Christoffersson and Ekstrom teams join forces in WRX

Running as KYB Team JC, the Joel Christoffersson-owned JC Raceteknik squad used EKS-built Audi S1s in WRX last season, having won the European series with Swede Robin Larsson and another EKS-built car in 2019.

Double DTM champion and 2016 World RX drivers' title-winner Ekstrom set up his EKS World RX squad in 2014, and claimed both the drivers' and teams' titles in 2016.

The outfit secured official Audi support for 2017, but withdrew its full-blown, two-car effort after Audi quit the sport in 2018.

Now, the two Swedish firms will operate together, headed up by Christoffersson as Team Principal from his base in Kil.

"Me and Mattias share the same mindset and attitude for the sport," said Christoffersson. "This is one of the main reasons why our cooperation has been so successful so far and that has become a solid foundation for joining forces for the future.

"For 2021 we want to focus on World RX and we want to win not only the teams' title, but a drivers' title as well. We are also looking into more projects to expand our operation in multiple disciplines."

Ekstrom will drive as part of the rebranded team when he campaigns a Skoda Fabia R5 in the Arctic Rally Finland World Rally Championship round later this month.

While Ekstrom drove for KYB Team JC in World RX last season, he has previously stated that he will be focusing his 2021 efforts on his programme in Extreme E with Cupra and ABT, but says the EKS JC team is evaluating running electric cars in the near future too.

World RX, which as the FIA announced last week will now be led by WRC Promoter, is set to switch to all-electric cars from 2022.

"From now on Joel will take care of all the EKS and JC Raceteknik joint racing projects - rallycross, rally, crosskarts and anything else we come up with," said Ekstrom.

"We are also looking into the future of electric racing and sooner than later there will be a race car in our workshop that is purely driven by electricity."