Per Eklund Explained

Per Eklund

Birth Date:

21 June 1946

Birth Place:

Eda, Sweden

Nationality:

Swedish

Years:

1973–1997

Co-Driver:

Rolf Carlsson

Björn Cederberg

Bo Reinicke

Hans Sylvan

Ragnar Spjuth

Jan-Olof Bohlin
Dave Whittock

Bruno Berglund

Johnny Johansson

Anders Olsson

Teams:

Saab, Toyota, Nissan, Austin Rover, Subaru

Races:

Championships:

Wins:

Podiums:

Stagewins:

Points:

270

First Race:

1973 Swedish Rally

First Win:

1976 Swedish Rally

Last Race:

1997 RAC Rally

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Last Series:

FIA World Rallycross Championship

Years Active:

2014–2015

Former Teams:

Eklund Motorsport

Best Finish:

35th

Year:

2015

Starts:

Wins:

Podiums:

Career Template1:

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Last Series:

FIA ERX Supercar Championship

Years Active:

2011, 2013–2014

Former Teams:

Eklund Motorsport

Best Finish:

22nd

Year:

2011

Starts:

Wins:

Podiums:

Career Template2:

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Last Series:

FIA ERX Division 1 (1997–2010) Championship

Years Active:

1997–2010

Former Teams:

Eklund Motorsport
Clarion Team Europe

Championships:

1 (1999)

Starts:

131

Wins:

Podiums:

Career Template3:

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Last Series:

FIA ERX Division 2 (1982–1996) Championship

Years Active:

1990–1991, 1993–1996

Former Teams:

Clarion Team Europe

Best Finish:

4th

Year:

1995

Starts:

Wins:

Podiums:

Career Template4:

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Last Series:	FIA European Rallycross Cup
Years Active:	1976–1978
Former Teams:	Saab
Best Finish:	10th
Year:	1976
Starts:	7
Wins:	0
Podiums:	1

Per Torsten Eklund (born 21 June 1946) is a Swedish Rally and Rallycross driver. His nickname is "Pekka". In rallying he never made it to the very top but he has been very successful in his later rallycross career.

Biography

Saab works drive

After his education as a driving instructor, together with later teammate Stig Blomqvist at the Kvinnersta Folkhögskola outside of Örebro, Eklund was a Saab factory driver from 1970 till 1979. In 1982, however, the year after Saab discontinued its official rallying involvement, he achieved the brand's last top position in a World Championship event, finishing fourth in the Swedish Rally driving a privately entered, Clarion-sponsored Saab 99 Turbo. He was always proud of that result, since the competition consisted mostly of four-wheel-drive cars, and the event was run in snow. This signified the end of the rally era at Saab, even though Eklund went on to drive an officially-entered Saab 900 Turbo in the British round of the 1997 World Rally Championship. He was Swedish Champion in 1978, beating his team mate Stig Blomqvist. In 1982 Eklund finished 5th overall of the FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers.

Rallycross

In 1971 Eklund started driving Rallycross at Valkenswaard in The Netherlands, and some months later he won the first ever Swedish Rallycross event at Hedemora, on 17 October 1971. He first drove a Saab 96 V4, in the early years of the Embassy/ERA European Rallycross Championship as teammate to his compatriot Stig Blomqvist. He was always prominent, became 7th overall respectively 4th overall in the first and second European Championship series of 1973 and 1974, but his greatest successes have been in later times. From the early 1990s till 2009, his last full season, he was one of the fastest competitors of the FIA European Championship for Rallycross Drivers. In 1999 Eklund claimed his first and only European title for Drivers of the Division 1, nowadays known as the SuperCars category.

Toyota

Eklund joined Toyota Team Europe in 1980, and gave the 2nd generation Celica's one of its best WRC result by finished second in the 1981 Rallye Côte d'Ivoire. He drove the Group B Celica Twincam Turbo TA64 in selected 1983 and 1984 World Rally Championship events. Eklund also rallied Group A Corolla AE86 and Celica Supra 2800 GT in the British Rally Championship.

