‘Major coup’: JWRC winner enters Australian Rally Championship

The Swedish driver has confirmed he will compete in the upcoming Forest Rally in Western Australia on May 23-25.

Kristensson will be joined by co-driver Andreas Johansson in a Maximum Motorsport entry.

Dean Herridge orchestrated the drive, which will put Kristensson and Johansson in Scott Pedder’s Skoda Fabia R5 he competed in last year.

Kristensson won the 2020 JWRC title and has competed in Rally2-spec machinery since then across Europe.

“A fantastic opportunity and a true adventure to compete in a rally on the other side of the globe. It’s hard to fully grasp it right now,” Kristensson said.

“We’ll be taking part in the official test on Thursday to get a feeling for the Australian gravel – it’s probably quite different from what we’re used to back home.

“There’s also a lot of other preparation involved in a trip like this, so it’s a busy time. But I’m super excited—it’s going to be a lot of fun and a great adventure.

“This whole idea and adventure came from nowhere. I was hired by Patrik Sandell in Östersund to work at an event where I was a driving instructor for Tuthill on a lake ice where people came and drove rally cars. At this event, I met Dean Herridge.

“During lunch, we got to talk about rallying, and he recognised me from the Junior WRC. I mentioned that I didn’t have any solid plans for 2025 yet, and he thought a rally in Australia might be a perfect fit—he said he’d get back to me in a few days.

“I thought he was joking and told him, ‘Go ahead!’ But a few days later, he called back with a very serious offer that I couldn’t refuse. Thanks to my amazing partners, we managed to make it work—and here we are.”

Herridge, who runs Maximum Motorsport with Steve Wisby, said hailed Kristensson’s effort to travel from Sweden to Australia.

“Obviously coming to a foreign country on the other side of the world and competing at an event as unique as Forest Rally presents a number of challenges, however I have no doubt in Tom’s ability to produce something special,” said Herridge.

“You can’t win a competition as good as the FIA Junior WRC and not be a talented steerer, so it will be really interesting to see how Tom and Andreas go.

“I think having the duo come from Sweden is a major coup for the ARC as it inserts another international driver into an already stacked field, while adding another top tier car to the mix, highlighting the strength and quality of the championship.”