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Marcus Thomasfolk Kontaktperson Informationschef 08 553 867 97 Telefon 070 35 896 57 Mobil marcus.thomasfolk@.se E-post 2015-03-16 Datum

Two Swedish Volkswagen teams in World Championship

Volkswagen Sweden is gearing up to its commitment in rallycross. In 2015 both the Swedish teams and Kristoffersson Motorsport will be making a bid to take the coveted world championship title.

– Rallycross is the hottest motor sport just now, and we and our dealers think it feels incredibly exciting to be able to support a bid where two of Sweden's best teams are aiming at becoming world champion, says Sten Forsberg, Manager of Volkswagen in Sweden.

The new bid was announced at a press conference in Stockholm today, where the Boliden-based Marklund Motorsport and Kristoffersson Motorsport from Arvika took part.

Both teams are now all set to do a full season in the FIA World RallyCross Championship 2015. Marklund Motorsport has already taken part in the world championship in 2014, with the support of Volkswagen Motorsport. And now even KMS is making that big step from the Swedish tracks to the international. The team's four drivers will be competing in each of their own four-wheel drive Polo Supercar RX, with almost 600 HP under the bonnet.

– We were close in 2014, and now of course we're aiming to win both an individual gold and the team title, says Jan Marklund, team manager of Marklund Motorsport, which since 2014 has the status of the official rallycross team for Volkswagen Motorsport.

– For KMS this means we're gearing up our bid. The world championship attracts the best teams and the best drivers, so it's a situation we want to be part of. And we're

Volkswagens pressreleaser på Internet nås under adress: www.volkswagen.se counting on being competitive from the start, says Tommy Kristoffersson, team manager for Kristoffersson Motorsport.

The drivers who are going to do the job were presented at the press conference in Stockholm. From Marklund it will be the Värmlander P-G Andersson and the Finn Toomas "Topi" Heikkinen. KMS is putting up and the Norwegian .

A chance to compete on home ground is of course the well-attended world championship event in Höljes in the beginning of July.

– We're really looking forward to it. We have been there in the last few years, but now it's time for a really big Volkswagen success, says Tommy Kristoffersson.

Volkswagen Motorsport are positive about two teams representing Volkswagen in the world championship:

–The World Rallycross Championship enjoys increasing popularity: The races are compact, spectacular and varied. With Marklund Motorsport and Kristoffersson Motorsport, Volkswagen is represented by two extremely professional privateer teams who develop and race their Polo RX Supercars independently. The lineup and the calendar promise an exciting WRX season and we are confident that the Volkswagen drivers will be up there battling for races and the championship, says Jost Capito, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport.

Apart from the world championship race, the team will also be driving cars in the European Championship, and in both events it will be with Norwegian drivers. For Marklund it's who's racing, and from KMS we'll be seeing , who continues with his rally bid in parallel.

Volkswagens pressreleaser på Internet nås under adress: www.volkswagen.se Volkswagen drivers in FIA World Rallycross Championship 2015

Johan Kristoffersson, Kristoffersson Motorsport Age: 26 Lives: Arvika Merits: Gold in STCC, , Superstars (all racing)

Tord Linnerud, Kristoffersson Motorsport Age: 40 Lives: Gjövik Merits: Gold in motocross Norwegian Championships, 2 silver and 1 gold in NTCC (racing), 3rd place in rallycross Norwegian Championships, several victories in Norwegian Championships in rally

Per-Gunnar "P-G" Andersson, Marklund Motorsport Age: 34 Lives: Arvika Merits: 2 JVM golds, two 5th places in world championship, 2 Swedish Championship golds (all in rally)

Toomas ”Topi” Heikkinen, Marklund Motorsport Age: 24 Lives: Joensuu, Finland Merits: Second in FIA World RX 2014, GRC champion 2013, Finnish champion in rallycross 2010

FIA World RallyCross Championship 2015

1. 24-26 April, Montalegre, Portugal 2. 1-3 May, Hockenheim, Germany 3. 15-17 May, Mettet, Belgium 4. 22-24 May, Lydden Hill, Great Britain 5. 19-21 June, Estering, Germany 6. 3-5 July, Höljes, Sweden 7. 7-8 August, GP3R, Canada 8. 21-23 August, Hell, Norway 9. 4-6 September, Loheac, France 10. 18-20 September, Barcelona, Spain 11. 2-4 October, Istanbul, Turkey 12. 16-18 oktober, Franciacorta, Italy 13. 27-29 november, San Luis, Argentina

Volkswagens pressreleaser på Internet nås under adress: www.volkswagen.se