Olsbergs MSE X Forces star Mitchell deJong proved his prowess in precarious conditions by slipping and sliding his way to the 2017 Rally X on Ice title in Sweden last weekend, as team-mate Oliver Eriksson concluded the campaign sixth in the standings.

Incredibly, deJong had never driven on ice prior to the three-round winter series, but the young American belied his lack of experience to win first time out at Söderhamn. The California native followed that success up with further podium finishes at Gol in Norway and Östersund Motor Stadium behind the wheel of his Red Bull-backed Olsbergs X Forces Supercar Lites machine.

“It was a fantastic experience and in many ways an adventure,” the 19-year-old enthused. “The team and Oliver helped tremendously; we practised on frozen lakes and I even got to ice fish and drive Olsbergs’ Toyota Corolla WRC car during my time here this winter! I would like to thank Red Bull USA, Olsbergs MSE and Oliver – without them, this would not have been possible.”

Eriksson proved to be consistently on the pace but routinely out-of-luck in the sister OMSE X Forces car, winning multiple heat races and semi-finals but all too often finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time in the finals.

“I am really pleased for Mitchell – he had never driven on ice before, so I did my best to make him feel at home,” revealed the 18-year-old Swede. “On my side, the speed was good but we suffered a couple of mechanical issues due to contact with other cars at crucial times. That’s how it goes in rallycross.”

Final Rally X on Ice Championship Standings

1. Mitchell De Jong 37 points
2. Alexander Westlund 33 points
3. Sondre Evjen 25 points
4. Vazily Gryazin 22 points
5. Oscar Solberg 14 points
6. Oliver Eriksson 13 points