After his education as a driving instructor, Eklund was a Saab factory driver from 1970 to 1979. In 1982, the year after Saab discontinued its official rallying involvement, he achieved the brand's last top position in a World Championship event, finishing fourth in the Swedish Rally driving a privately entered, Clarion-sponsored Saab 99 Turbo. He was Swedish Champion in 1978, beating his teammate Stig Blomqvist. In 1982, Eklund finished 5th overall in the FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers.
Eklund joined Toyota Team Europe in 1980. He drove the Group B Celica Twincam Turbo TA64 in selected 1983 and 1984 World Rally Championship events.
In 1971, Eklund started driving Rallycross at Valkenswaard in the Netherlands, and some months later, he won the first ever Swedish Rallycross event at Hedemora on 17 October 1971. He first drove a Saab 96 V4 in the early years of the Embassy/ERA European Rallycross Championship as a teammate to his compatriot Stig Blomqvist. From the early 1990s until 2009, his last full season, he was one of the fastest competitors in the FIA European Championship for Rallycross Drivers. In 1999, Eklund claimed his first and only European title for Drivers of the Division 1, nowadays known as the SuperCars category.
In 2000, Per Eklund achieved a record time of 11:21.58 in his Saab 9-3 Viggen 4x4 while racing the Pikes Peak Open category. This record was valid until being bettered in 2012. In 2002, Per Eklund took the Unlimited Class victory at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Eklund and his Saab's performance defeated the second-place Unlimited Class entry and long-time Swedish rival Stig Blomqvist by over 34 seconds with a time of 11:13.20.
FIA European Rallycross Champion 1999 with Saab 9-3 T16 4x4
2nd overall in the 1998, 2002, and 2003 FIA European Rallycross Championships
3rd overall in the 2000 and 2001 FIA European Rallycross Championships
Swedish Rallycross Champion 2004
1969: Norwegian Winter Rally (N), 1st, Saab 96 V4, co-driver ?
1971: Norwegian Winter Rally (N), 1st, Saab 96 V4, co-driver ?
1972: Firestone Rally (E), 1st, Saab 96 V4, co-driver ?
1972: Dutch Texaco Rally (NL), 1st, Saab 96 V4, co-driver ?
1972: Österreichische Alpenfahrt (A), 3rd, Saab 96 V4, co-driver Bo Reinicke
1973: Swedish Rally (S), 2nd, Saab 96 V4, co-driver Rolf Carlsson
1973: Österreichische Alpenfahrt (A), 3rd, Saab 96 V4, co-driver Bo Reinicke
1976: Swedish Rally (S), 1st, Saab 96 V4, co-driver Björn Cederberg
1980: 1000 Lakes Rally (FIN), 3rd, Triumph TR7 V8, co-driver Hans Sylvan
1981: Ivory Coast Rally (CI), 2nd, Toyota Celica 2000GT, co-driver Ragnar Spjuth
1982: Portugal Rally (P), 2nd, Toyota Celica 2000GT (RA45), co-driver Ragnar Spjuth
1982: Rally of New Zealand (NZ), 2nd, Toyota Celica 2000GT (RA64), co-driver Ragnar Spjuth
1982: Ivory Coast Rally (CI), 2nd, Toyota Celica 2000GT (RA64), co-driver Ragnar Spjuth
"En får ente ge sej" (Värmland dialect for "One must not give up") is Eklund's motto and the title of his biography. By Per Eklund & Anders Tunberg, 210 pages, Sportförlaget 1998, ISBN 91-88540-95-2.
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