Double champion Kristoffersson closing on World RX return for 2020

The Swede told Autosport last month he would make a decision on his 2020 programme after Rally Sweden and, having finished third in WRC3 driving a Volkswagen Polo R5 a fortnight ago, Kristoffersson said he is now close to finalising plans for the rest of 2020.

While Kristoffersson, who last year drove for the Sebastien Loeb Racing VW squad in WTCR, is still assessing rally and circuit-racing outings, he is working hard to race in the World RX category in which he won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.

"Rallycross is one thing that we are looking quite closely at and we are doing a lot of work now with the car that Sondre [Evjen, Kristoffersson Motorsport driver] will drive in the European championship," Kristoffersson told Autosport.

"In two or three weeks, I'm pretty sure that we have to decide and see what we do."

One option for Kristoffersson could be to share the Volkswagen Polo that Evjen will drive in European events, and potentially take the wheel for the World RX rounds at which the European series does not run.

But with commitments to Swedish Volkswagen dealers and Bauhaus, his primary sponsor, Kristoffersson ideally needs to compete in the Swedish and Norwegian World RX rounds, where Euro RX will also take place.

"If I would like to do a couple of rallycross events, obviously the car is busy for Sweden, Norway, France, but it's free for Barcelona and Portugal [the first two rounds]," added Kristoffersson.

"So either we try to see if we can do a couple of events outside the European championship to share the car, we start the season maybe in Barcelona and see what we can do after that, or we try to do a couple of events together with Sondre, on the big rounds for us.

"Then we have to find another car, but it also gives us some more time until that.

"My wish is to do the world championship."

Asked of his chances of being on the Barcelona grid, Kristoffersson said: "There's definitely a chance that I will be there, but at the same time if we cannot do a full championship, I think it's more valuable for us to do Norway and Sweden as our partners are from Scandinavia."

Fellow Swede Timmy Hansen won the World RX drivers' crown last season in a dramatic final-round decider, where Team Hansen MJP also won the teams' title.

The Hansen squad is working hard to remain in the series to defend its titles in 2020, and Hansen said he would welcome Kristoffersson back to World RX.

"I would be the happiest of everyone except for Johan himself if he came back," Hansen told Autosport.

"I want to race against him again. He's a brilliant competitor; he's very hard and very fair."

Kristoffersson won 11 of 12 rounds in 2018 and, asked about the prospect of competing against a Kristoffersson in similar form, Hansen said: "If he came back in the same form again, that makes me really motivated because it makes me see that I have to raise the level again."

Permanent entries for the 2020 season open with the FIA next week.