With Oliver Eriksson remaining in Sweden following the birth of his second child, Kevin Eriksson stepped in for his younger brother last weekend at the Riga circuit, taking the wheel of the FC2. Just days before an open testing session scheduled at Lohéac, Kevin Eriksson made the most of the opportunity to further refine the new weapon developed by the First Corner / OMSE duo.
Indeed, the Swede came dangerously close to matching the fastest lap times set by the latest versions of the Peugeot Sport 208, fielded in the FIA World Rallycross Championship.
“It’s always difficult to find enough time for proper testing sessions, and in Riga, we had the chance to test the car in real racing conditions. That said, the last time I tried a similar approach, I ended up on my roof (Älvsbyn 2024 – ed.),” smiled Kevin Eriksson.
“That’s why we decided to take a different approach this time by not entering the race itself but instead running the car after each of the Open 4WD sessions. This allowed us to directly compare our lap times with the best Supercars on track in Riga. For us, it was a perfect opportunity to gauge the true performance level of the FC2 and to gather some very precise reference points.”
In truth, Kevin Eriksson couldn’t have found a better testing ground than the Bikernieki circuit.
“The FC2 was originally designed for North American-style tracks with lots of jumps and loose gravel surfaces. Riga, however, is the complete opposite, with an all-tarmac layout and so-called gravel sections that are actually concrete. This experience allowed us to validate a lot of things.”
Building on these findings, Kevin Eriksson emphasized the adjustments still needed to make the FC2 even more competitive on European circuits.
“I’d say the suspension and chassis are the key elements for adapting our car to European tracks, which are very different from what you find in North America. The goal is to have a car capable of performing on both types of surfaces without blowing up costs. We don’t want to end up like in rallying, where you need a specific kit for asphalt and another for gravel. We’re aiming to create a four-wheel-drive car that is both competitive and affordable. Our task is to find that sweet spot where the car can perform equally well on circuit-style tracks like Riga and on more traditional gravel tracks.”
While progress has been clear, several areas for improvement have also been identified.
‘We went over everything: suspension, starts and gear changes. There’s always room for improvement in these areas, particularly the starts, which remain a key factor in rallycross. I felt pretty good off the line, and the paddle-shift system really helped with the gear changes. We’ve identified a few minor adjustments that will make us even more reactive and speed up the process further.”
“You can’t solve everything in a single test session, but I think we’re on the right track. We’ve carefully logged all the data, and we’ll work with our technical partner R53, who will help us fine-tune the shock absorber settings to find the optimal performance window for these types of tracks. Now I’m eager to see how the FC2 will perform in Finland at the next round, as well as at the other events on the calendar.”
Moreover, the presence of a formidable opponent like Janis Baumanis, behind the wheel of an equally formidable Peugeot 208, gave Kevin Eriksson the perfect benchmark.
“I know Janis Baumanis very well — we’ve raced against each other for many seasons in World RX, and I know just how good he is. In Riga, he had probably one of the best factory-built cars from the era when manufacturers were still involved in the World Championship. For us, there couldn’t have been a better reference point. We managed to get extremely close to his lap times, but we already have a few ideas in mind to close that small gap.”