Back in RallyX since the 2020 season, Johan Kristoffersson is aware that he is facing a tough challenge this weekend in Nysum. Indeed, after three consecutive seasons in which he took care to develop a VW Polo KMS that has been brought up to date, it is with a very different model that the 2021 RallyX Nordic champion is getting ready to return to action.
Johan Kristoffersson has never hidden his taste for audacious challenges. After having won no less than eight races and taken 13 podiums in 14 races with the VW Polo KMS in RallyX, Johan Kristoffersson will try to make his voice heard in Denmark this weekend behind the wheel of the ex-Marklund Motorsport VW Polo with which Nils Andersson and Gustav Bergström made their Supercar debut last year.
“Ole-Christian prefers to drive the Polo KMS that I’ve been driving so far, so I’ve simply switched to the second car. Nevertheless, I will make sure to make the second VW Polo a winning car,” enthuses Johan Kristoffersson.
It must be said that while the two Polos look identical from the outside, it’s a different story once you get under the skin of the two German cars.
“The 2014 Marklund Motorsport-built VW Polo is a little bit different since, unlike the KMS Polo which has McPherson suspension on the front and rear axles, this one relies on double wishbones at the rear. It’s a car specification that I’ve never had the opportunity to drive before, but it’s a challenge that I like.”
For Johan Kristoffersson, this Nysum stage will feel like a real plunge into the unknown.
“From what I understand, when the car was designed, the double wishbone at the rear was supposed to ensure less friction and at the same time provide better traction. Naturally, we’re bound to have less suspension travel in the rear, but we’ll see if the theory works on the track.”
“Right now, I don’t know what it will be able to do. It has to be said that when this Polo was designed, the suspensions were much less advanced than they are now. Today, a McPherson suspension generates much less friction than it did back then, so I’m curious to see the result.
One thing is for sure, Johan Kristoffersson has no intention of making excuses. The five-time World Champion knows that it is his ability to get to grips with the ex-Marklund Motorsport Polo as quickly as possible that will make the difference.
“It’s a good car but the challenge for me will be to understand how to adapt this car to the different track conditions we will have. It’s completely different from the Polo KMS which I knew perfectly well.”
“I don’t have any hindsight on this car and it will be much more complicated for me to anticipate how our setup changes will tend to influence the behavior of this Polo. For me, this is a great challenge and I am now more than eager to get behind the wheel. I know the car has potential so we’ll see what I can achieve.In any case, and as always, my performance against the clock on a flying lap will quickly tell us where we stand.”
