Winner of the second race of the weekend at Estering last season behind the wheel of a Peugeot 208, the Swedish driver has opted to return to Germany, this time in the VW Polo recently vacated by Filip Thorén.
Limited to just one Rallycross appearance since the start of the 2025 season, the Hedström Motorsport team boss has nonetheless decided to get back behind the wheel for the final round of the RallyX championship.
“I love this track, it’s as simple as that. Last weekend, we had quite a bit of bad luck with Filip Thorén’s car. Just like last year, when we came back from Nysum with a damaged car, this time it was an engine failure that ended his weekend. After the experience we had in 2024 between these two rounds, Filip suggested I take a holiday and rest instead of getting his car back into running order. He preferred to rent a car to race in Germany rather than have us spend the whole week working on repairs.
Still, I asked him if I could take the Polo if we managed to get it ready in time. He said, ‘Of course.’ At first, we thought the damage wasn’t too bad—just a crankshaft. But in reality, the block was cracked, the cylinder head too, and the wiring harness was damaged. Three times I said, ‘We’re not fixing it,’ but the team insisted, ‘No, no, no—we fix it and you drive.’ In the end, we started the engine and it sounded perfect. So here we are.”
Despite a minimal testing programme, Hedström approaches his comeback with composure.
“I’ve got the experience, so I don’t need endless test sessions to find the right balance in a car. Above all, I’m doing this for fun. We just did two laps on a Folkrace track near our workshop. Obviously, that doesn’t really let you get a feel for the car, but I was happy with the shakedown.
The car is working well, so we’ll see what we can do. In any case, I’m under no pressure. It’s been several seasons since I last drove this Polo. Some people think I should be on the pace straight away, but I prefer to build my weekend gradually and increase the speed step by step. We’ll see where that takes us.”
With his experience and his particular fondness for the Estering circuit, the Swede might just spring a surprise and make a memorable return to the RallyX paddock.