Johan Kristoffersson will defend his World Rallycross crown this season, returning to drive for his family-run Kristoffersson Motorsport team.
Running under the Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS banner, the four-time champion will once again be behind the wheel of Volkswagen machinery after driving an EKS JC Audi S1 in 2021.
“It’s really inspiring to be part of rallycross’ new electric era right from the outset, said Kristoffersson.
“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…”
Kristoffersson will lead a three-car entry for the team, with the identity of his team-mates and the model of car they will be driving all set to be announced at a later date. The team’s cars will however be underpinned by the uniform RX1e kit developed by Kreisel Electric, developing the equivalent of 680 bhp.
“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,” Kristoffersson added.
"Electricity is the future and helping to drive that development is one of the most fascinating aspects of the sport for meJohan Kristoffersson
“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!”
Kristoffersson of course is no stranger to electric racing, having won the inaugural Extreme E season for Rosberg X Racing alongside Molly Taylor last month. But for the independent KMS outfit, the 2022 World RX season will be a major undertaking.
“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,” said team manager Tommy Kristoffersson.
“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 realize that the more you learn, the more you understand how little you actually know!
“We are looking forward to putting to use all the lessons we have learned over the years in this exciting new adventure – and to challenging for the world championship under our own steam once again.”
KMS ran Kristoffersson to the 2020 World RX title, running an ex-Petter Solberg Polo R that had been rented from Volkswagen Motorsport before the division closed its doors at the end of that season.
It also ran Kristoffersson to championship titles in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship and the short-lived Superstars touring car series.
