Hot on the heels of New Zealand star Hayden Paddon making his EROAD Australian Rally Championship (ARC) debut, Swede Tom Kristensson is the latest international confirmed for the Forest Rally.
The addition of Kristensson and co-driver Andreas Johansson to the ARC field is due to the good work of Dean Herridge, who will manage the cameo under the Maximum Motorsport banner in Scott Pedder’s Skoda Fabia R5 from last year.
In what will be 33-year-old Kristensson’s first time competing in Australia, the opportunity came about following a casual conversation with Herridge at an event in Europe, before the ARC great helped get the deal over the line.
An established rally driver across Europe, Kristensson’s crowning glory was securing the Junior World Rally Championship in 2020, leading to an M-Sport WRC2 contract the next season. A winner of the Polish Rally Championship in 2022 and a contender in his native Sweden the previous two seasons, Kristensson adds to his impressive résumé.
Despite the unique Forest Rally being new for Kristensson, the Skoda Fabia R5 itself is not, and the Swede has achieved some of his best results in the model.
Maximum Motorsport is a highly respected rallying operation based in Western Australia, founded by Rob Herridge and Steve Wisby. Although known for its affinity with the Subaru brand, Maximum Motorsport has worked in partnership with a variety of manufacturers during its more than 30-year history.
The addition of Kristensson further builds on the international flavour set to descend on the Forest Rally, as Irishman Frank Kelly will also make his debut alongside the full-season entry of Paddon, who will be looking to bounce back in WA after a dramatic and premature end to his ARC debut in Canberra last month.
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Based out of Busselton and Nannup, the popular Forest Rally will host Round 2 of the 2025 EROAD Australian Rally Championship on May 22–25.
QUOTES
Tom Kristensson
2020 Junior WRC winner
“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.
“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.”
Dean Herridge
Maximum Motorsport
“We are extremely excited to have Tom coming down to Australia to run with us for the Forest Rally and it’s fantastic he was able to take advantage of the opportunity,” Herridge said.
“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.”
