Blistering pace at the Volvo CE Rally

For the fourth consecutive season, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is partnering with the FIA World RX Championship as Official Track Building Partner, most recently constructing a new 1.56 km rallycross track at the KymiRing state-of-the-art motorsport circuit in Finland, where they used their latest generation of machines, including electric excavators and wheel loaders.

Awesome Earthmovers were among a select group of media outlets to witness the spectacle and technology in the construction of the new track where Volvo CE employed for the first time on a construction site in Finland a L120 electric wheel loader and a EC230 electric excavator, which was fitted with an engcon tiltrotator. Also used was the smaller electric ECR25 excavator, the first in a new range of electric compact excavators, described as a ‘game changer’ in the industry.

The building of the track located at Kausala around 110 kilometres northeast of Helsinki took only a few days and uniquely showcased the integration of electric technology in both construction and motorsport, and for Volvo’s CE Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment, it marked another opportunity to combine high-performance competition with a clear purpose: to push motorsport and the industry toward a more sustainable future.

Arvid Rinaldo, (Brand Communication and Sponsorships) at Volvo CE, commented: “As official track building partner, using our latest products and services to construct and maintain the tracks, we have an ideal platform to educate our market that electric, sustainability and safety are at the core of what we do.

“We are extremely proud of the role Volvo CE played in building and maintaining the KymiRing rallycross track. Delivering a world-class circuit takes precision, teamwork, and the right machines – and the response from drivers and fans proves we achieved exactly that.”

High Praise for Volvo CE Machinery

Matching the powerful performance of its diesel equivalent, the 20 tonne Volvo L120 electric wheel loader with its lifting capacity of 6 tonnes, was more than up to the task in hand, as was the Volvo EC230 electric crawler excavator, with its more responsive hydraulics, reduced noise, dust, and vibration and, of course, zero exhaust fumes, while the Volvo ECR25 electric excavator, which has an operating weight of 2.7 tonnes, also proved an invaluable asset  on the construction site, with its excellent accessibility, visibility and class leading ergonomics.

Arvid Rinaldo added: “We get a lot of positive feedback from operators who normally use diesel machines, and who are able to try our electric machines when we bring them to the track. The machines produce much less noise, are easy to control, and are more responsive and quick in hydraulics and functions.

“The operators tell us they really enjoy driving our electric machines and they appreciate that they are so much safer as they can hear what is happening around the machine, which makes them more relaxed behind the controls.”

Kornél Ory, Managing Director of KymiRing, said: “It was a great experience to work together with Volvo Construction Equipment. We were really excited to see their machinery being used in a really efficient and sustainable way to construct the circuit.”

The Racing

The Volvo CE Dealer Team, the first only gender equal FIA World RX team, is fronted by two talented Scandinavian star drivers: 28 year old Niclas Grönholm and 25 year old Klara Andersson – the first permanent female competitor in the FIA World RX Championship history.

She and the rest of her team were also full of praise for the new track. “This is a proper rallycross track – elevation, jumps, and wide corners that invite side-by-side racing. It’s the kind of track where you can really showcase the performance of these electric cars and give the fans a show. The Volvo machines did a great job preparing and building the track and its gravel sections from scratch.”

Klara, who has enjoyed three podium finishes so far, told us that participating in the championships as part of the CE Dealer Team was a dream come true. “I love rallycross because for me it is the best form of the sport in the world. This was a completely new track for all of us, with the longest straight on the calendar, where we can reach speeds of up to 200km per hour.”

And said Niclas Grönholm: “A new track is always exciting because you start from zero. The KymiRing track looks technical but also flowing, with big features that have proved to be a real test.”

Meanwhile, the weekend was also marked by CE Dealer Team and Volvo CE’s decision to support rivals Hansen Motorsport, ensuring they could make the start. That gesture was widely praised across the paddock as a rare display of sportsmanship in a high-stakes title fight.

In the race itself, home hero Niclas Grönholm looked set to fight for victory before contact in the first corner with Finnish driver Juha Rytkönen damaging his car, ending his challenge in cruel fashion. Earlier, teammate Klara Andersson showed strong pace in the heats but narrowly missed out on a place in the final, despite fighting until the very last lap.

The setbacks meant CE Dealer Team left Finland without the podium they had targeted. Despite the disappointment, the team remains firmly in contention in both the drivers’ and teams’ championships. After KymiRing, Kristoffersson Motorsport leads the standings with 122 points, CE Dealer Team sits second with 104, and Hansen Motorsport follows with 94.

“Motorsport can be brutal, and today it was,” said Niclas Grönholm. “We had the speed, the home support, and everything to fight for – then suddenly it was gone. That’s racing. It hurts right now, but we’ll regroup and come back stronger.”

By Harry Hunter – Awesome Earthmovers Magazine, Editor.

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