Accomplishments

FIA European Rallycross Champion 1999 with Saab 9-3 T16 4x4
2nd overall in the 1998, 2002 and 2003 FIA European Rallycross Championships
3rd overall in the 2000 and 2001 FIA European Rallycross Championships
Swedish Rallycross Champion 2004

Best international rally results (top three results only)

1969

Norwegian Winter Rally (N), 1st, Saab 96 V4, co-driver ?

1971

Norwegian Winter Rally (N), 1st, Saab 96 V4, co-driver ?

1972

Firestone Rally (E), 1st, Saab 96 V4, co-driver ?
Dutch Texaco Rally (NL), 1st, Saab 96 V4, co-driver ?
Österreichische Alpenfahrt (A), 3rd, Saab 96 V4, co-driver Bo Reinicke

1973

Swedish Rally (S), 2nd, Saab 96 V4, co-driver Rolf Carlsson
Österreichische Alpenfahrt (A), 3rd, Saab 96 V4, co-driver Bo Reinicke

1976

Swedish Rally (S), 1st, Saab 96 V4, co-driver Björn Cederberg

1980

1000 Lakes Rally (FIN), 3rd, Triumph TR7 V8, co-driver Hans Sylvan

1981

Ivory Coast Rally (CI), 2nd, Toyota Celica 2000GT, co-driver Ragnar Spjuth

1982

Portugal Rally (P), 2nd, Toyota Celica 2000GT, co-driver Ragnar Spjuth
Rally of New Zealand (NZ), 2nd, Toyota Celica 2000GT, co-driver Ragnar Spjuth
Ivory Coast Rally (CI), 2nd, Toyota Celica 2000GT, co-driver Ragnar Spjuth

1983

Ivory Coast Rally (CI), 3rd, Toyota Celica TCT, co-driver Ragnar Spjuth

1984

Swedish Rally (S), 3rd, Audi quattro A2, co-driver Dave Whittock
RAC Rally (GB), 3rd, Toyota Celica TCT, co-driver Dave Whittock

1988

Safari Rally (EAK), 3rd, Nissan 200SX, co-driver Dave Whittock

1989

Swedish Rally (S), 2nd, Lancia Delta HF integrale, co-driver Dave Whittock

1991

Hunsrück-Rallye (D), 3rd, Lancia Delta HF integrale 16V, co-driver Jan-Olof Bohlin

Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (USA): In 2000 Per Eklund achieved a record time of 11:21.58 in his Saab 9-3 Viggen 4x4 while racing the Pikes Peak Open category that was valid until being bettered in 2012 by Frenchman Romain Dumas.
In 2002 Per Eklund took the Unlimited Class Victory. Eklund and his Saab's performance defeated the second place Unlimited Class entry and long-time Swedish rival Stig Blomqvist by over 34 seconds with a time of 11:13.20.

Trivia

En får ente ge sej (Värmland dialect for "One must not give up") is Eklund's motto and the title of his biography. By Per Eklund & Anders Tunberg, 210 pages, Sportförlaget 1998,

