GRC
GRC Supercar Rookies Go Ice Racing in Sweden
Watch potential Supercar rookies Mitchell DeJong and Oliver Eriksson battle it out on Scandinavian ice.
As the 2017 Red Bull GRC season approaches, two potential Supercar class rookies, Mitchell DeJong and Oliver Eriksson, are taking a slightly different approach to training. Both hoping to break into the Supercar class this season, DeJong and Eriksson decided to line up for some ice racing in Sweden. While the discipline is not popular in the US, ice racing is quite popular in Sweden and offers a great platform to work on car control in the winter months. The two young drivers have recently spent time testing with the Red Bull Honda OMSE team, getting their first taste of the larger and more powerful Supercar. Check out the action from the ice in the video below and read the interview to find out how the young duo is feeling as they begin to gain experience in a Supercar.
The Supercar is quite a different animal, there’s a lot to learn just in terms of how much power there is and even how much bigger the car is.
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Red Bull GRC Rookies Hit the Ice in Sweden
Red Bull: You’re both looking to race supercars this season as rookies. How has the transition been to the Supercar?
Oliver Eriksson: It’s been great. It’s a dream coming true, so now we’re just preparing with the ice racing and working out. So everything is good and I’m happy to have the opportunity.
Mitchell DeJong: It’s been good. The supercar is quite a different animal, there’s a lot to learn just in terms of how much power there is and even how much bigger the car is. So it’s quite complicated to learn at first but it’s going good. I’m having fun with it and it’s tons of fun to drive.
What adjustments do you make to race on the ice that people never think about?
Eriksson: Ice racing is more about car control which I think is a really good thing to work on. In the summertime it’s more about driving lines for asphalt racing. Here it’s more slow and about getting the car rotated and keeping your momentum up, which I think is a great thing to work on.
DeJong: As far as driving on the ice it’s quite a bit different than typical tracks. There’s a lot more involved with sliding and things like that. So you have to be quite aggressive with the car and be good with your timing as far as when you need to start your slide and start braking. Otherwise, the car set up and things like that stay pretty similar.
Oliver, did you grow up racing on the ice?
Eriksson:Yes and no. Not at this level, but growing up I was always out having fun on the ice with friends, so now to be racing professionally on the ice is pretty awesome.
Mitchell, you’ve been away from GRC for a year. What have you been up to during your time off?
DeJong: During the break I’ve been doing a lot of training in the gym and on the simulator. Just trying to prepare the best I can with the tools I have and make myself mentally and physically ready to have a good season.
Do you expect to be getting a bit of “hazing” on the track from the supercar veterans when you make your debut?
Eriksson:Yeah for sure, I hope so! I want to be contending for wins of course, but you know this year is all about learning. I definitely want to do well so the guys are like “Hey, who’s that?” so I’m trying to prepare my best. I’m really looking forward to it.
DeJong: Yeah there could be for sure. My mindset going in to it is to take each race one step at a time and learn as much as I can each time we go out. There’s a lot to learn, especially with how experienced some of the guys are in the supercar class.
The Red Bull GRC Supercar rookies battle in Sweden
© Jakub Nitka
What would your expectations be if you line up at GRC Round 1 in Memphis?
Eriksson:Yeah, that’s a tough question (laughs). I don’t know really what to expect, hopefully we'll get to do more testing soon, so we’ll see how that goes. Of course I want podiums, but I don’t know how early.
DeJong: For me I don’t ever really put any expectations on myself, ultimately the goal is to fight for podiums and wins in the end. But I’m going to do the best I can to be ready to see where I stack up against the Supercar guys, then build from there and see where we end up.