PHOTO: Bildbyrån
He is one of Swedish motorsport’s biggest icons.
We will never forget what rallycross driver Per “Pekka” Eklund did.
Today he is 78 years old and has not been able to let go of the wheel.
Among Sweden’s greatest motoring icons, greats such as Ronnie Peterson, Erik “Carlsson on the roof” Carlsson, Björn Waldegård, Stig Blomqvist and so also Per Eklund. He became “Pekka” with the entire Swedish people and is one of our foremost rally drivers of all time.
Eklund’s career
He was born in Koppom in Värmland and would become a real pioneer in rallycross. “Pekka” Eklund drove a total of 100 WC rallies and among his biggest victories in his career are the Swedish rally in 1976, the EC title in rallycross in 1999 and the Pikes Peak downhill race.
– I started reading maps as a 13-year-old, so I have never done anything other than drive a car and work in the workshop, he says in an interview with the site Automobil.
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The rally icon won the very first rallycross competition in Sweden in 1971 and is referred to as the one who brought the sport to our elongated country. Since then, he has not been able to let go of the wheel and his great passion for driving.
– It’s still just as exciting when the starting flag falls. I always want to be first. “One must not give up”, you know! (Per’s own language of choice and also the title of his autobiography), says the legend in the interview.
Refuses to stop
Through his long career, Eklund has become strongly associated with Saab.
– Well, I became a factory driver in 1970 and drove for them until the competition department was closed in 1979. But in 1982 I drove a 900 Turbo from the Clarion stable in the Swedish Rally. Finished fourth in competition with advanced four-wheel drive cars. And Saab is still close to his heart, he admits.
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A few years ago, Pekka made a big comeback again as a 74-year-old and sat behind the wheel in the Supercar class at RallyX Nordic in Arvika.
– It was fun to drive against my veteran colleagues, but now I really want to see how I stack up against today’s stars, Eklund said in a statement in 2020.
Today he is 78 years old and still keeps himself young by continuing to rally. As recently as May 2024, the motoring icon participated in Rally Magic, where he drove together with Peter Friberg in a Saab 99 EMS.
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