Another international bound for the ARC
The Australian Rally Championship (ARC) field will have another international to contend against in Round 2, with Swedish driver Tom Kristensson to make his debut in WA at the Forest Rally in May.
Kristensson will be joining Kiwi star Hayden Paddon amongst the crews to further the international flavour for 2025, driving Scott Pedder’s 2024 Skoda Fabia R5.
Alongside compatriot co-driver Andreas Johansson, Kristensson’s cameo was set up by former ARC rally driver Dean Herridge, competing under the Maximum Motorsport banner.
The cameo came about following a casual conversation with Herridge at an event in Europe, with the Swede holding an impressive resume that includes the JWRC title in 2020, and a polish rally title, whilst he also campaigned in the WRC2 in 2021 for M-Sport Ford.
Kristensson will be facing some differing conditions over in WA. Image: Flat Out media agency
Kristensson detailed how the opportunity came up.
“This whole idea and adventure came from nowhere. I was hired by Patrik Sandell in Östersund to work at an event where I was a driving instructor for Tuthill on a lake ice where people came and drove rally cars. At this event, I met Dean Herridge.
“During lunch, we got to talk about rallying, and he recognised me from the Junior WRC. I mentioned that I didn’t have any solid plans for 2025 yet, and he thought a rally in Australia might be a perfect fit—he said he’d get back to me in a few days.
“I thought he was joking and told him, ‘Go ahead!’ But a few days later, he called back with a very serious offer that I couldn’t refuse. Thanks to my amazing partners, we managed to make it work—and here we are.”
As for the challenge, he sees the opportunity as a great adventure to be able to compete on the other side of the world, in what will be tough conditions.
“A fantastic opportunity and a true adventure to compete in a rally on the other side of the globe. It’s hard to fully grasp it right now,” Kristensson said.
“We’ll be taking part in the official test on Thursday to get a feeling for the Australian gravel – it’s probably quite different from what we’re used to back home.
“There’s also a lot of other preparation involved in a trip like this, so it’s a busy time. But I’m super excited—it’s going to be a lot of fun and a great adventure.
Herridge gave his thoughts on the importance of having international talent coming into the ARC.
“Obviously coming to a foreign country on the other side of the world and competing at an event as unique as Forest Rally presents a number of challenges, however I have no doubt in Tom’s ability to produce something special.”
“You can’t win a competition as good as the FIA Junior WRC Championship and not be a talented steerer, so it will be really interesting to see how Tom and Andreas go.
“I think having the duo come from Sweden is a major coup for the ARC as it inserts another international driver into an already stacked field, while adding another top tier car to the mix, highlighting the strength and quality of the championship.”
Based out of Busselton and Nannup, the Forest Rally will host Round 2 of the 2025 ARC on May 22–25.
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