In a couple of weeks, on the back of his IndyCar season finale at Laguna Seca in California, Chip Ganassi racer and 2022 Indy 500 Champ Marcus Ericsson heads back to Sweden for a guest slot in the final round of the Swedish GT Championship, as well as the season ending Porsche Carrera Cup Scandanavia championship at Mantorp Park. The IndyCar star is taking this as an opportunity to meet his home fans and put a few extra miles of exhibition racing under his belt.
“2022 has been the most successful year in my racing career,” says Ericsson. “It’s great to be able to finish this incredible season, after victory in the Indy 500, for the Swedish audience on my home turf and as a guest driver in the Swedish championship final. It’s a great opportunity to thank all the fans for the amazing support I’ve received.”
Ericsson’s younger brother Hampus Ericsson is a title contender in the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandanavia, so this is also an opportunity for the two brothers to compete against each other once again.
“Of course I hope to have plenty of pace, especially as I get the chance to race against my little brother Hampus,” says Ericsson. “I follow the championship, so I know how competitive the racing is – it’s going to be tough. This is my first race in a GT car, so there’s a lot to learn. The car has less downforce than an Indycar, it’s heavier and has the engine in the back so it’s quite different. It’s sure to be exciting.”
While of course this is simply an exhibition guest seat round for Ericsson, it marks the first time he has raced in Sweden since he left to pursue open wheel racing at 16 years old.
“Having the reigning Indy 500 champion on the starting grid during the season finale of the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia is of course quite unique,” says Raine Wermelin, Director, Porsche Sweden. “This will be a great chance for fans of racing to see Marcus Ericsson in the form of his life competing during the finals of the championship. Marcus choosing to drive with us is a great honour and we’d like to say a big thank you to Chip Ganassi Racing for helping to make it happen.”
After spending some time in backmarker Formula One teams to little fanfare, Ericsson moved to the US to pursue an IndyCar career, and has scored three race wins and three additional runner-up finishes in four years of competition. This year he achieved an incredible win in one of the most important races on the calendar, one that most racers would trade it all for, and became the 2022 Indy 500 Champion. He drank the milk. It’ll be interesting to see how he does in a Porsche.