Sweden’s Johan Kristoffersson claimed his 23rd occupation victory on the Neste World RX of Riga-Latvia, round 5 of the FIA World Rallycross Championship introduced by Monster Energy (September 19), to enhance his Drivers’ Championship lead.
Kristoffersson took his third lift of the 2020 World RX season with Kristoffersson Motorsport, main the final in Riga for all six laps in a Volkswagen Polo. The Swedish driver licensed 2d within the Intermediate Classification, took victory in semi-final two, and received the final to enhance his Championship lead to 21 points.
Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom battled his methodology to victory in semi-final one to commence up on row one amongst the final, then used a pleasurable joker lap technique by KYB Crew JC crew to take 2d, his fourth podium of the 2020 season. Crew Hansen’s Timmy Hansen completed the podium to no longer handiest invent it an all-Swedish top three but to be dawdle that the podium used to be filled by World RX Drivers’ Champions (Kristoffersson 2017-18, Ekstrom 2016, Hansen 2019).
The TQ (top qualifier) space within the Intermediate Classification used to be taken by Finland’s Niclas Gronholm, the winner of World RX round four in Finland. The GRX Taneco driver done 2d in semi-final one, then had a battle with Sweden’s Kevin Hansen within the final but spun out of podium contention.
Kevin Hansen climbed to 2d on the commence up of the final from row three and took his joker on lap two. He defended from Gronholm for over two laps, then challenged brother Timmy Hansen for the final podium space on the last corner of the lunge. He done fourth. Gronholm used to be classified fifth and Sweden’s Robin Larsson, Ekstrom’s KYB Crew JC teammate used to be sixth, following contact and a high-tail on the 2d corner. KYB Crew JC maintained its space within the lead of the Teams’ Championship standings.
“This feels very factual. We were in actual fact pushing robust in Q2 and Q3, I used to be no longer in actual fact ready to pull off the finest cases, but in its set up we had some factual tyres for the semi-final and final so I maintain we had a gargantuan jump on our opponents or phrases of tyres, then we had two factual starts, and every thing is diagram more uncomplicated at the same time as you will comprise contemporary tyres. Fine due to the crew, we made some changes between Q3 and the semi-final and it in actual fact made the automotive better so as that feels factual to gamble and depart within the honest direction,” mentioned winner Kristoffersson.
Ekstrom’s podium used to be the 25th of his occupation. “The first corner of the final used to be rather bit too titillating, I don’t know precisely what took space to Robin, we’ll need to gaze the tv, but it used to be a chunk messy and after I drove as snappy as I’ll possibly possibly well within the serve of Kevin. After he jokered I had a clear note and ended up P2. For sure that used to be no longer our wish after we got right here right here, we desired to lift but for the interval of qualifying we were no longer factual ample so we couldn’t attain factual ample starts so we couldn’t be on the entrance in Q1 and Q2. Must you’re on the serve foot you then would possibly want to take a survey at and bag better and I maintain P2 is a factual recovery, but you would possibly possibly be space on to lift these races in particular when the change guys are in top form as well,” mentioned Ekstrom.
Hansen used to be cheerful with a podium enact after a tricky-fought day in Riga. “We had a tricky day. We survey glimpses of in actual fact factual efficiency, some factual launches and I’ve been fastest on lap time many cases on the present time, but you understand at the same time as you’re no longer up entrance then it’s no longer straightforward. We now need to enhance those launches so we would possibly possibly possibly additionally additionally be on the entrance of the races from the beginning. I need to yelp coming in third is basically factual and I’m mountainous overjoyed about that. The crew has worked so robust and it’s a long way paying off, but at this level, it’s a slow direction of to compose velocity, but I’m rather assured tomorrow to come shall be even better,” mentioned Hansen.
Norway’s Andreas Bakkerud, racing a Renault Megane RS RX for the Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel crew used to be fourth in semi-final one after he misplaced time in flip two of the lunge. ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport’s Timo Scheider, from Germany, used to be fourth in semi-final two. He licensed 13th within the Intermediate Classification but started the semi-finals when his teammate Rene Muennich withdrew. Scheider used the joker lap technique to beat GRX Taneco’s Timur Timerzyanov, from Russia. Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel’s Liam Doran, from Gargantuan Britain used to be classified sixth within the identical lunge. Latvia’s Reinis Nitiss, on his debut within the Esmotorsport Skoda Fabia, beat GRX SET’s Krisztian Szabo, from Hungary, for fifth in semi-final one.
Germany’s Rene Muennich used to be classified 13th within the consequence following his withdrawal from the semi-finals that lifted his ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport crew mate Scheider into the head 12. GCK Bilstein’s Anton Marklund, from Sweden, used to be 14th Unkorrupted crew mates Guerlain Chicherit, from France, and Rokas Baciuska, from Lithuania were 15th and 16th in their Renault Clios. Ferratum Crew’s Jani Paasonen, from Finland, retired from Q2 with a technical discipline and didn’t take share in Q3.
Norway’s Sondre Evjen (Volkswagen Polo) is top qualifier after Q2 within the FIA European Rallycross Championship for Supercar. France’s Jean-Baptiste Dubourg (Peugeot 208) is 2d and Norway’s Ben-Philip Gundersen (Audi S1) is third. Championship chief winner OIiver Eriksson (Ford Fiesta) had a tricky day but recovered to be fifth.
In the 2d round of the Projekt E class – the first ever global electrical rallycross series – on the halfway stage France’s Cyril Raymond is top qualifier on day one, racing a peculiar Citroen C3 ERX. Latvia’s Janis Baumanis used to be quickest in Q1 and is 2d in a Ford Fiesta ERX. Gargantuan Britain’s Natalie Barratt and Norway’s Svein-Bjarte Holten, also riding Fiesta ERXs fitted with three motor, 450kW electrical powertrains developed by Projekt E technical companion STARD, take third and fourth within the Intermediate Classification.
Paul Bellamy, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG, concluded: “Johan once extra proved on the present time why he is this type of extremely-rated racing driver, as he claimed one other victory on the note where he used to be topped as a World Champion for the first time in 2017. Effectively completed to him, Mattias and Timmy for ending on the podium. It used to be not most likely to comprise fans on place for the first time this season, and I need to yelp a gargantuan well completed to the Latvian event promoter for managing to welcome a restricted option of public in these robust 2020 conditions. The paddock is now making ready to attain this all all once more tomorrow to come for World RX round six, sooner than the third edition of the unusual RX After Notice fuelled by Monster Energy on our Facebook and YouTube channels.”
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