Racing record

Complete WRC results

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14		Pts
1973	Saab-Scania	Saab 96 V4	MON	SWE	POR	KEN	MOR	GRE	POL	FIN	AUT	ITA	USA	GBR	FRA
1974	Saab-Scania	Saab 96 V4	MON	SWE	POR	KEN	GRE	FIN	ITA	CAN	USA	GBR	FRA
1975	Saab-Scania	Saab 96 V4	MON	SWE	KEN	GRE	MOR	POR	FIN	ITA	FRA	GBR
1976	Saab-Scania	Saab 96 V4	MON	SWE	POR	KEN	GRE	MOR
1976	Saab-Scania	Saab 99 EMS							FIN	ITA	FRA	GBR
1977	Saab-Scania	Saab 99 EMS	MON	SWE	POR	KEN	NZL	GRE	FIN	CAN	ITA	FRA	GBR				NC	0
1978	Saab-Scania	Saab 99 EMS	MON	SWE	KEN	POR	GRE										NC	0
	Per Eklund	Porsche Carrera						FIN	CAN	ITA	CIV	FRA
	Saab-Scania	Saab 99 Turbo											GBR
1979	Fiat Alitalia	Fiat Ritmo 75	MON														54th	3
	Saab-Scania	Saab 99 Turbo		SWE	POR	KEN	GRE	NZL
	British Leyland Cars	Triumph TR7 V8							FIN	CAN	ITA	FRA	GBR	CIV
1980	Pierburg	Volkswagen Golf GTi	MON														11th	27
	Team Datsun Sweden	Datsun 160J		SWE
	British Leyland Cars	Triumph TR7 V8			POR	KEN	GRE	ARG	FIN	NZL	ITA	FRA	GBR
	Premoto Toyota	Toyota Celica 2000 GT												CIV
1981	Pierburg	Volkswagen Golf GTi	MON														10th	29
	Publimo Racing / Clarion	Porsche 911 SC		SWE
	Toyota Team Europe	Toyota Celica 2000 GT			POR	KEN	FRA	GRE	ARG	BRA
	Rallysport News Team	Porsche 911 SC									FIN	ITA
	Premoto Toyota	Toyota Celica 2000 GT											CIV
	Toyota Team Great Britain	Toyota Celica 2000 GT												GBR
1982	Saab Sport	Saab 99 Turbo	MON	SWE													5th	57
	Toyota Team Europe	Toyota Celica 2000 GT			POR	KEN	FRA	GRE	NZL	BRA
	Rallysport News Team	Porsche 911 SC									FIN
	Volkswagen Motorsport	Volkswagen Golf GTi 16S										ITA
	Premoto Toyota	Toyota Celica 2000 GT											CIV
	Toyota Team Great Britain	Toyota Celica 2000 GT												GBR
1983	Saab Sport	Saab 99 Turbo	MON	SWE	POR	KEN	FRA	GRE	NZL	ARG							10th	22
	Sesab Service	Audi Quattro A2									FIN	ITA
	Premoto Toyota	Toyota Celica 2000 GT											CIV
	Toyota Team Great Britain	Toyota Celica 2000 GT												GBR
1984	Clarion	Audi Quattro A2	MON	SWE	POR						FIN	ITA	CIV				7th	30
	Westlands Motors	Toyota Celica Twincam Turbo				KEN	FRA	GRE	NZL	ARG
	Toyota Team Great Britain	Toyota Celica Twincam Turbo												GBR
1985	Clarion Svenska	Audi Quattro A2	MON	SWE	POR	KEN	FRA	GRE	NZL	ARG	FIN	ITA	CIV	GBR			10th	24
1986	Austin Rover WRT	MG Metro 6R4	MON	SWE	POR	KEN	FRA	GRE	NZL	ARG				GBR	USA		34th	8
1986	Clarion Team Europe	MG Metro 6R4									FIN	CIV	ITA				34th	8
1987	Subaru Deutschland	Subaru RX Turbo	MON														12th	25
	Clarion Team Europe	Audi Coupé Quattro		SWE	POR							FIN	CIV	ITA	GBR
	Fuji Heavy Industries	Subaru RX Turbo				KEN	FRA	GRE
	Nissan Motorsports International	Nissan 200SX							USA	NZL	ARG
1988	Clarion Team Europe	Lancia Delta HF 4WD	MON	SWE													20th	12
	Nissan Motorsports International	Nissan 200SX			KEN	FRA	GRE	USA	NZL	ARG	FIN	CIV	ITA
	Clarion Team Europe	Nissan March Turbo												GBR
1989	Clarion Team Europe	Lancia Delta Integrale	SWE								FIN	AUS	ITA	CIV	GBR		19th	16
	Clarion Team Europe	Nissan March Turbo		MON	POR			GRE	NZL	ARG
	Nissan Motorsports International	Nissan 200SX				KEN	FRA
1990	Clarion Team Europe	Lancia Delta Integrale 16V	MON	POR	KEN	FRA	GRE	NZL	ARG	FIN	AUS	ITA	CIV	GBR			NC	0
1991	Clarion Team Europe	Lancia Delta Integrale 16V	MON	SWE	POR	KEN	FRA	GRE	NZL	ARG	FIN	AUS	ITA	CIV	ESP	GBR	49th	3
1992	Clarion Team Europe	Subaru Legacy RS	MON	SWE	POR												32nd	8
	Noriyuki Koseki	Subaru Legacy 4WD Turbo				KEN	FRA	GRE	NZL	ARG	FIN	AUS	ITA	CIV	ESP
	Per Eklund	Subaru Legacy RS														GBR
1993	Eklund Team Europe	Subaru Legacy RS	MON	SWE	POR	KEN	FRA	GRE	ARG	NZL	FIN	AUS	ITA	ESP			31st	6
1996	Clarion Team Europe	Subaru Legacy RS	SWE	KEN	IDN	GRE	ARG	FIN	AUS	ITA	ESP						NC	0
1997	Per Eklund	Saab 900 Turbo	MON	SWE	KEN	POR	ESP	FRA	ARG	GRE	NZL	FIN	IDN	ITA	AUS	GBR	NC	0

