Former F1 driver Markus Winkelhock enters Kouvola rallycross round
Former Formula 1 driver Markus Winkelhock will compete in the World Rallycross Championship round at Kouvola, Finland
He will drive the Audi S1 left vacant by EKS World RX team founder Mattias Ekstrom, who cannot race in Finland due to DTM commitments.
"It's absolutely awesome to be part of EKS and get the chance to drive such an amazing Audi," said Winkelhock, who tested the new car earlier this week at Holjes in Sweden.
"The first test in Sweden was very helpful to become familiar with the car, the starting procedure and so on.
"I was very happy with these first steps and the team was as well. But for sure, for me as a GT driver the race weekend will be a big shift."
Winkelhock raced in DTM in 2004 but failed to score a single point.
He made his sole Formula 1 appearance for Spyker at the European Grand Prix in 2007.
The German won the GT1 World Championship in 2012, driving for fellow World RX team Munnich Motorsport in a Mercedes SLS.
"It was impressive how he adapted to the car during his first ever test in Höljes this week," said Ekstrom.
"He has never been in a rallycross Supercar before and he did a great job. The whole team was impressed by his performance."
Winklehock will line up in the EKS team alongside regular driver Pontus Tidemand, who finished 14th overall on the squad's debut in Norway.
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