LOHÉAC, France (September 7, 2014) -- Olsbergs MSE driver Reinis Nitiss returned to the World RX podium this weekend, driving his Ford Fiesta ST to a second-place result at the popular French race.

The Loheac circuit is a fast and flowing track in northwest Brittany designed to offer full visibility for the tens of thousands of fans that pack the venue for this race each year. Organizers reported a sell-out crowd this weekend that topped more than 70,000 spectators.

Teammate Andreas Bakkerud also showed good pace in his Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST. After a tough opening day that saw the driver struggle with his starts, Bakkerud fought back through the field to score a heat win Sunday. Unfortunately, contact in the semifinal as drivers sprinted three-wide into the tricky first corner saw him barely miss a spot in the final.

'It was a good weekend for us as a team and I can't wait for Germany to start,' said Bakkerud, who is currently fourth in the championship standings. 'I have a good feeling now and I want to race.'

Nitiss is second in the title chase, behind current leader Petter Solberg. With four rounds remaining in the season, the 18-year-old Nitiss said Sunday he intends to keep the pressure on the veteran, who is the 2003 World Rally Champion.

The results advanced Olsbergs MSE ahead in the series' teams ranking. The Olsbergs MSE Ford team now leads the rival Volkswagen squad by 12 points.

'This season started really well for us, but then we had two hard races in the middle. I felt like we really came back this weekend and showed again that we have the speed we need to win these races,' said Olsbergs MSE team manager Jussi Pinomaki.

It was also a strong weekend for the Olsbergs MSE team in Sweden, where driver Sebastian Eriksson sealed the Rallycross Supercar Scandinavia series title with a win at the season-ending race at Solvalla in Stockholm on Saturday. Eriksson teammate Daniel Holten finished on the second step of the podium to score a fourth-place result in the championship, while Lites driver Kevin Eriksson also took a victory in Sweden to score runner-up result in the Scandinavia Lites championship.

Nitiss and Bakkerud will return to competition in two weeks when the FIA World Rallycross Championship races at Estering in Germany. At the same time, Olsbergs MSE drivers Joni Wiman and Patrik Sandell will face a double-header weekend in the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship when that series visits Los Angeles September 20 and 21.

ABOUT WORLD RX:

The FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy combines all the best aspects of motor racing in one. It's fast, competitive and spectacular. It's bold, authentic and relatable. Within it are all the elements of four-wheel racing that you love. The race action is broadcast in more than 100 countries with a combined household reach of 816 million homes. The championship is made up of 12 rounds: Portugal, Great Britain, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Argentina.

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.

OMSE is a Ford Racing technical partner, developing the Ford Fiesta platform for international competition. Together, Ford and OMSE have earned an astonishing 20 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 in European competition.

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 Nynashamn, Sweden, and Huntington Beach, Calif.

In 2014, OMSE campaigns leading cars in World RX, the Global Rallycross Championship, and the Rallycross Supercar Scandinavia championship.

Photo credit: Olsbergs MSE
posted on conceptcarz.com

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