Ken Block is ditching the North American Global Rallycross Series to race in the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2016 with the newly formed Hoonigan Racing Division. That means he’ll need a teammate to race with – and he’s found one in the way of Norwegian rally ace Andreas Bakkerud.
Bakkerud, a 24-year old from Bergen, Norway, raced with Ford in the World RX series last year, taking fourth overall in the driver’s standings. He won the round in Italy on his way to the result, and has also won World RX races at Turkey, Sweden and France in season’s prior.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to race alongside Ken and his team – that happens to be one of the best motorsport teams in the world!” said Bakkerud.. “I love rallycross and I’ve been able to have a few good seasons back-to-back. And the car? Ford Performance and M-Sport are building us one of the best cars to ever compete in rallycross.”
He continued.
“I think that working with Ken and his team in 2016 is really going to help me elevate my driving even further, plus I’ve always admired the way they handle exposing and marketing themselves both on and off event. I think this whole thing is an incredible opportunity not only for myself behind the wheel this year, but to learn and develop myself for the future as well. I can’t wait for the season to start! Thanks again to Ken and his team for this dream opportunity.”
Block says he chose Bakkerud as his teammate as he’s proven that he can win races in the past, an he already has experience with the Ford Fiesta ST chassis. The longtime Ford driver also said he believes Bakkerud and him will have a good shot at winning the championship next year, but you can bet defending champ Peter Solberg won’t make it easy.
Block and Bakkerud’s first race as teammates will be in Portugal at the 2016 World RX season opener on April 15-17.
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