With back-to-back Global RallyCross Championship driver’s and manufacturer’s titles, the OlsbergsMSE team has announced a new multi-year contract as Ford’s official manufacturer partner in GRC. OlsbergsMSE will continue to develop the championship Fiesta racecars.

“Ford Racing and OlsbergsMSE have been pioneers in helping grow the sport of RallyCross beyond Europe and establish it as one of the most exciting and anticipated new series in the United States. Working with Andreas Eriksson and the OlsbergMSE team, Ford Fiesta has earned success winning the Global RallyCross Championship in the past two seasons.” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. “The team has pushed the limits in developing our latest Fiesta ST GRC RallyCross cars and we look to continue to build on that success beginning in X Games Brazil.”

The OlsbergsMSE team will build and run four brandnew Fiesta ST RallyCross cars to compete in the Global RallyCross Championship, including all four Global X Games events in Brazil, Spain, Germany and the United States. The field of drivers will include two-time GRC champion Tanner Foust; 2012 runner up Brian Deegan, returning team driver Toomas Heikkinen; and GRC rookie Patrik Sandell.

“I am really satisfied with our driver lineup for this year. OMSE has a good mix of different drivers, from different backgrounds and ages that will help us to improve our cars forward,” said OlsbergsMSE CEO Andreas Eriksson. “I am also looking forward to the start of 2013 season in GRC; the global expansion is starting to be a reality and this Motorsport is what I really see as the future. OMSE and I will do our best to continue produce good results and winning cars and most of all we will deliver great entertainment for the fans!”

Along with running the full GRC series, a testing and development program, OlsbergsMSE will run the Fiesta ST in select FIA European RallyCross Championship (ERC) events, with some of the team’s full-time GRC drivers. OlsbergsMSE will support Foust in the first round at Lydden Hill on March 31.

OlsbergsMSE’s Eriksson has run Ford Fiesta racecars since the RallyCross event was introduced to the U.S. in 2009 at the X Games. With Eriksson’s passion to develop Fiesta and grow interest in the U.S. series OlsbergsMSE will launch a satellite team running two Fiestas in GRC, including X Games events, as a customer program.

“Being able to work with such a skilled and supportive team like OlsbergsMSE is a great fit for the Global RallyCross Championship,” said Colin Dyne, GRC CEO. “Andreas is such an integral part of the series and his depth of knowledge, as it pertains to the Fords and RallyCross as a whole, is an indescribable asset to GRC. We are

thankful for the leadership and support he and the OlsbergsMSE team provide with their continuous efforts to grow the sport in the U.S. and globally.”

In addition to running a field of supercars, Eriksson developed a line of Supercar Lites that will run in conjunction with GRC this season as a second class. Designed to be a development class, these cars boast over 300hp and have a normally aspirated engine. The GRC Lites are intended to both provide added value for the fans at the tracks and to showcase driver talent and discover the next RallyCross superstars.