Norwegian trio set for Swift Sport action at Croft
No less than four Norwegian drivers will compete in the opening round of the MSA British Rallycross Championship at Croft Circuit this weekend (March 19).
Ole Henry Steinsholt announced that he will race in the full MSA Junior Rallycross Championship this season last month, and he will be joined in the Peter Gwynne Motorsport team at Croft by Ada Marie Hvaal, Christoffer Lia and Martin Kjaer, who will race in the single-make Swift Sport Rallycross Championship.
Hvaal, 20, is no stranger to rallycross, having raced in the Norwegian and FIA European Rallycross Super1600 Championships, and also competed in Sweden in a rallycross Supercar last year. She ended the 2016 season by racing an Eklund Motorsport Volkswagen Beetle in the final round of the RallyX Nordic Championship. “I am looking forward to taking part in Swift Championship as preparation for the Norwegian Championship, which starts in early May,” said Hvaal. “It’s an excellent opportunity to get a head start to the season, gain international experience and get a sense of the competitive level internationally.”
23-year old Lia finished third overall in the Norwegian Super1600 Rallycross Championship last year, and will contest another full season in the series. Like Hvaal, he will make his first rallycross start of the year at Croft to not only prepare for the Norwegian series but to gain international experience. “Having raced through the different classes in karting and rallycross, I’ve been tempted to compete in individual Swift rallycross races,” he said. “The concept Peter Gwynne Motorsport offers fits perfectly for me to get a feel for the competitive level in the Championship and to try out driving right-hand drive cars.”
Kjaer began competing in karting at 10-years old and won events in both karting and Junior rallycross before he was 16. He finished third overall in the Norwegian Hillclimb Championship last season, and will race in both rallycross and hillclimbing in 2017, alongside his outing in the Swift series. “Taking part in the Swift Rallycross Championship is a great opportunity to get a head start to my rallycross season, compete in cars that are identical in setup that offer equal opportunities for drivers,” he said. “I expect to meet a tough challenge from the British drivers and look forward to some fair and tight fights at Croft.”
