Mattias Ekstrom scores victory at home circuit
• KYB Crew JC takes first ever World RX engage
• Kevin Hansen and Johan Kristoffersson entire round two podium
• Oliver Eriksson wins Euro RX, Ken Block claims first Projekt E victory
KYB Crew JC’s Mattias Ekstrom claimed a dramatic victory within the second round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship supplied by Monster Energy, the Swecon World RX of Sweden, within the second instalment of the Championship’s first ever double-header (August 23).
Sweden’s Ekstrom started from the second row of grid for the final at Holjes and took his joker on lap one. He then moved into second blueprint when he overtook Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel’s Andreas Bakkerud on the stop of lap one, sooner than his team mate, Sweden’s Robin Larsson and ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport’s Timo Scheider, from Germany, took the joker lap on lap two.
From there on, Ekstrom chased the bustle chief, Sweden’s Johan Kristoffersson – the round one winner. Environment very equal tempo, and exchanging the fastest lap cases of the total weekend at Holjes, Ekstrom in the end closed the gap enough to hold the lead when Kristoffersson Motorsport’s Kristoffersson took his joker on lap six.
Kristoffersson done second on song, nonetheless was as soon as classified third following a song limits penalty. Crew Hansen’s Kevin Hansen done second to construct it an all-Swedish podium. Scheider was as soon as fourth, Larsson was as soon as fifth with a puncture and Bakkerud was as soon as slowed by problems and done sixth.
The consequence marked Ekstrom’s 11th profession World Rallycross Championship victory. “It was as soon as an high quality weekend for me to attain reduction right here and be aggressive directly. In the final it was as soon as by some distance basically the most captivating it went. I had the gap [to Kristoffersson] over the radio in my ears, I knew how great I wished to push and after I basically badly wanted a lap I nailed one. I managed to attain reduction out in entrance which was as soon as improbable. I basically worship the trouble that KYB has spent to make our automobile’s dampers with EKS, and now that JC Raceteknik can profit from this is a high quality feeling. To hold interaction and to beat Johan lovely and square on tempo is an infamous feeling,” stated Ekstrom.
Kevin Hansen’s podium marked the most predominant high three attain of the season for Crew Hansen. “We worked all weekend and basically needed to think and growth, which I possess we weren’t pushed for as tough final year. It’s basically high quality to rep sleek ways within the team and to hold shut what we desire to entire on the automobile and within the team to enhance. Now we hold giant challengers now, we now wish to hold the battle, defend quiet and quit the work. We learned loads about the automobile within the moist and the dry within the changing circumstances, we now wish to work tough within the subsequent few days sooner than Finland subsequent weekend nonetheless we are up for it and I will be able to’t await Saturday,” stated Hansen.
Kristoffersson’s third blueprint ensured he retained the World RX Drivers’ Championship lead, and moreover won round two within the sleek-for-2020 Champion Rapidly Originate Award. “It was as soon as a friendly attempting day, all day long. Robin had a basically right commence within the final, I had a little bit a wiggle with him within the initiating, then from there on correct attempting to fetch my head down and bang within the lap cases. Mattias did the same, I obtained over the radio that it was as soon as giant tight and at one point I had the gap to joker, I possess if I had carried out the joker on the fifth lap it would hold been enough, nonetheless he obtained me after I jokered. I gave every thing I had within the joker and obtained a penalty, nonetheless anyway we are leading the championship and had a friendly attempting weekend and we’re taking a survey forward to Kouvola,” stated Kristoffersson.
Finland’s Niclas Gronholm, the GRX Taneco driver, was as soon as first reserve for the final, after finishing fourth in semi-final two, sooner than fellow Hyundai i20 driver, GRX SET’s Krisztian Szabo, from Hungary. Germany’s Rene Muennich made the semis nonetheless retired on the second lap. The battle for a blueprint within the final at some point of semi-final one was as soon as one of basically the most action-packed of the weekend. It integrated Crew Hansen’s Timmy Hansen, GCK Bilstein’s Anton Marklund, each and every from Sweden, and GRX Taneco’s Timur Timerzyanov from Russia, within the help of Andreas Bakkerud. After contract between Hansen and the Bakkerud on lap five. Timerzaynov ended up fourth, Marklund fifth whereas Hansen was as soon as disqualified from the bustle.
France’s Guerlain Chicherit was as soon as 13th within the Intermediate Classification, one blueprint sooner than his Unkorrupted team mate, Lithuania’s Rokas Baciuska. Sweden’s Sebastien Eriksson, the winner of the World RX of Sweden in 2019, obtained a time penalty in Q2 for a song marker infringement and was as soon as 15th. Finland’s Jani Paasonen scored a championship point in 16th. For the second round of the weekend at Holjes, Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel’s Liam Doran, had a preference of technical problems via qualifying and was as soon as classified 17th.
The first round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship for Supercar was as soon as won by Sweden’s Oliver Eriksson, the double RX2 World Sequence Champion. Eriksson made his debut in Euro RX in an Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta and took most championship aspects from the tournament. He was as soon as joined on the rostrum by France’s Andrea Dubourg (Peugeot 208) and Sweden’s Peter Hedstrom (Volkswagen Polo). Norway’s Ben-Philip Gundersen (Audi S1) was as soon as fourth on his debut within the sequence, sooner than France’s Jean-Baptiste Dubourg (Peugeot 208) and Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand, who each and every suffered from technical problems within the final.
The usa’s Ken Block made historical past by turning into the most predominant driver ever to engage an global electrical rallycross tournament within the sleek Projekt E class. Using a Ford Fiesta ERX, Block took the TQ (high qualifier) blueprint to instruct pole blueprint for the final, and led the bustle from commence to attain. All three drivers on the rostrum drove Fiesta ERXs fitted with three motor, 450kW electrical powertrains developed by Projekt E technical accomplice STARD. Kindly Britain’s Natalie Barratt done second and Austria’s Hermann Neubauer was as soon as third.
Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG, concluded: “Congratulations to Mattias and Johan for inserting on a charming show mask within the final, and to Kevin for joining them on the rostrum in an intense weekend for the full groups. Congratulations moreover to Ken for successful the most predominant ever Projekt E final, and to Oliver for taking a debut Euro RX engage. Because of the FIA, the Swedish promoter, our partners and competitors, the IMG team and tv manufacturing team for inserting together two World Championship rounds in two days in these tough circumstances. 180 PCR assessments will seemingly be carried out on-blueprint for those personnel transferring straight from Holjes to Kouvola for our subsequent double-header and World RX’s return to Finland subsequent weekend.”
World RX moreover launched the sleek ‘RX Aftertrack’ Fuelled by Monster Energy magazine show mask on its Facebook and YouTube channels after Sunday’s tournament.
The third and four rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship hold blueprint subsequent weekend (August 29 – 30), on the CapitalBox World RX of Finland in Kouvola.
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