World champion Kristofferson to compete in the Porsche 911 Rally GT in the German Rally Championship

Kristofferson will line up alongside Rally Raid desert specialist Dennis Zenz in a Weisachrenner fielded by Team Motopark at the German Rally Championship round taking place between the Vulkaneifel and the Moselle from 31 July to 2 August.

Johan Kristoffersson freut sich über sein Rallyedebut im Motopark-911er

Foto: Red Bull

Kristoffersson is currently one of the fastest drivers in international four-wheel motorsport. The Swede is by far the most successful driver in the history of the FIA World Rallycross Championship and has secured an impressive eight world titles to date, with his contract running until the end of 2025.

The 37-year-old is also leading this year’s restructured top-tier world rallycross championship after two victories in the VW Polo fielded by his team, KMS.

Porsche 911 Rally GT mit 470 PS: das Einsatzgerät von Kristoffersson/Zenz

Foto: Zenz

Kristoffersen’s track record also includes appearances in the World Rally Championship, where he has achieved several top-three finishes in the WRC2 category. On the circuit, he has triumphed in numerous races in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship.

In January, he competed for the first time in the SSV category for Team Loeb-Fray, driving a Polaris buggy in the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.

Wüstenmarathon-Ass vor seinem Heimspiel: Dennis Zenz

Foto: Red Bull

Kristoffersen’s navigator will be Denis Zenz, one of the world’s best co-drivers in marathon rallying. In 2023, Zenz secured the WRC2 title in the World Rally Raid Championship alongside his driver, Seth Quintero. Having moved up to the top category, the duo have achieved stage wins and top placings as works drivers in the Toyota Hilux and, currently, in the Dacia Sandrider.

For the 31-year-old, competing in the Rally Mittelrhein is a home race, as his home town of Klausen (Bernkastel-Wittlich district) is situated in the nearby Eifel region, not far from Föhren/Wittlich and the Moselle area, where this round of the German Rally Championship is being held.

Neulich in Goodwood: Kristoffersson bei Showfahren im Rallyecross-VW

Foto: Red Bull

The car he will be driving is the Porsche 911 Rally GT (922.1), which is a version of the current 911 GT3 Cup car that has been extensively modified for rallying. The four-litre six-cylinder engine produces 470 PS. The rear-wheel-drive car therefore complies exactly with the FIA R-GT+ regulations, for which the nominal power output of 510 PS had to be reduced.

Ahead of the rally, Johan Kristofferson said: “I’m really looking forward to my first rally in Germany, my first on tarmac and in the Porsche 911 Rally GT. I’ll also be using pace notes in English for the first time to communicate with Dennis.”

“I hope my experience from the Porsche Carrera Cup and the World Rally Championship will help us. The aim is to finish the rally and enjoy every metre.”

Der Motopark-911er, eine Hauptattraktion bei der ADAC-Rallye Mittelrhein

Foto: Zenz

Dennis Zenz commented: “I’m really looking forward to competing alongside Johan in the Porsche Rally GT at this event, which is being held close to my home.”

“It’s a very spontaneous project, which I was able to pull off within 48 hours thanks to my fantastic partners. A huge thank you to every single person who made this possible. Now it’s all about enjoying every single kilometre and putting on a great motorsport show for the many friends and spectators lining the stages.”

Timo Rumpfkeil, Motopark team principal, added: “We are delighted to welcome Johan and Dennis to our team for this event. It’s been a very intense few days and a lot of hard work putting the package together. We’re well prepared and hope to support them both as best we can in this challenging rally.”