Three-time Defending GRC Championship Team Olsbergs MSE Welcomes Red Bull for 2014
Huntington Beach, CA (PRWEB) April 03, 2014 -- Three-time Global Rallycross championship team Olsbergs MSE today announced that it is partnering with Red Bull for its 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross campaign.
"We're the most winning team in series history and with new faces and strong partners, we intend to continue that streak in 2014," said team owner Andreas Eriksson. "I'm happy to welcome Red Bull to the team, as well as returning partners Ford and Bluebeam."
Fresh talent Joni Wiman will move into the top class of competition this year to pilot the 2014 Red Bull/Bluebeam OMSE Ford Fiesta ST. The up-and-coming Finnish driver swept the 2013 GRC Lites championship, earning a win at every round. With Red Bull support in 2014, he is expected to be an immediate threat in the SuperCars competition.
"Moving into the top class of competition this year after having such a great run in the 2013 GRC Lites is an amazing opportunity," said Wiman. "Joining the elite Red Bull athlete roster as I take this important step in my career is a dream come true."
The young driver is a protégé of two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm, who serves as a coach and mentor on the Olsbergs MSE team.
Ford returns to the team in 2014, extending their longstanding relationship with Olsbergs MSE. The powerful, 600-horsepower all-wheel drive Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta rallycross SuperCars are class of the field at any race they enter.
"Together, Ford and OMSE have been a dominant and driving force in Global Rallycross, with Fiesta ST winning three straight GRC championships and 19 X Games medals," said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. "Ford and Olsbergs MSE have built an incredibly successful package with the Ford Fiesta ST and we're looking forward to another strong season in 2014 and an exciting fan outreach."
Bluebeam Software is returning to Olsbergs MSE in 2014, this year joining Red Bull in supporting Wiman's talent behind the wheel.
"We are excited to see how much farther Joni can push the limits of rallycross this season," said Richard Lee, President and CEO of Bluebeam Software. "With the GRC Lites championship under his belt, wins in every race in the series last season and coaching from Marcus Grönholm, we expect to see some extreme racing from Joni."
Champion rally driver Patrik Sandell will drive a second OMSE Ford Fiesta ST in the Red Bull Global Rallycross SuperCars category. The Swedish driver is returning for a second year to the series after a strong debut season in 2013 with Ford and Olsbergs MSE.
The successful GRC Lites development series, which debuted in 2013 in the United States as a support to the Global Rallycross championship, will also return in 2014. With 2013 champion Wiman graduating to the SuperCars category, Olsbergs MSE will field young Red Bull phenom Mitchell DeJong in the Red Bull GRC Lites car, as well as up-and-coming Swedish driver Kevin Eriksson.
Olsbergs MSE is a Ford technical partner, developing the Ford Fiesta platform for international competition. Together, Ford and OMSE have earned 19 X Games medals, including podium sweeps at the world's leading action sports contest (Los Angeles, 2011; Brazil 2013). The team has also scored every Global Rallycross championship title since the series debut in 2011, and its drivers are podium regulars in overseas competition. In 2014, several additional teams will campaign Olsbergs MSE built Ford Fiestas in Global Rallycross.
The Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship season starts in May 18 at GRC Barbados.
ABOUT OLSBERGS MSE: Olsbergs MSE designs, builds and operates winning competition cars for motorsport. It is recognized as the global authority in the growing sport of rallycross.
Olsbergs MSE is a Ford technical partner, developing the Ford Fiesta platform for international competition. Together, Ford and OMSE have earned 19 X Games medals, including podium sweeps at the world's leading action sports contest (Los Angeles, 2011; Brazil 2013). The team has also scored every rallycross championship in the United States since the sport debuted in that country in 2010, and its drivers are podium regulars overseas.
Notable drivers who have competed on the OMSE roster in the past five years include Gymkhana star Ken Block, two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm, Indy 500 Champion Kenny Brack, 2013 Global Rallycross Champion Toomas Heikkinen, action sport star Brian Deegan, and stuntman Tanner Foust.
Founded in 2009, the organization represents a partnership between historic Swedish industrial company Olsbergs and rallycross specialists Motor Sport Evolution. In 2013, the company expanded its operations into the United States and now has dual headquarters with operations in both Nynäshamn, Sweden, and Huntington Beach, Calif.
Olsbergs MSE is led by Eriksson, himself a championship rally driver and veteran rallycross driver. He is supported by three-time European Rallycross Champion Jussi Pinomäki as co-team manager.
In 2014, Olsbergs MSE will campaign leading cars in the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship, World Rallycross Championship, the Rallycross SuperCar Scandinavia championship.
ABOUT RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS: Designed to produce the fastest and most exciting racing in motorsports, Red Bull Global Rallycross pits small production-based cars against each other in door-to-door racing featuring dirt, asphalt, and table-top jumps. With enhanced engineering and safety features, the cars produce 600 horsepower and can accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in less than two seconds, and can also withstand 70-foot jumps and other vehicle contact. More information at http://www.RedBullGlobalRallycross.com
OLSBERGS MSE IS POWERED BY: Ford, Red Bull, Bluebeam, Olsbergs, Ohlins, Motegi Racing, AEM, Eibach Springs, Sparco, Magnaflow, Braille Battery, Alcon, Sadev, Mountune
MORE INFORMATION: For more information please contact Olsbergs MSE at [email protected]
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Jen, Olsbergs MSE, http://www.olsbergsmse.com, +1 310-962-2729, [email protected]
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