Tom Kristensson and Andreas Johansson will contest the final round of the Australian Rally Championship. Image: Supplied
Kristensson has been a regular visitor to Australia for the past two seasons contesting the Western Australian leg of the championship.
Joined by long-time co-driver Andreas Johansson, the pair claimed an outright podium on debut in 2025 plus multiple stage wins this season.
Once again joining Maximum Motorsport, Kristensson will contest the Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally which concludes the ARC season, before contesting the inaugural Australian Rally Championship Festival at the Adelaide Grand Final later this month.
“Two outings in Australia this November are now confirmed, and we can’t wait to get back behind the wheel on the other side of the world,” Kristensson said.
“First up is Gippsland Rally on 20-22 November, the final round of the Australian Rally Championship. We’ll be driving our familiar Skoda Fabia R5, which we have previously competed in at Forest Rally.”
Kristensson is the second high-profile international name to be confirmed for the festival following Lia Block’s entry confirmation.
The Swede will be one of three Skoda Fabias competing in Adelaide, however not his usual R5 machine from Gippsland.
Scott Pedder is only available for the Thursday of the event, leaving Kristensson to pilot the Pedders Rally Team entry for the remaining three days.
“Then we’re heading to Adelaide for a demonstration at the 2026 bp Adelaide Grand Final on 26-29 November – the Supercars season finale,” Kristensson added.
“We’ll be switching to Scott Pedder’s Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 and putting on a rally show at an event attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators!
“Two action-packed weekends of competition and demonstrations. We’re really looking forward to getting back to Australia!”
The Pedders Rally Team Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. Image: Supplied
For Pedder, the decision to field Kristensson at Adelaide was a simple one.
“I am pleased we have been able to finalise the Pedders Rally Team Protected By Famous Insurance line-up for the final two events of the year to have someone familiar like Tom,” Pedder said.
“We are super excited to have Tom feature with the Pedders Rally Team Protected By Famous Insurance both at The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally and the Australian Rally Championship Festival.
“He has already competed twice with the team since debuting at the Forest Rally last year, and he brings plenty of experience to the fold, so I am confident he will be able to deliver strong performances across both events.
“While I am unable to attend the full Australian Rally Championship Festival, I have no doubt he, along with Andreas, will do a fantastic job in the exhibition event in the Rally2 car and represent the brand in front of thousands of people.”
The Gippsland Rally concludes a hard-fought ARC season, which has seen three crews battle for the top spot in the standings all season.
Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin lead the way for Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia, with Pedder and Glenn Macneall trailing by 41 points.
A costly crash for Harry Bates and Coral Taylor in Tasmania sees the pair enter the final round in third place, 75 points away from their TGRA teammates.
The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally will conclude the EROAD Australian Rally Championship season on November 20-22 before the Adelaide Grand Final ARC Festival one week later on November 26-29.