Olsbergs MSE Team Gives Honda First Global Rallycross Victory in Louisville

Young US driver Mitchell deJong let its hang out in Louisville - he'd really impress in Connecticut

Rallycross, if you’re not familiar with the sport, is much like it sounds. Drivers compete in 600 horsepower purpose-built AWD race cars that retain the shell of the original Honda Civic, Subaru WRX, Ford Fiesta, or Volkswagen Beetle. Tracks are between 0.5 mile and 1.0 mile in length and feature a mixture of dirt and pavement, as well as a 70-foot jump.

The Olsbergs MSE Honda Civics draw intake air through a custom-molded carbon fiber air box into which the team thoughtfully molded the K&N logo. Inside is a nine-inch K&N RE-0870 filter wrapped with a K&N PreCharger.

After a seventh place finish at the season-opener in Memphis, Tennessee, Sebastian Eriksson and his Red Bull Olsbergs MSE Honda Civic turned the tables on the field in Louisville, Kentucky, and scored Honda’s first-ever Global Rallycross victory in one of the closest finishes in series history.

Olsbergs OSME Honda driver Sebastian Eriksson fought to the finish to take the win in Louisville

Eriksson led his teammates, American Mitchell deJong and Oliver Eriksson, who is no relation but is also a Swede, with a fourth-place qualifying result. Sebastian raised the stakes with a second-place finish in the second semifinal, which put him on the inside of the second row of the final.

Just prior to the drop of the green on the 10-car finale, a rain shower soaked the 0.7 mile course, shifting the advantage to Sebastian and the Honda-powered team and their custom AWD system. Sebastian rocketed away at start, grabbing third place going into the first turn. The front runners made contact in the first dirt corner, and Sebatian grabbed the opportunity to take the lead. Two drivers slipped past him, but then Sebastian caught them and moved back into first place, though he’d maintain a slim lead over second-place Steve Arpin for the final five laps.

Olsbergs OSME Honda driver Sebastian Eriksson celebrating his win at the GRC event in Louisville, KY

Honda Red Bull OSME teammates Mitchell deJong and Oliver Eriksson finished fifth and seventh, respectively.

After two events in the Mid-South, the Red Bull Global Rallycross circus made its way to the Northeast and Thompson, Connecticut, for a double-header event, where it would be young Mitchell deJong’s turn to shine.

Mitchell scored his first career Red Bull Global Rallycross podium at the Saturday race of a two-day Thompson double header. The 19-year-old Temecula, California, native became Honda’s first American rallycross driver to achieve a podium finish in the GRC, in his rookie season no less.

Over the course of Saturday’s competition Mitchell improved on his eighth-place qualifying result, finding speed in the jarring uphill dirt section. Rookie teammate Oliver Eriksson would claim a first-round heat victory.