Bergkvist picks Junior WRC

Sweden's Emil Bergkvist will make a surprise switch from WRC 2 to the Junior WRC category in 2018 in an bid to rediscover his winning form.

The 23-year-old grabbed headlines in 2015 when he was crowned European Junior Rally Champion with Opel Motorsport, but he wasn't able to maintain that success in 2016 when he took the step up to a four-wheel-drive Citroën DS 3 for a four-round WRC 2 campaign.

His victory drought continued in his second WRC 2 season in 2017, and that has prompted a change in strategy this year and an entry into the Junior series for two-wheel-drive Ford Fiestas.

"This feels like the right step in my career, now I will be able to focus more on driving and I hope the results will come," explained Bergkvist, who is co-driven by the experienced Ola Fløene.

"We are humble about the task and are prepared for a tough year with everyone driving the same cars. I will bring my past experiences from both the ERC and the WRC and hope to be able to fight for the title."

Bergkvist will start his Junior campiagn on home ground at Rally Sweden in February.

He is the second Swede to commit to the 2018 Junior WRC, joining Dennis Rådström who finished fifth in the series last year.