13/09/2026
KRISTOFFERSSON THE CHAMPION - AGAIN!
A first Euro RX title to add to his eight World RX titles! Johan Kristoffersson demonstrated—as he has so many times before—that he is at his best when it matters most.
"It was almost a perfect weekend. Nailing the starts made a huge difference," said the Kristoffersson Motorsport driver after securing the championship title in Portugal.
The road to this title was longer and more winding than the paths to some of his World RX titles. Kristoffersson arrived at the final race weekend in Lousada trailing Norwegian driver Andreas Bakkerud by a single point. Up to that stage, the launches had been a troublesome aspect for KMS, but the team unlocked the secret just in time. Judging by the results of Wednesday’s start practice—with teammate Ole Christian Veiby behind the wheel—it is clear that a genuine team effort paved the way for Kristoffersson’s triumph.
"Absolutely! Great work by Ole and the team. We really found the key there," said Johan.
However, in Saturday’s race, Johan continued to struggle with his starts, whereas Veiby got away much better. Thanks to excellent collaboration between the drivers, engineers, and mechanics, Kristoffersson’s starts improved remarkably as well. From the third qualifying round onwards, Johan was unstoppable; he claimed his third victory of the season in the sixth and penultimate round, racing under the floodlights.
Meanwhile, his title rival Andreas Bakkerud had a disastrous day and failed to reach the semi-finals. Johan thus surged into a 36-point lead heading into Sunday.
On Sunday, there was never any doubt. The dominant force in rallycross demonstrated his greatness right from the first qualifying round, and after starting from pole position in the first quarter-final, he cruised to victory. The European Championship title was already secured at that stage!
In the semi-final, Johan got out in second place and finished in the same position behind Juha Rytkönen, meaning he had to settle for a spot on the second row of the grid for the final.
Despite this, Johan nailed the launches twice—following a restart caused by a red flag. With several competitors out, it was a victory lap for Johan, who could even give the fans a doughnut before crossing the finish line. Despite the close initial standings, Johan ultimately won by a massive 60-point margin ahead of Juha Rytkönen, who managed to overtake Bakkerud.
It was a really tough weekend for Ole Christian Veiby. He never really got the chance to fight for the bronze medal—he had been trailing Rytkönen by a single point when the competition in Lousada began. Punctures and rough treatment from opponents ruined his chances time and again.
"It felt a bit unfair this weekend. The pace was there and the starts were spot-on right away, but then came the punctures and other issues," says Ole Christian.
This was despite OC kicking off the weekend with two consecutive wins in the qualifying heats. The rough treatment continued right into the final, where Veiby was sent into the barrier; he required medical attention for his injuries, and the car was badly damaged.
"It is what it is. Things looked promising for a long time, but that’s rallycross. The most important thing, after all, was securing Johan’s title."
Veiby played a major role in Kristoffersson’s triumph. It was OC who conducted the test on Wednesday, identifying the keys to better launches; his brilliant starts early in the weekend helped Johan fine-tune the final details. It was a true team effort from the Norwegian, though it didn't result in a podium finish for him personally, as he ended up in fourth place.
For Tommy Kristoffersson, CEO of Kristoffersson Motorsport, it has been a season of ups and downs that ultimately ended on a high note.
"An extremely good and truly remarkable performance by the entire team. But I’ve always been confident that we can deliver under pressure," says Tommy, adding:
"This reflects the mentality of the whole team. Johan has an incredible winning mindset, but the same goes for the others. We refuse to throw in the towel."
This is despite the season offering very few opportunities for testing or extravagance.
"We’ve had to operate on an extremely low budget—a real financial trial—but in a way, it’s been beneficial too. We really only conducted one test, the one last Wednesday, but it turned out to be decisive."
KMS now sets its sights on a temporary switch to Extreme H in October, followed by the inaugural Rallycross World Cup in Jakarta in December.
FIA Rallycross Championships
