Honda, Red Bull GRC Prepare For Louisville Debut

• Olsbergs MSE Looks to Capture Honda’s First Red Bull GRC Victory
• Rookies O. Eriksson and deJong Seek Improvement on First-Round Finishes
• Shorter Circuit Suited to Tough and Technical Approach for Honda Civic Coupes

LOUISVILLE, KY (May 16, 2017) – Olsbergs MSE (OMSE), with drivers Mitchell deJong, Oliver Eriksson and Sebastian Eriksson (no relation) looks to improve the team’s top-five performance in last month’s Memphis season opener as the Honda Racing trio heads to Louisville, KY for Sunday’s second round of the 2017 Red Bull Global Rallycross season.

The inaugural event at the Kentucky Exposition Center will feature a .699-mile, 10-turn layout. The shorter circuit will put a premium on the 2017 Honda GRC Civic Coupe’s acceleration and agility. The 82.7 percent asphalt/17.3 percent dirt track favors OMSE and the Civic Coupe, as four of the last five podium finishes for the team took place on courses of less than .750 miles in length.

“I think Louisville is certainly a unique course,” said 19-year-old Californian deJong. “I liked the big and challenging track in Memphis, but these short courses with a lot of pavement are what we are used to testing on. I know Oliver and Sebastian are psyched for this course, because it will favor traditional rallycross skills rather than pure speed.”

The signature Joker Lap will see drivers bypass the 70-foot dirt table-top jump and stay on the pavement, similar to what they did during last season’s doubleheader event in North Carolina.

“This Joker Lap is different for us,” explained 18-year-old Swedish rookie Oliver Eriksson. “We go very quickly from asphalt to dirt and then back to the pavement on a high-speed straightaway. The transition from dirt to asphalt will be crucial to get a good Joker Lap.”

“Our team is working hard to get on the top step of the podium and we have the car, the crew and attitude to do it,” said second-year Honda driver Sebastian Eriksson. “The time is now to strike and to show the Red Bull GRC field what OMSE is made of.”

Sitting in second place in the season-long manufacturers’ championship, the 600-horsepower Honda Civic Coupes will take center stage on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. EDT, live on NBC. Fans can follow the weekend coverage via the Honda Performance Development Twitter, Facebook and Instagram social media channels.