Electrified car maker Polestar is making sure that performance comes built in. And a key part of that is their rally pilot turned test driver.
Joakim Rydholm is integral in the set-up of Polestar's cars. And not just their upcoming models, their past and current cars too. So what kind of knowledge and experience does Rydholm bring to the table? The answer is a lot, at high speeds and sideways.
If you watched the Polestar 1 make the run up the Goodwood Festival of Speed hill last weekend, you saw Rydholm behind the wheel. "It was so much fun to drive it at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, an event I have always wanted to drive at. It was a very special experience. I have spent every recent waking hour in the Polestar 1 so to take it to England and drive it amongst some of the most famous names in motorsport was a truly life-affirming experience," he said.
Rydholm's car set-up career started way back in 1987, when he built his first rallycross car. At age 15. He started climbing podiums in Scandinavian rally events in 1998, and he races a Mitsubishi Evo X Group N car in the Swedish Rally Championship.
Rydholm started with Volvo in 2008, working on the C30 Polestar Concept. In 2013, he was responsible for the S60 and V60 Polestars. In 2016 Rydholm's role increased to include all Polestar-developed chassis components and the polestar 1. Now he is in charge of all Polestar models and the Polestar Engineered Volvos.
He says that rally is responsible for his chassis tuning chops. "The fast pace of rallying, and the need to react very quickly to changing conditions, has taught me to listen very carefully to the chassis and feel what it is doing at all times. I have learned how to fine-tune various aspects to change the way a car behaves depending on what needs to be achieved." So rest assured that Polestar's chassis are in enthusiast hands.
Joakim Rydholm is integral in the set-up of Polestar's cars. And not just their upcoming models, their past and current cars too. So what kind of knowledge and experience does Rydholm bring to the table? The answer is a lot, at high speeds and sideways.
If you watched the Polestar 1 make the run up the Goodwood Festival of Speed hill last weekend, you saw Rydholm behind the wheel. "It was so much fun to drive it at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, an event I have always wanted to drive at. It was a very special experience. I have spent every recent waking hour in the Polestar 1 so to take it to England and drive it amongst some of the most famous names in motorsport was a truly life-affirming experience," he said.
Rydholm's car set-up career started way back in 1987, when he built his first rallycross car. At age 15. He started climbing podiums in Scandinavian rally events in 1998, and he races a Mitsubishi Evo X Group N car in the Swedish Rally Championship.
Rydholm started with Volvo in 2008, working on the C30 Polestar Concept. In 2013, he was responsible for the S60 and V60 Polestars. In 2016 Rydholm's role increased to include all Polestar-developed chassis components and the polestar 1. Now he is in charge of all Polestar models and the Polestar Engineered Volvos.
He says that rally is responsible for his chassis tuning chops. "The fast pace of rallying, and the need to react very quickly to changing conditions, has taught me to listen very carefully to the chassis and feel what it is doing at all times. I have learned how to fine-tune various aspects to change the way a car behaves depending on what needs to be achieved." So rest assured that Polestar's chassis are in enthusiast hands.
