FSTi: Hendriksson sets new record.

Fiesta SportingTrophy International 'Shootout' winner and M-Sport apprentice Victor Henriksson took his first class victory in the Swedish Rally Championship on the Sandviken Rally in G?strikland last weekend to finish thirteenth overall.

The Swede drove 75 km in his GpN Ford Fiesta ST to finish 4.4 seconds ahead of second-placed Andreas Sj?lander, also in a Fiesta ST, in the N2-2 class.

Henriksson has now set the record for the youngest-ever driver to win his class in a Swedish Rally Championship event, the record previously held by Harry K?llstr?m for winning the Finsp?ngsrundan Rally overall at the age of 20 in 1959.

"After my big crash in the South Swedish Rally, I didn't think that a win at Sandviken was possible. The main thing was just to finish rally without any problems. I had pain in my back and neck and I was afraid to make a mistake. But, with Jonas [Andersson] as my new co-driver, everything felt much better," he reflected.

"The first stage was a short stage (only 4 km) and we dropped 3.5 seconds to the fastest time on the stage. Stage 2 was longer (28 km) and, without pushing, we were only 5.8 seconds off the pace. I was regaining my confidence and we decided to try to push a little bit more. I was very nervous and when we passed the finish, I was very, very happy! Thanks to all the mechanics in Sweden who helped me, and I hope that I can keep the same speed in the future."

Henriksson is the inaugural winner of the FSTi International 'Shootout'. The prize on offer was a 12-month contract with M-Sport to live and work at the Dovenby Hall headquarters on a driver apprenticeship.

The intention of the programme is that, over the course of the year, Henriksson will get the opportunity to see 'behind the scenes' how a WRC team operates. To date, he has been to Monte Carlo, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Sardinia and Greece rallies, working with former factory co-drivers Phil Short and Howard Davies to supply Marcus Gr?nholm and the other BP-Ford, Stobart and Munchis' drivers with last-minute weather and road condition information.

Work can be varied for Henriksson; when not travelling to events, or assisting with PR functions, he can be found working in the workshop building cars or even washing parts!

Henriksson is also, alongside his M-Sport placement, competing in the Swedish Rally Championship and Swedish Fiesta SportingTrophy (known as the FlexiFuel Cup).

After taking his first class victory in the Swedish Rally Championship, Henriksson returned to work at M-Sport and was given the trusted task of shaking down Henning Solberg's Ford Focus RS 06 WRC car.

"I drove the Focus WRC car in the beginning without anti-lag system just to learn how the car felt, and the car was very quick. It was my first time in a 4wd rally car. After a couple of runs, I drove with the anti-lag on and it made a huge difference," he noted. "The car was very quick in responding, but very easy to drive; you don't feel the speed until you have to brake. I really enjoyed every single minute and I can't wait until the next opportunity I get to drive the Focus."