Olsbergs' turn to retire from World RX at the end of 2018

Clearly, the World Championship rallycross (World RX) swims in troubled waters. On Thursday morning, the Olsbergs MSE team announced that it would not be present on the starting grid for the 2019 season, barely a week after the resounding withdrawal of Peugeot Sport.

The Swedish team made this decision in light of the delayed arrival in 2021 of the electric series. Private structure, Olsbergs MSE is actively seeking the support of a manufacturer, such as EKS did it with Audi Sport between 2017 and 2018, in order to develop a car powered by the electricity fairy.

“The decision is sad, of course, explains Andreas Eriksson, team boss. But we had to do it to ensure the long-term future of the company. The cost of playing competitively in World RX is too high for us », he admits.

Olsbergs MSE does not have the prestige of a Peugeot Sport among the general public, however the Swedish structure, founded in 2005, is a major pillar of rallycross. Team World Champion for the first year of World RX in 2014, she finished second the following year before sliding down the hierarchy, as general manufacturers pulled out all the stops financially.

It should be noted that Olsbergs MSE has never received support from a brand. His two Ford Fiesta STs, driven by Robin Larsson and Kevin Eriksson in 2018, were developed in-house.

“As a genuine manufacturer of rallycross vehicles, we encourage everyone engaged in this sport to take care of cost reduction and stability in the Supercars regulations. » The concepts of " return on investment " and“accessibility” are also among Andreas Eriksson's recommendations “in order to keep these cars running for the next 10 years.”

However, he is not against the electric championship project. “We are looking forward to the arrival of electric in 2021, and all our efforts will be placed in 2019 to find a partner manufacturer with this in mind. We believe that electric is important for the future of our sport.

There are many people and fans who are speaking out against this. I personally believe that thermal and electric engines can work hand in hand for many years. Let’s face it, we love lots of different musical genres! »

Even if he will observe World RX from the stands in 2019, the team manager will propose offers for customer competition in the European (ERX), Americas (ARX) and RX2 Championships.