Volkswagen Team Sweden

Johan wants a swap, hurries home for his birthday party och avoids plan B.

”It was a good show at Lido in Paris for the FIA prize gala. Nice to see so many Swedes there as well. I had Timmy, Petter and their families at my table. Felix Rosenqvist was also there and a member of the Swedish motorsport association as well.”

Your best moment to remember from the gala?

”Of course that was when they played the intro for the rallycross and I was called upon the stage to collect my award for third place. And I also had a chat with Ogier. I might give him a suggestion about a temporarily swap of Polos some time. I can take his for Rally Sweden and he can borrow mine for RX On Ice or something like that, ha-ha.”

You certainly didn’t have a sleep-in after the gala.

”No, early rise and a flight to Gardermoen, where my dad picked me for a trip to Beitostölen in the Norwegian mountains. We were to take part in a cross country ski camp with people from Bauhaus and their guests. We had a training session on skis on Saturday evening, followed by a Christmas smorgasbord. In the morning we had another training session. I was the instructor and taught some technique so I didn’t have much time for my own skiing. It’s good for those who are supposed to take part in the Vasaloppet to learn how to ski effectively. They have some work to do there, I noticed…”

But that was also your 27th birthday.

”I got back home just in time for Sunday dinner. My first day at home for two weeks. That was a really nice feeling. Among my presents I would like to mention av very nice casserole that my grandma gave me. We have already cooked some mincemeat sauce in that one. I usually get ingenious games from my sister, the Japanese type, with complicated solutions where you have to wrinkle your brain to be able to solve it.”

And she gives you that kind of presents because she knows that you can’t put them aside until you have solved them.

”Ha-ha. Exactly, that’s it! And when I have solved one she gives me another one.”

Then you had some time at home with the family.

”I stayed at home on Monday, except for a trip to Karlstad where I bought a new shirt and a tie, for the Porshe prize gala this weekend. On Tuesday morning I headed for Stockholm and Bosön to be a part of the selection for the national team. Among other things we had a lecture with Rickard Rydell. He talked about winning by a small margin and also losing by a small margin, he-he. Joking aside, it was very interesting. He has experienced a lot. I also tried the driving simulator for a short while, but there were quite many drivers there so I didn’t get that much time. I plan to go back for a more serious session. That’s one of the advantages with being a part of the national team.”

And then you went back to Arvika.

”I have not been feeling well during the week, so I stayed at home on Wednesday. There has been too much travelling and not enough sleep during the last few weeks. That’s when you can expect a cold.”

But still you had to make another trip to the capital city on Thursday.

”First we had this Christmas smorgasbord with Volkswagen and then on Friday morning it was time to reveal our plan for next season.”

You are joining forces with Marklund Motorsport, forming a new team called Volkswagen RX Sweden with you and Anton as the drivers.

”I think this will be really good. There is much knowledge in these two teams. Me and Anton have also tried each others cars and know that there are good things with both of them. Now we will do some cherry-picking and build a car that has everything. We will base the cars on the ones that we used this season. The work will start in Boliden and then we will move everything to Arvika. It will be interesting to work with Anton and to do some team-building with all the smart people you can find in these two teams. Of course, everything isn’t 100 percent settled yet, but it’s good to know that the broad outline is there and that it’s official, so we can start working towards our aims. You know what’s going to happen and do not need a plan B in the background.”