Andreas Bakkerud feels he is never tougher to beat on the FIA World Rallycross Championship tour than when he’s racing in Hell, Norway, and the rest of the field would probably agree.

At his home round in 2016, the Bergen native pulled off a historic “clean sweep” by becoming the first World RX driver to win all four qualifiers, a semifinal, and the final—an unmatched feat to this day.

A year later, Bakkerud nearly repeated as the winner at the Lånkebanen Circuit, garnering the most points in qualifying and winning his semifinal, before seeing his bid fall just one place short of the podium’s top step in the finals.

The 26-year-old EKS Audi Sport racer is now set to return to his native Norway this weekend for the fifth round of the 2018 World RX Championship, and, much like in past seasons, he likes his chances in Hell.

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Bakkerud is coming off a season-best runner-up finish at the Silverstone Circuit in Great Britain two weeks ago. After moving up to third overall in the drivers' points standings, he is eyeing the championship’s next two rounds at familiar Nordic circuits as an opportunity to rise even higher.

“I’m tremendously excited about the event. Hell is both my home round and one of my absolutely favorite tracks. Following my podium for EKS Audi Sport at Silverstone, I’m aiming for more—preferably a victory of course,” Bakkerud said. “I’m confident going into Norway, Sweden, and the rest of the championship on tracks I’m more familiar with, where I’ve done well before, so I really have a good feeling.”

Teammate Mattias Ekstrom shares Bakkerud’s positivity ahead of this weekend. Ekstrom was the 2016 World RX drivers’ champion and finished on the podium in Hell that same year. In 2017, the Swedish driver placed fourth overall in the World RX’s Norway round.

Lånkebanen was also the site of EKS’ team debut in World RX four years ago.

“The race at Hell will always be a very special one for me because that’s where the EKS story began in 2014,” Ekstrom said. “The track is simply fantastic. My favorite corner is Turn 2, a downhill left-hander. That’s where you feel like the car is getting an extra power boost. The entrance to the Joker Lap is one of the best. There I go into a really great drift at high speed.”

A year later and we are still trying to figure out how @AndreasBakkerud managed to save this one AND keep the lead!#HellRX #WorldRX pic.twitter.com/heIR2PQtB3

— FIA World Rallycross (@FIAWorldRX) June 5, 2018

Heading into round five, Bakkerud (83 points) and Ekstrom (80) are separated by just three points in the drivers' standings in third and fifth place, respectively. Bakkerud’s countryman Petter Solberg sits fourth overall with 80 points.

However, all three are still looking to make up ground on the only two drivers to reach the top of the World RX podium this season: points leader and defending champion Johan Kristoffersson and second-place driver Sebastien Loeb.

Kristoffersson, who edged Bakkerud for the win in Hell last year, has won three out of four rounds in 2018 and has amassed 105 drivers points in his Volkswagen Polo R. Meanwhile, the third-round winner Loeb snapped Kristoffersson’s run at perfection in Belgium on May 13 and is looking for his fifth straight podium.

4 out of 4 podiums so far this year for @SebastienLoeb. Will it be 5 from 5 after #HellRX? ?#WorldRX pic.twitter.com/WleSc5IeI9

— FIA World Rallycross (@FIAWorldRX) June 6, 2018

SUPERCAR ENTRANTS (Full List For Round 5)

1. Johan Kristoffersson, PSRX Volkswagen Sweden — Volkswagen Polo R
4. Robin Larsson, Olsbergs MSE — Ford Fiesta
5. Mattias Ekstrom, EKS Audi Sport — Audi S1
6. Janis Baumanis, Team Stard — Ford Fiesta
7. Timur Timerzyanov, GRX Taneco — Team Hyundai i20
9. Sebastien Loeb, Team Peugeot — Total Peugeot 208
11. Petter Solberg, PSRX Volkswagen Sweden — Volkswagen Polo R
13. Andreas Bakkerud, EKS Audi Sport — Audi S1
21. Timmy Hansen, Team Peugeot Total — Peugeot 208
24. Tommy Rustad, Marklund – HTB Racing — Volkswagen Polo
31. Max Pucher, MJP Racing Team Austria — Ford Fiesta
32. Alex Wurz, MJP Racing Team Austria — Ford Fiesta
36. Guerlain Chicherit, GC Kompetition — Renault Megane RS
42. Oliver Bennett, Oliver Bennett BMW — MINI Cooper
60. Joni-Pekka Rajala, Team Stard — Ford Fiesta
64. Kjetil Larsen, Kjetil Larsen — Volkswagen Polo
66. Gregoire Demoustier, Sebastien Loeb Racing — Peugeot 208
68. Niclas Gronholm, GRX Taneco Team — Hyundai i20
71. Kevin Hansen, Team Peugeot Total — Peugeot 208
74. Jerome Grosset-Janin, GC Kompetition — Renault Megane RS
92. Anton Marklund, Marklund Motorsport — Volkswagen Polo
96. Kevin Eriksson, Olsbergs MSE — Ford Fiesta