Mattias Ekström facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mattias Ekström |
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Ekström in April 2018
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| Nationality |  Swedish |
| Born | 14 July 1978 Falun, Sweden |
| FIA World Rallycross Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2014 |
| Current team | KYB Team JC |
| Car no. | 5 |
| Starts | 60 |
| Championships | 1 (2016) |
| Wins | 12 |
| Podiums | 27 |
| Finished last season | 2nd |
| DTM | |
| Years active | 2001–2018 |
| Former teams | Abt Sportsline |
| Starts | 217 |
| Championships | 2 (2004, 2007) |
| Wins | 25 |
| Podiums | 83 |
| Poles | 20 |
| Fastest laps | 17 |
| FIA ERX Supercar Championship | |
| Years active | 2013–2014 |
| Former teams | Marklund Motorsport |
| Starts | 3 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Best finish | 10th in 2014 |
| STCC | |
| Years active | 1997–2000 |
| Former teams | Volvo S40 Racing Team Sweden Kristoffersson Motorsport Troberg – Rydell Junior Team |
| Starts | 55 |
| Championships | 1 (1999) |
| Wins | 11 |
| Podiums | 30 |
| Poles | 6 |
| Fastest laps | 9 |
| Previous series | |
| 2013 2010 1995–1996 |
V8 Supercars NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Renault 5 Junior Sweden |
| Championship titles | |
| 2016 2004, 2007 1999 1996 |
World Rallycross DTM STCC Renault 5 Junior Sweden |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1999–2000, 2003–2006, 2021 |
| Co-driver | Tina Thörner Stefan Bergman Jonas Andersson Emil Bergkvist |
| Teams | Škoda Motorsport |
| Rallies | 9 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Stage wins | 0 |
| Total points | 0 |
| First rally | 1999 Rally Sweden |
| Last rally | 2021 Arctic Rally |
Mattias Ekström (born on July 14, 1978) is a famous racing and rally driver from Sweden. He is known for being a champion in different types of car racing. He raced for Audi in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series from 2001 until 2018. Since 2014, he has also been competing in the FIA World Rallycross Championship with Audi.
Mattias has won many big titles. He is a World Rallycross Champion, a two-time DTM champion, and he has won the exciting Race of Champions four times!
Contents
Mattias Ekström's Racing Journey
Mattias Ekström started his racing career in karting in 1993. This is where young drivers learn the basics of racing. The next few years, he raced in the Renault 5 Turbo Cup, winning the championship in 1996.
Early Touring Car Success
In 1997, Mattias moved up to the Swedish Touring Car Championship. He finished second that year with a Volvo 850. In 1998, he drove a Ford Mondeo and earned four podium finishes, meaning he placed in the top three in four races.
He became a champion in 1999, winning the Swedish Touring Car Championship with an Audi A4 quattro. In 2000, he switched to a factory Volvo S40 and finished third overall.
Dominating in DTM
In 2001, Ekström joined the Abt Junior team to race in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). This is a popular touring car series in Germany. He drove an Audi TT and quickly showed his talent. He finished 8th in his first season, then 3rd in 2002, and 4th in 2003.
His big breakthrough in DTM came in 2004. Mattias won the championship, beating strong rivals like Gary Paffett and Christijan Albers. In 2005, he finished second, just behind Gary Paffett.
After a tough 2006 season, Mattias bounced back. He won his second DTM title in 2007. This showed how determined and skilled he was as a driver.
Rallying and Race of Champions
Besides touring cars, Mattias also raced in rallying and the World Rally Championship (WRC). He first raced in the WRC in 1999. His best result was finishing tenth at the 2005 Swedish Rally in a Škoda factory team Fabia WRC.
Mattias is also famous for his success in the Race of Champions. This is a special event where top drivers from different racing series compete against each other. In 2005, he won the Nations' Cup with fellow driver Tom Kristensen. In 2006, he won the "Champion of Champions" title, beating rally legend Sébastien Loeb. He won the Race of Champions again in 2007 and 2009, beating Michael Schumacher in the finals both times!
NASCAR and Rallycross Adventures
In June 2010, Mattias Ekström made history. He became one of the first Scandinavian drivers to race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the USA. He drove for Team Red Bull at Infineon Raceway. He finished 21st and even led 7 laps during the race!
Mattias followed in his father Bengt's footsteps by getting into rallycross in 2013. He competed in a race in Sweden and finished second. Soon after, he started his own team called EKS RX. This team would compete in the new FIA World Rallycross Championship.
His team debuted in 2014, racing Audi S1 cars. Mattias is known for being a very versatile driver, meaning he's good at many different types of racing.
In 2013, he even raced in the Bathurst 1000 in Australia, a very tough endurance race. He finished 10th, and racing experts praised his performance, saying he was one of the best new drivers they had seen.
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In January 2018, Mattias announced he would stop racing in DTM. He wanted to focus completely on his rallycross team, EKS RX. Audi Sport even gave his team more support. However, Audi later stopped their official support, which made things difficult for his team.
Despite this, Mattias returned to the World Rallycross Championship in 2020. He joined the JC Race Teknik team and had a fantastic season. He won two races and earned five podium finishes out of six events. This made him a top contender for the championship that year.
Racing Records Summary
Mattias Ekström has competed in many different racing series throughout his career. These include:
- Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC): He won the championship in 1999.
- Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM): He won two championships in 2004 and 2007.
- FIA World Rallycross Championship: He became the World Champion in 2016.
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: He raced in two events in 2010.
- V8 Supercars: He competed in the Bathurst 1000 endurance race in 2013.
- Dakar Rally: A challenging off-road endurance race he has participated in since 2021.
- Extreme E: An electric off-road racing series where he finished 2nd in 2023.
His career shows his amazing skill and ability to adapt to different types of racing cars and tracks.
See also
In Spanish: Mattias Ekström para niños
