Fredrik Lindström

Lindström in 2002.

Västerhaninge, Sweden

**Fredrik Thomas Lindström** is a Swedish racing driver who last competed with Škoda Motorsport in the 2002 World Rally Championship. His co-driver is Jesper Thorén.

## **Early Life**

Fredrik was born on the 17th of November 1974, in the small town of Västerhaninge, Sweden, just a few kilometers away from the rallycross track *Högstabanan*. He was born to father Johan Lindström and mother Anette Lindström (born Nilsson).

With his father having an interest in motorsport, Fredrik's father would often take his son to the rallycross track to watch the local rallycross or folkrace events. This sparked Fredrik's interest in off-road racing, and as he turned 16, he would compete in the junior class with an used Volvo 142 that his family saved up to buy. Lindström would be very successful in folkrace, touring around the country with the money that he had.

## **Career**

### **Swedish Rallycross Championship**

After a successful career in Folkrace, Lindström would move to Rallycross, aged 18, driving a Ford Sierra in the Division 2 class, being the youngest driver in the field. He finished an impressive 9th in his first season, with a 3rd place at the round in Höljes. At the Höljes round, Lindström would meet former rally and Formula 1 driver Erik Vik, who was attending the race. Vik, who was impressed with Fredrik's driving would later act as a manager for Lindström in his early years.

Lindström would eventually win the Division 2 championship, and would then step up to the Division 1 championship aged 20. Driving his Audi Sport Quattro, Lindström spent two seasons before winning the championship. But Rallycross was never the ultimate dream for Fredrik, it was to compete in Rally.

### **Swedish Rally Championship**

Aged 22, Lindström would compete part-time in the Swedish Rally Championship, fielding a Opel Kadett GSI 16V with co-driver and long-time friend Jesper Thorén. Lindström made his rally debut in the 1994 Bergslagsrallyt in Ludvika, but after going off the track and into a tree which severely damaged the car, the pairing would finish 41st overall. It would go much better for Lindström in his second entry in the East Sweden Rally in Linköping, where he finished 18th overall.

The next season, Lindström would join go from a private entry to join Andersson Bilverkstad AB, a car repair shop owned by former local rally driver Mikael "Micke" Andersson. Driving full-time in the Swedish Rally Championship fielding an Opel Astra GSi 16V, Lindström would achieve his first rally victory in the Rally Vännäs, winning by 13.7 seconds. He'd finish fifth in the championship that season.

1998 would go much better for Lindström, seeing him take two out of five rally wins that season in the South Swedish Rally in Älmhult, and the Snapphanerallyt in Hässleholm. Lindström would lead heading into the final round of the championship, however a gearbox failure on his Opel Astra saw him having to retire, and he would finish second in the championship.

### **FIA 2-litre World Rally Cup**

After his successes in Swedish Rally, Czech car manufacturer Škoda would take Lindström under their wing, and Fredrik would drive the European rallies as a part-time entry, still paired with co-driver Thorén, and fielding the Škoda Octavia Kit Car. Lindström would struggle at a few rounds, but showed flashes of speed in some, finishing 6th in the 1999 Rallye de España and then 5th in the 1999 RAC Rally. He would go on to finish eleventh in the championship.

### Junior World Rally Championship

After the shift of the millenium, the 2-litre World Rally Cup was phased out in favor of JWRC, then called the FIA Cup for Super 1600 Drivers, entering in as Škoda Motorsport Sweden. Fielding the full JWRC season in 2000, Lindström would finish a brilliant fourth in the championship, with a victory at the 2000 Acropolis Rally.

2001 wouldn't be much of an improvement for Lindström, once again he would finish fourth in the championship, losing out third in the championship by 2 points to Joe Green.

### World Rally Championship

#### 2002

Aged 28, Lindström would finally make his debut in the World Rally Championship with Škoda Motorsport in the 2002 Monte Carlo Rally. It would be a shaky first season for Lindström, seeing a total of 5 DNFs throughout the season, and only 3 points to his name to finish fourteenth in the championship overall, with his only fourth place finish at his home Rally Sweden.

## Personal Life

Fredrik resides in central Stockholm. Growing up in Västerhaninge, he met co-driver Jesper Thorén aged 10 in compulsory school. Both immediately became best friends over their passion of racing, and as life-long friends, both wanted to pursue careers in racing. Thorén would help out in the garage alongside Fredrik's father when Fredrik was doing Folkrace and rallycross, and he's been Fredrik's co-driver ever since his rally debut.