{"id":63772,"date":"2026-04-18T17:33:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T17:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/63772\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T17:33:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T17:33:11","slug":"kristoffersson-and-veiby-return-to-euro-rx1-to-start-the-season-in-riga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/63772\/","title":{"rendered":"Kristoffersson and Veiby return to Euro RX1 to start the season in Riga"},"content":{"rendered":"

The lineup for the European Championship Rallycross<\/a> Riga is preparing to welcome two heavyweights. While the World Rallycross Championship has announced it will revert to a European championship after its 2025 season, this won’t deter Johan Kristoffersson and Ole Christian Veiby, who will indeed be on the starting grid for the opening round in Riga, representing Kristoffersson Motorsport. This announcement immediately shakes things up in a discipline where experience and consistency often make the difference\u2014two areas in which the Swede has been more than successful for the past nine years.<\/p>\n

Kristoffersson, the undisputed icon of modern rallycross, returns with an even stronger status. Crowned world champion eight times\u2014in 2017, 2018, and then from 2020 to 2025\u2014making him the most decorated champion in the championship’s history\u2014he is coming off a period of dominance marked by a rare ability to perform in vastly different technical contexts, from internal combustion to electric. His return to Euro RX1 is anything but insignificant: he set a new standard right from the first round, on the Riga circuit, renowned for its intensity and tricky opening corners. Alongside him, Veiby provides invaluable complementarity, in a setup already proven at the highest level.<\/p>\n

A duo already well-established and in full swing<\/p>\n

The partnership between Kristoffersson and Veiby has already proven its worth. Accustomed to working together, the two drivers have demonstrated their collective effectiveness, notably during the last season of the World Rallycross Championship. In Turkey, at the final race of the championship in its current format, Veiby finished ahead of his teammate, securing a one-two finish for KMS \u2013 Kristoffersson Motorsport \u2013 and definitively clinching the teams’ title.
This success illustrates the Norwegian’s rise to power, now capable of regularly competing with the best. “It’s a calendar with real rallycross circuits and good organizers, with many highlights.”Veiby explains. “It will also be interesting to return to a combustion engine car, and after last season, the goal is to continue this momentum and fight at the front from Riga onwards.”<\/p>\n

A clear ambition, fueled by consistent progress and growing confidence over the seasons. The Latvian round, scheduled for May 9th and 10th, is already shaping up to be a first full-scale test. The Riga circuit, known for its technical sections and contact patches, leaves little room for error. Kristoffersson, who has experienced mixed fortunes there, knows what to expect. “Riga will always remain a special circuit for me.”, the Swede confides. “I experienced some difficult moments there, but mostly very good memories. The first two corners are tricky, so there will certainly be some action. But above all, it will be a real pleasure to get back behind the wheel of a rallycross car.” A statement that sums up the issue well: beyond the result, this return also marks a form of reconnection with the discipline in its purest form.<\/p>\n

A strong message sent to the championship<\/p>\n

With this announcement, the FIA \u200b\u200band the championship organizers can be pleased with a strengthened field right from the start. The presence of such an experienced duo sends a clear signal about the renewed appeal of Euro RX1, in a context of transition for world rallycross. “I am proud to have a team of Kristoffersson Motorsport’s caliber on the grid in Riga.”, underlines James Nixon, FIA rallycross sporting director. “Johan and Ole are drivers capable of winning at the highest level, and their presence confirms the quality of the field.” For KMS, the objective is clear: to make a strong start and lay the foundations for an ambitious campaign. In a championship that will then include races in Nyir\u00e1d (Hungary), H\u00f6ljes (Sweden), and Loh\u00e9ac in France, this first event could already set the tone. And with such a duo, it’s hard to imagine anything other than an immediate battle for victory.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ > World RX will become a 100% thermal European championship again in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The lineup for the European Championship Rallycross Riga is preparing to welcome two heavyweights. While the World Rallycross…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63773,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[35074,35075,169,35076,168],"class_list":{"0":"post-63772","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-riga","8":"tag-championnat-deurope-de-rallycross","9":"tag-johan-kristoffersson","10":"tag-latvia","11":"tag-rallycross","12":"tag-riga"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/116426912941247619","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}