Johan Kristoffersson (VW Polo) scored another victory in the 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship by winning the first leg of the Portuguese double header at Montalegre in the north of Portugal today (September 7). Niclas Grönholm (PWR Hyundai i20 RX1e) and Kevin Hansen (Peugeot 208 RX1e) joined the Swede on the World RX podium.
Apart from the World RX double header Montalegre plays also host for the final rounds of the FIA European Rallycross Championships for RX1, RX2e and RX3 cars with three champions to be crowned on Sunday evening.
In World RX in the first race of the weekend the two Kristoffersson Motorsport ICE VW Polos were seeded together with the two electric Hansen World RX Team Peugeots 208 RX1e.Kristoffersson winning it from Kevin and Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208 RX1e) with a successful joker lap strategy. The second first heat race went to Niclas Grönholm who won it from teammate Klara Andersson (PWR Hyundai i20 RX1e). In the second race of the second heat the Peugeot cars and the VW Polo cars meet again with Kristoffersson winning it one more time putting him on top of the ranking prior to the semi-finals.
In the first semi-final with Kevin Hansen and Johan Kristoffersson, the start was won by Hansen and then he led it from Kristoffersson in the remaining laps to win his semi-final. Kristoffersson, dealing with a puncture in the final lap, still managed it to come in second. René Münnich (SEAT Ibiza) was the other qualifier for the final. In the second semi-final both CE Dealer Team drivers had the better start holding off Timmy Hansen. Eventually Grönholm won it from Ole Christian Veiby (VW Polo) who was able to pass Timmy Hansen in the penultimate lap.
In the final Grönholm and Kevin Hansen shared the front row while Kristoffersson and Veiby were on the second row. Grönholm won the start and came out of the first corner ahead of Kevin Hansen and Kristoffersson with the latter then passing Hansen. For Timmy Hansen their was some bad luck as his final ended in the (tyre) wall by the end of the first lap. When Kevin Hansen made it into the joker lap section Veiby climbed to third place in the race. Kristoffersson kept the pressure on Grönholm until the penultimate lap when he made it in the joker lap section. He exited ahead of Kevin Hansen who made his way past Veiby again. Then it was only up to Grönholm to also pass through the joker lap section . Unfortunately for the Finn the time gap wasn’t sufficient to hold off Kristoffersson and therefore the Swede won his xxthe event this season. Kevin Hansen came in as third and completed the podium. In the standings Kristoffersson (181 points) now has a 28-point lead on Kevin Hansen (133 points).
In the RX1 European championship Patrick O’Donovan (Peugeot 208) went into the final round as championship leader with a 15-point lead on Yury Belevskiy (Audi S1). Halfway, after two heats, Frenchman Julien Fébreau (Peugeot 208) in a DA Racing Peugeot 208 and championship drivers Damian Litwinowicz (Audi S1) and Patrick O’Donovan are holding the first three spots with all of them having won two heat races. Belevskiy won a heat race and finished second in his other heat race.
In RX2e Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky (RX2e) is leading it after having won a heat race and having finished second in the other one. She leads it from Isak Sjökvist (RX2e), second in the championship before this final round, and championship leader Nils Andersson (RX2e).
In RX3, local driver Joaquim Machado (Audi A1) and championship driver Nils Volland (Audi A1) are on top after two heats with both having scored two race wins. Championship contender Joao Ribeiro (Audi A1) is currently third.
The event continues tomorrow Sunday with the eighth round of the 2024 FIA World Rallycross Championship and the final heat races, semi-finals and finals of the 2024 season in the RX1, RX2e and RX3 categories.
Results
World RX – Final: 1. Johan Kristoffersson (S), VW Polo; 2. Niclas Grönholm (FIN), PWR Hyundai i20 RX1e; 3. Kevin Hansen (S), Peugeot 208 RX1e; 4. Ole Christian Veiby (N), VW Polo; 5. René Münnich (D), SEAT Ibiza; 6. Timmy Hansen (S), Peugeot 208 RX1e – DNF.
World RX Team: 1. Kristoffersson Motorsport (S), 44; 2. Construction Equipment Dealer Team (S), 38; 3. Hansen World RX Team (S), 37.
Euro RX1 (after 2 heats): 1. Julien Fébreau (F), Peugeot 208; 2. Damian litwinowicz (PL), Audi S1; 3. Patrick O’Donovan (IRL), Peugeot 208; 4. Tamás Kárai (H), Audi S1; 5. Yury Belevskiy (RUS), Audi S1; 6. Mikko Ikonen (FIN), Hyundai i20; etc.
Euro RX2e (after 2 heats): 1. Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky (S), RX2e; 2. Isak Sjökvist (S), RX2e; 3. Nils Andersson (S), RX2e; 4. Molly Taylor (AUS), RX2e; 5. Gustavo Henriques (P), RX2e; 6. Luka Wlömer (D), RX2e; etc.
Euro RX3 (after 2 heats): 1. Joaquim Machado (P), Audi A1; 2. Nils Volland (D), Audi A1; 3. João Ribeiro (P), Audi A1; 4. Sámuel Kovács (H), Škoda Fabia Mk3; 5. Tiago Ferreira (P), Peugeot 208; 6. André Sousa (P), Audi A1; etc.
Standings
World RX (7/10): 1. Johan Kristoffersson (S), 181; 2. Kevin Hansen (S), 133; 3. Ole Christian Veiby (N), 130; 4. Niclas Grönholm (FIN), 127 ; 5. Timmy Hansen (S), 123; etc.
World RX Team (7/10): 1. Kristoffersson Motorsport (S), 311; 2. Hansen World RX Team (S), 256; 3. Construction Equipment Dealer Team (S), 232.