Hal Ridge gets behind the wheel of Mattias Ekström’s EKS RX’s Audi S1 Quattro World RX car alongside Edward Sandström for the February issue of Motor Sport magazine.

Power to the people

Ever wondered how it feels to handle 560bhp on the loose? World rallycross champion EKS RX’s Audi S1 provided the answer

With the anti-lag system activated, the EKS Audi S1 Quattro I’m aboard launches down the straights with a force that knocks the air from my lungs, and barely allows time to inhale before the brakes throw me against the six-point harnesses for the next corner. Beside me Edward Sandström is calmly positioning the car on the gravel and tarmac circuit, changing gears in a flash, his feet dancing across the floor-mounted pedals.

Fresh from winning the 2016 World Rallycross Championship, the EKS team is giving me a demonstration of its successful machinery. With the actual title-winning cars en route back to Europe from South America by boat, the team is using its other two near-identical S1 quattros for the private test day at a circuit in Belgium, one with latest developments ahead of the 2017 season, and the other for me to drive.

Read the full story in the February issue