Complete FIA European Rallycross Cup results

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	ERC	Points
1976	Saab		AUT1 4	GER1 6	FIN 9	SWE	BEL 6	AUT2	NED	GBR1	GER2	GBR2		10th	24
1977	Saab		AUT1	NED1 6	ITA	SWE1	FIN	BEL1	SWE2	NED2	BEL2	GER	AUT2	24th	6
1978	Per Eklund	Porsche Carrera 3.0	AUT	ITA	SWE 9	FIN 3	BEL	NED	FRA	GBR	GER			27th	14

Complete FIA European Rallycross Championship results

Division 2

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	ERX	Points
1990	Clarion Team Europe	MG Metro 6R4	AUT	SWE 6	FIN	IRE	FRA	BEL	NED	NOR	GER	GBR			21st	11
1991	Clarion Team Europe	MG Metro 6R4	POR	AUT	FIN	FRA	IRE	SWE 2	BEL	NED	NOR NC	GBR	GER		20th	17
1993	Clarion Team Europe	Subaru Legacy Turbo	AUT (6)	POR 4	FRA 4	IRE (6)	SWE 4	FIN 2	BEL 3	NED (NC)	NOR 3	GER 1			4th	106
1994	Clarion Team Europe	Subaru Impreza	AUT 2	POR 7	FRA 3	IRE 5	GBR 4	SWE (NC)	FIN 3	BEL 7	NED (NC)	NOR (7)	GER 6		6th	93
1995	Clarion Team Europe	Subaru Impreza	AUT 2	POR (NC)	FRA 5	SWE 3	GBR (7)	IRE (8)	BEL 4	NED 5	NOR 2	FIN (6)	CZE 2	GER 3	4th	118
1996	Clarion Team Europe	Subaru Impreza	AUT 1	POR (9)	FRA 4	SWE (6)	IRE (7)	GBR 2	BEL 3	NED 5	NOR (6)	CZE 3	GER (6)		5th	104

