Euro RX1 Champion Marklund returns to World RX at Nürburgring 02.11.2022: Swede already four times a podium-finisher at the highest level Recently-crowned FIA European Rallycross Champion Anton Marklund will return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship for the 2022 season finale at Germany’s Nürburgring next weekend (1

 
Swede already four times a podium-finisher at the highest level

Recently-crowned FIA European Rallycross Champion Anton Marklund will return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship for the 2022 season finale at Germany’s Nürburgring next weekend (12-13 November), behind the wheel of ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport’s SEAT Ibiza RX1e.



The car has been campaigned this year by team owner/driver René Münnich, but with the German – a former event-winner at Euro RX1 level – unavailable for the Nürburgring due to prior business commitments, a replacement was needed.

Marklund has been one of the most impressive performers on the entire World RX package in 2022.

The Swede was unquestionably the dominant force in the European Championship’s headlining Euro RX1 category with SET Promotion, and he duly wrapped up the title – adding to those he had already achieved in 2012 (TouringCar) and 2017 (Supercar) – a round early at Montalegre.



With the trophy secured, Marklund went out and celebrated with a third victory from six starts at Spa-Francorchamps last month – and now he is poised to return to World RX with ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport.

The 29-year-old last competed in the World Championship at the Nürburgring just under 12 months ago, in a Hedströms Motorsport Hyundai i20, and he counts four podium finishes to his credit in the series – with a win taken away from him in Norway in 2019 due to a technical infringement.



Marklund now has another chance to impress at the very highest level – and it is one he intends to grab with both hands, hoping that a good performance could put him firmly in the shop window and act as a stepping-stone towards a full-time comeback next year.



“This has all come together so quickly,” he revealed. “I got a phone call on Saturday evening from my engineer, Laurent, who has also been helping me a bit as a mentor and manager. He told me about the proposal and said I had just ten minutes to decide. I didn’t have my calendar in front of me, but it was a complete no-brainer!



“I’ve had a fantastic year in the European Championship and accomplished everything I had set out to. I really thought my season was over after Spa – I had even put all my racing gear away for the winter – but to get to race one of the new electric World RX cars isn’t the kind of opportunity that comes up every day, so I had to say yes.



“I’m so grateful to René and ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport for putting their trust in me and giving me this chance. With no testing ahead of the race weekend and all the other drivers at the peak of their performance following almost a full season of experience, it’s going to be a huge challenge, but from the short time I’ve had trying out the RX2e car before, my driving style seems to suit electric pretty well.



“The difficult bit will be to find those last few tenths-of-a-second, but I will give it everything I have and try to give the team as much feedback as I can to try to help them push in the right direction for the future.



“I’ve made no secret of my desire to return to the World Championship. I’ve definitely got some unfinished business there, and going into 2023 with some prior advantage of driving an RX1e car can only put me in a stronger position – but in terms of objectives for the weekend, I’m not putting any pressure on myself.



I’ll go into it with a very humble approach, a lot of energy and positive vibes – and aiming to enjoy every single moment I’m out on-track.”





Russell Atkins- photos Red Bull