Placing first in both heats three and four, with the two fastest heat times of the weekend, Ekström was aclear contender for a podium position as the semi-final approached. Sitting in 3rd at the start, Ekström strategically took his joker on the first lap, putting him last but in a strong position to chase down the rest of the pack. One by one, as each driver took their joker, the Swede crept ahead, eventually stealing the lead from Hansen on the final lap, crossing the finish line one second ahead.

The final began with Ekström in 3rd, behind Bakker ud and Solberg on the first lap, dropping into 4th, behind Timmy Hansen, as he took his joker. Ekström stayed close behind, keeping tight to Hansen as they both moved forward a position when Solberg pulled out on lap three. Shortly after Bakkerud took his joker, Ekström flew past Hansen , continuing to hold him back for the remaining two laps, awarding the DTM regular a well deserved 2nd place in his first RallycrossRX competition.

“The whole experience of this weekend has really been 10 of 10-the way the event is run, the spirit of the spectators and the passion and commitment of the Marklund Motorsport team is incredible. I’ve said it before but the way the car handles is amazing, I’ve never felt the way I have this weekend in my entire career , this is the reason I started motorsports and I really hope I’ll be back on a rallycross track soon,” commented Ekström.

Unfortunately for Marklund Motorsport’s first driver, a knock with Kristoffersen, leading to a puncture on the first lap, put Anton Marklund in to 28th place after heat one and then 32nd overall as he was driven off the track by a race-ending crash with Valle in heat two. Although he set fast times on day two, winning his third heat and placing second in his fourth, Marklund was unable to reach the semi finals.

Summing up the weekend, Marklund stated, “What a great result for the team – Mattias had amazing pace, he’s an incredible driver and really showed how awesome the VW Polo R can be! I had a tough weekend, I was knocked out of the running by two other drivers in my first two heats and even though I had a better day today it just wasn’t enough to get me further.”