World RX
Audi factory driver Mattias Ekström created another foothold for himself in 2014 alongside his DTM factory programme with Audi. The two-time DTM champion set up the private EKS team and took part in the FIA World Rallycross Championship (World RX). The Swedish private team proved its class by winning the drivers’ and teams’ world titles in 2016 against strong competition from Ford, Peugeot and Volkswagen, as well as numerous private teams. Audi subsequently supported the programme for two years. Mattias Ekström finished runner-up in the world championship in 2017 and 2018, and the EKS Audi Sport team also scored second place in 2018.
From private pleasure to works programme
In 2014, Mattias Ekström began competing in the World Rallycross Championship with his privately initiated EKS team. The formula, which was originally invented in the UK for television, combines elements of circuit racing and rallying to offer the public a compact spectacle. Short circuits with a mixture of tarmac and gravel, short races of just a few laps, dense starting groups of a maximum of six participants and powerful cars with around 560 hp and four-wheel drive, ensure plenty of spectacle. Ekström topped the podium four times during the 2016 season. The Swede, as a privateer driver, thus achieved the sensational feat of beating his strong and partly factory-supported rivals in the title fight. The EKS team celebrated five more podium finishes in the races and also won the teams’ classification. These performances subsequently convinced Audi Sport to provide factory support to the programme.
The 2016 World Rallycross champion: Mattias Ekström after taking the title at the Estering in Germany
On the start line: the Audi S1 EKS RX quattro
On the start line: the Audi S1 EKS RX quattro
Expertise from Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm
Audi helped to further develop the S1 EKS RX quattro during the concept phase for the 2017 season. Its two-litre turbo engine was limited to an output of around 560 hp and 750 Nm of torque by an air restrictor. At the end of the 2017 season, Mattias Ekström scored four victories in twelve races and finished the season as the runner-up in the drivers’ championship. The EKS outfit ended the year in third place in the teams’ standings. While the focus in the inaugural season was still on development work and support during testing and races, Audi Sport in 2018 continued to develop the now 580-horsepower car with a new aerodynamic package and engine modifications, among other things. New limits on the number of usable engines, turbochargers, tyres and gear ratios meant tighter restrictions for all of the teams in 2018. Mattias Ekström again finished the year as the runner-up after four second place results. His teammate Andreas Bakkerud ended the season in third place after scoring three second and three third place finishes. EKS Audi Sport netted the runner-up spot in the teams’ standings. This marked the end of Audi’s involvement in rallycross.
Mattias Ekström in front of teammate Andreas Bakkerud in Lohéac during 2018
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