Johan Kristoffersson loved one other memorable 12 months by securing a record-breaking sixth World Rallycross Championship and have become Excessive E’s first double champion.
Till the Lydden Hill fire that paused the WRX season, the Swede had been totally dominant, successful all three of the opening occasions. Life was tougher within the slower ZEROID X1 automobiles the sequence fell again on in South Africa and Hong Kong, though a 50% win price in equal equipment additional highlighted his class.
Kristoffersson additionally joined Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky for a second Excessive E season; they claimed a pair of victories in Sardinia and added a 3rd previous to their coronation in Chile.
Kristoffersson on 2023’s excessive highs and lows
To Kristoffersson’s already bulging trophy cupboard in 2023 had been added this time period eight occasion winner’s trophies and two items of outright championship silverware. However he concedes that neither his World Rallycross nor Excessive E campaigns had been with out fault.
Requested to pinpoint a low level from every championship, he says: “Undoubtedly, the low level [in RX] was when the automobile stopped in Hong Kong. That was one thing we couldn’t affect in any respect. I’d taken the joker and I used to be trying ahead to the joker lap battle with Kevin [Hansen] after which the automobile stopped. That was undoubtedly the low out of something I’ve completed this season.
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Kristoffersson received by way of WRX’s tough season to clinch his sixth world title within the sequence
“Inside Excessive E, I believe actually we actually didn’t have something super-low. I imply, in a technique, we had been on for a win within the first race in Saudi once we picked up a penalty for dashing within the sluggish zone. However on the time, we had been fairly happy with that end result [third] anyway, as I believe for me and Mikaela, our sturdy half is just not actually the sand occasions.”
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Turning to the very best moments, he provides: “The house [WRX] occasion in Holjes once we did the total Sunday in full rain and I used to be in a position to have nice launches and have such a bonus on the others when it comes to tempo on monitor. That was very nice to win that one.
“The competitors with Mattias is at all times good and to have the ability to go him two days in a row within the ultimate is in fact very good” Johan Kristoffersson
“Inside Excessive E, I believe the win we had in Sardinia was very nice after the primary nook once I was thus far behind. I used to be in a position to catch up and overtake Mattias [Ekstrom] on each Sunday finals. The competitors with Mattias is at all times good and to have the ability to go him two days in a row within the ultimate is in fact very good.
“I respect him rather a lot as a driver, so it isn’t simple to make a go on him, however I believe that was additionally our first win since Sardinia the 12 months earlier than. That was actually a excessive in Excessive E this 12 months.”
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
The Swede additionally turned the primary double Excessive E champion alongside Ahlin-Kottulinsky