Division 1^*

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	ERX	Points
1997	Clarion Team Europe	Saab 900 Turbo	AUT 3	FRA (6)	POR (6)	GBR 3	SWE 4	FIN (9)	BEL 5	NOR 4	CZE 2	GER 5		6th	97
1998	Clarion Team Europe	Saab 900 Turbo	AUT 2	POR 1	FRA (6)	SWE (4)	GBR 1	FIN 3	BEL (8)	NOR 2	GER 3	CZE 3		2nd	119
1999	Clarion Team Europe	Saab 9-3 T16	CZE 1	FRA 3	POR 2	SWE (3)	FIN 2	BEL 2	NED 2	NOR 1	GER (NC)			1st	123
2000	Clarion Team Europe	Saab 9-3 T16	POR 1	FRA 3	CZE 1	SWE DNS	BEL 3	NED 3	NOR 7	POL (DSQ)	GER 2			3rd	102
2001	Clarion Team Europe	Saab 9-3 T16	FRA (11)	POR 3	AUT 2	CZE 2	SWE DNS	BEL 4	NED (9)	NOR (6)	POL 2	GER 1		3rd	99
2002	Clarion Team Europe	Saab 9-3 T16	POR (5)	FRA 4	AUT 1	CZE 4	SWE 4	BEL 1	NED (7)	NOR 3	POL 5	GER 1		2nd	126
2003	Clarion Team Europe	Saab 9-3 T16	POR 3	FRA (5)	AUT 2	CZE 1	SWE 2	BEL 2	NED 7	NOR 5	POL (7)	GER 2		2nd	125
2004	Clarion Team Europe	Saab 9-3 T16	POR 6	FRA 1	CZE 5	AUT 4	NOR (8)	SWE 7	BEL 7	NED (10)	POL 3	GER 8		5th	100
2005	Clarion Team Europe	Saab 9-3 T16	FRA (9)	POR 7	AUT 7	CZE 5	NOR 8	SWE 3	BEL 4	NED (12)	POL 4	GER 7		6th	92
2006	Eklund Motorsport	Saab 9-3 T16	POR 8	FRA (12)	CZE 12	AUT 12	SWE 7	HUN 7	BEL 7	NED 8	NOR 8	POL 11	GER (NC)	9th	73
2007	Eklund Motorsport	Saab 9-3 T16	POR 4	FRA 4	HUN 6	AUT 9	SWE (11)	NOR (14)	BEL 14	NED 14	POL 4	CZE 6		8th	75
2008	Eklund Motorsport	Saab 9-3 T16	POR 6	FRA 14	HUN (15)	AUT 9	NOR 13	SWE 9	BEL 12	NED (NC)	CZE 10	POL NC	GER 6	10th	57
2009	Eklund Motorsport	Saab 9-3 T16	GBR 10	POR 12	FRA (NC)	HUN 10	AUT NC	SWE 13	BEL DNS	GER 12	POL 14	CZE NC		14th	31
2010	Eklund Motorsport	Saab 9-3 T16	POR	FRA	GBR	HUN	SWE 14	FIN 15	BEL	GER	POL 10	CZE 15		22nd	14

Division 2 was rebranded as Division 1 in 1997.

Supercar

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	ERX	Points
2011	Eklund Motorsport	Saab 9-3	GBR	POR	FRA	NOR	SWE 24	BEL	NED	AUT	POL	CZE 7	22nd	10
2013	Eklund Motorsport	Saab 9-3	GBR	POR	HUN	FIN	NOR	SWE	FRA	AUT	GER 22		45th	0
2014	Eklund Motorsport	Saab 9-3	GBR	NOR	BEL	GER 22	ITA						37th	0

Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results

Supercar

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	WRX	Points
2014	Eklund Motorsport	Saab 9-3	POR	GBR	NOR	FIN	SWE	BEL	CAN	FRA	GER 30	ITA	TUR	ARG		57th	0
2015	Eklund Motorsport	Saab 9-3	POR	HOC	BEL	GBR	GER	SWE 24	CAN	NOR	FRA	ESP	TUR	ITA	ARG	35th	0

Per Eklund Explained

Biography

Saab works drive

Rallycross

Toyota

Accomplishments

Best international rally results (top three results only)

1969

1971

1972

1973

1976

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1988

1989

1991

Pikes Peak

Trivia

Racing record

Complete WRC results

Complete FIA European Rallycross Cup results

Complete FIA European Rallycross Championship results

Division 2

Division 1*

Supercar

Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results

Supercar

External links

Division 1^*