M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team’s Mads Østberg finished first in class and second overall at this past weekend’s Rally Hadeland.
The 23-year-old Norwegian piloted a Ford Fiesta S2000 alongside experienced Swedish co-driver Jonas Andersson at the Norwegian Rally Championship’s (NRC) second round.
Østberg got off to a flying start and posted two quickest times during the opening two stages and also produced a fastest time on SS4. By the final test Østberg was just 8.1sec behind Anders Grøndal who piloted a Subaru WRC, but the Norwegian was unable to catch his fellow countryman on the short 14.02km stage and finished 23.9sec adrift of Grøndal.
Rally Hadeland is the second consecutive class win for Østberg in the NRC over the past month and is excellent preparation as the Scandinavian prepares for his debut in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC at next month’s Rally Sweden.
Mads Østberg said: “We are very happy with the car, it was going like clockwork over the weekend with very good handling. Even though the Ford Fiesta RS WRC is very different from the Fiesta S2000, Rally Hadeland and Sigdals Rally have been excellent preparation for us before Sweden in two weeks time.”
Full results from Hadeland Rally can be found at: http://www.rally-hadeland.no/resultater2/8