“We have noticeably more engine power than ever before,” says Mattias Ekström who, following the first test laps with the new engine in Majorca, climbed out of the cockpit with a broad grin on his face. “Putting the power on the ground is even more important.”
The percentage of full-throttle driving tends to be rather small on the typically short and winding rallycross tracks. At about 40 percent, it is the largest on the track at Trois-Rivières, Canada. Therefore, the suspension, dampers and traction are of major importance.
“It’s the sum of many small details that account for this progress,” says Mattias Ekström. “We’ve improved in all areas and know how much faster our new car is. I’m very happy with the work that has been done and hope it’ll be enough to celebrate victories and finish on podium regularly again. At the same time we have very strong competitors who haven’t slept either. We’re only going to see where we stand at Barcelona.”
On the Spanish race track, the new season will kick off on April 14 and 15. EKS Audi Sport has prepared two new cars at the team’s base in Fagersta, Sweden. The Audi S1 EKS RX quattro with chassis number 006 will be the race car of new signing Andreas Bakkerud, Mattias Ekström will receive chassis 007.