WRC class win for Veiby after impressive Rally Sweden debut

Rising young Norwegian rally star Ole Christian Veiby won the WRC3 category and finished 22nd overall on his first ever Rally Sweden.

February 16, 2015

Rising young Norwegian rally star Ole Christian Veiby won the WRC3 category and finished 22nd overall on his first ever Rally Sweden.

Co-driven by Anders Jaeger, the talented 18-year old driver from Kongsvinger enjoyed another great drive in his Printsports-run Citroën DS3 R3T – gaining even more experience on his second FIA World Rally Championship outing of the season.

“It has been a very educational experience,” said Veiby. “I’ve had fun throughout the weekend and are happy with our run. To finish Rally Sweden has given me valuable experience for later seasons. I will hopefully drive here for many years to come.”

With no direct competitors in the WRC3 class, Veiby compared himself with the much faster four-wheel drive WRC2 cars. The EVEN Management driver eventually finished ahead of eight of the 14 WRC2 finishers and was satisfied with his performance. Indeed, at times his average speed was only 1.5 seconds per kilometre slower than the fastest WRC2 drivers – an amazing achievement in a smaller front-wheel drive Citroën.

“Having been a spectator on Rally Sweden for as long as I can remember, it was extra fun to even stand on the starting line this time,” continued Veiby. “And it was extra fun on Friday, when four of the stages went into Norway. Seeing so much familiar people and Norwegian flags on the stages was fantastic. I felt like I ran with a smile on my face all the way. In all, this has been a great experience.”

Veiby is concentrating on the FIA Junior World Rally Championship this year. Rally Sweden was not a qualifying round of the series, so Ole is now preparing for the next JWRC encounter in Portugal (21-24 May) – where he hopes to build in the fantastic 3rd position he finished in Rallye Monte Carlo.

“I have, over this weekend, got better acquainted with the car, and I have been very comfortable with it,” concluded Veiby. “The next round of the Junior World Rally Championship is in Portugal. I will probably run a few races before that too.”