laga. Den går inte att rikta utan måste sågas av på mitten.
Som tur var hade Per en annan Saab stånas, en bil som han inför säsongen planerade att hyra ut.
Sedan hemkomsten från Österrike har det skruvats febrilt i garaget för att flytta över motor och andra vitala delar. I går var det mesta klart.
– Vi har haft igång den, men jag måste provköra också. Det är en ny bil som aldrig gått tidigare så det kan vara mycket som krånglar.
– Det räcker om jag är där nere klockan nio i morgon kväll (i kväll) för då går besiktningstiden ut. Men det är stormvarning i Skåne så det kanske inte blir någon tävling.
Division 1 har bara åtta anmälda varav två värmlänningar – Eklund och ”Stecka”.
Men Per Eklund är inte så oroad över att statusen kan bli dålig.
– Nu kanske, men Höljes ingår ju i SM och finalen i Götene har Kenneth Hansen och de lovat köra.
Supernationella klassen är störst med 19 anmälda. Där finns bland andra Urban Bergström, Finnskoga.


Per Eklunds Saab visar tydliga spår efter kraschen under EM-deltävlingen i österrikiska Melk. Som tur är har han en reservbil som han kan använda i helgens SM-premiär.

06 June, 2009

EC Austria: Heat 1 race suspended, Eklund out

News from http://www.erc24.com/:

The third of the five Division One races in the first qualifying heat was stopped after a crash involving Jussi Pinomäki, René Münnich and the car of Per Eklund.
The incident has brought the first day of the Austrian ERC event to a premature end, the Stewards of the Meeting suspending racing in the wake of the crash and holding over the re-run of the third race as well as the last two races in the heat until tomorrow.

There was pushing and contact between several cars in the first corner of the race, the result of which was that Per Eklund's Saab was left stranded in the middle of the track just at the end of the downhill gravel section.
"Someone hit me in the first corner, it broke the steering and the car was stopped in the middle of the track. I couldn't move it so I got out and ran away. When they come round again, Walfridsson and Procter just missed it but then there was dust and Pinomäki had no chance. He hit my car flat out and then Münnich hit Pinomäki. My car is complete finished. There should have been a red flag when I stopped there, it's crazy," said Eklund.

The incident happened in full sight of many competitors from Divisions One-A and Two, as well as team members who had gathered to watch the race at the point."I was watching from the top of the hill and half-a-lap before the cars came back here I knew this was going to be a big accident," said D2 racer Knut Ove Børseth, "The race should have been stopped immediately that Eklund stopped, his car was in the middle of the track.

"The crash followed a controversial incident in the fourth D1-A race in which Johan Larsson rolled in the long gravel corner at the end of the lap. "I told the organiser that they are not thinking about our safety because it was the same in our race," said D1-A racer Timur Timerzyanov, "Larsson's car was left in the middle of the track, it was on the racing line and we had to drive round it. And then this…
"Clerk of the Course Karl Staudinger denied that a red flag had been necessary in the D1 race. "The marshal said that the car [Eklund's Saab] was outside the racing line so I let the race continue but with two yellow flags on that post," he said.
Münnich got out of his car by himself but then collapsed on the ground where he was treated by the medical team who fitted a neck brace before removing him on a stretcher. Pinomäki was kept in his car talking with the medics until they were ready to move him to a stretcher.

A video of the accident you can find here:
http://www.rallycross.hu/massive_crash_in_melk.html