CE Dealer Team reaches final on RX2e debut in Germany
Construction Equipment Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment made its debut in the 100% electric RX2e series at Estering in Germany, with both Niclas Grönholm and Klara Andersson reaching the final.
CE Dealer Team took the opportunity to race in the RX2e class at Estering, after the postponement of the RX1e class in Germany due to the ongoing investigation after the incident at Lydden Hill.
27-year-old Niclas Grönholm had a difficult start to his first-ever RX2e race with two DNFs during Saturday. Come Sunday, and Grönholm bagged two heat wins to qualify for the semi-finals.
The Finish star challenged for the podium, and ultimately finished in fourth.
”I think it was as tricky as expected this weekend. A poor Saturday really hampered me quite a lot. These cars are so equal off the line and on the lap times. After yesterday’s struggle, I did what I could and fought back. On a flying lap, when everything was good, we were on the pace and could even have won. But there are always ifs and buts, it is what it is,” said Niclas Grönholm.
Klara Andersson made her return to RX2e, having raced there in 2021. The Swede claimed victory in heat one on her way to finish fifth in the final behind team-mate Niclas Grönholm.
”It was a pretty solid weekend, I think we had some really good pace. Unfortunately, the start is everything on this track, and we were not so lucky there, starting from the outside. It was quite hard to do our own thing, and in the finals, we wanted to respect the championship contenders,” said Klara Andersson.
CE Dealer Team and its drivers provided plenty of action its the partners and guests onsite at Estering this weekend, while also gathering crucial experience in a race environment to further develop the team and its operation for the future.
”It was good to be back on track and racing again. I think we put on a great show for all our partners and guests who gave us great support this weekend. We knew the competition in RX2e would be tough, and we reached our goal of getting both cars into the final. We will now continue our work to be as well-prepared as possible when the RX1e season hopefully restarts in South Africa,” said Jussi Pinomäki, Team Manager of CE Dealer Team.
The cutting-edge Volvo CE machinery worked hard throughout the German race weekend, keeping the circuit in top conditions and recovered stranded race vehicles in front of a strong crowd and a successful customer activation by the partners of the team.
The World RX of Germany weekend was the last European round of this year’s FIA World Rallycross Championship. The championship is scheduled to head to South Africa on October 6-8 for its first event outside Europe since 2019.
CE Dealer Team sits second in the teams’ standings, with Niclas Grönholm holding second in the drivers’ championship and Klara Andersson is seventh.
Results after the FIA World RX of Germany: https://bit.ly/3P3mRu9
Media contact information
Johan Meissner
CE Dealer Team
+46(0)70 241 3234
media@pwrgrp.com
About CE Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment
CE Dealer Team was founded in 2022 by the PWR Group in cooperation with Volvo Construction Equipment and its partners. The core goal of the rallycross programme is to drive the shift to improved sustainability and diversity in society and highlight the excitement that a move to an electric future offers. CE Dealer Team is run with support from independent dealers of Volvo Construction Equipment, along with several prominent industrial partners, who together share a commitment to leading a sustainable future, both on track and off.
About FIA World Rallycross Championship
The FIA World Rallycross Championship is one of six official World Championship in motorsport alongside Formula 1 and World Rally Championship. The championship runs on seven venues across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Rallycross is a combination of rallying and circuit racing. It is head-to-head short, sharp races on mixed surfaces (dirt and asphalt) contained within amphitheatre venues. In the headlining FIA World Rallycross Championship, high-profile drivers are equipped with fully electric RX1 cars producing over 600bhp and the ability to accelerate from 0-100km/h in less than two seconds – faster than a Formula 1 car.
