As Oliver Eriksson prepares to leave behind the Honda Civic he drove last season in the RallyX championship to open a new chapter in his sporting career at the wheel of the new FC2 platform, the Swedish Team OMSE driver does not seem worried about the potential of his future weapon.
Created on the basis of the Supercar Lites chassis, to which a number of evolutions have been added to absorb the power of the turbocharged engine that will enable the FC2 to fight eye-to-eye with the best Supercars on the grid, Oliver Eriksson is clearly confident.
“My first goal is to help develop this new car and I think the RallyX championship is the best showcase we can find to highlight the full potential of the FC2. To tell you the truth, I’m not really worried and I’m already very hopeful that we’ll be in the game from the very first race of the championship,” says Oliver.
Eriksson has won three Supercar Lites titles, in 2015 in Global Rallycross and in 2018 and 2019 in the RX2 series. Along with Cyril Raymond, he is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the category.
It goes without saying that Eriksson knows a thing or two about the famous “Lites” chassis, which he’ll be using again this season in the RallyX championship.
“I’m obviously very familiar with the original FC2 platform, which I put a lot of kilometers on when I competed in the various Supercar Lites championships. In fact, I’ve continued to drive this car at the end of each season during the collective testing sessions we usually do with other drivers. However, in addition to my role as driver and instructor, I also know this car like the back of my hand from a purely mechanical point of view, as I’ve been involved in the construction of around forty of the 53 cars that have been delivered. In other words, this car holds no secrets for me. I know every bolt,” jokes Oliver.
“Obviously there will be a lot of similarities between the Supercar Lites and the FC2. The only thing that will really change is that the engine power will be much more significant. We’re starting with a Supercar Lites concept that’s a fantastic car to drive and I’m confident that my experience combined with Kevin’s [Eriksson] will help us move forward extremely quickly in terms of development.”
That development work began a few weeks ago in the United States, with Kevin Eriksson at the wheel.
“At the moment, only Kevin has been able to take part in the first phase of the car’s development. I haven’t had a chance to try out the FC2 yet, but that shouldn’t be long now. Still, I’m confident. Not only will I be at the top of my game in this RallyX championship, but from a technical point of view, the first tests we’ve been able to carry out have allowed us to meet our expectations. I followed Kevin’s first laps as closely as possible and that was enough for me to understand that the car already has great potential”.
