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Kevin Hansen (Peugeot 208) won the opening round of the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship for Team Hansen MJP at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday (April 6). However, GRX Taneco’s Niclas Grönholm (Hyundai i20) was the one who passed the finish line as first of a final that took place under floodlights. The Finn afterwards received a time penalty from the Stewards of the Meeting and therefore Kevin Hansen (Peugeot 208) was declared the winner in Abu Dhabi. Britain’s Liam Doran (Audi S1) completed the podium as third.
Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208) and Andreas Bakkerud (Audi S1) hit each other pretty hard during their Q3 race. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
After a first day at the Yas Marina Circuit on Friday Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208) and Andreas Bakkerud (Audi S1) were placed first and second in the classification after Q2. Therefore in Q3 – that was run according to 'the fastest last' – Hansen and Bakkerud were side by side on the grid for the final race and ran one and two in the opening laps. Bakkerud decided to pass through the obligatory joker lap section by the end of the second lap while Hansen did the same by the end of the third lap. However the latter and Bakkerud hit each other pretty hard resulting in significant damage to both cars and initially a DNF for Bakkerud. Hansen on the other hand was able to continue and finish race 4 of Q3 as first. Later on the Stewards of the Meeting decided to disqualify Bakkerud from Q3 with the argumentation "... the Stewards find the driver to be completely at fault for the dangerous and high speed collision as the driver admits he thought himself on the last lap finishing the race, and thus causing #21 to not allowed to start in Q4 and the semi-final due to extensive damage to the roll cage..." Kevin Hansen set the fastest time in Q3 ahead of Krisztián Szabó (Audi S1) and Jānis Baumanis (Ford Fiesta). Following the incident between Timmy Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud the first named was unable to start in Q4 due to the damaged roll cage. Bakkerud on the other hand made it to the startline at the very last moment and avoided as such a DNS. However with his disqualification of Q3 he was left out of the semi-finals. Kevin Hansen set the fastest time in Q4 ahead of German Timo Scheider (SEAT Ibiza Mk4) and Swede Anton Marklund (Renault Mégane Mk4).
Kevin Hansen (Peugeot 208) was the top qualifier in Abu Dhabi. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
Eventually Kevin Hansen became the top qualifier after his Q3 and Q4 fastest times today and shared the front row of the first semi-final with Timo Scheider. Anton Marklund and Timur Timerzyanov (Hyundai i20) occupied the second row while the grid was completed by Liam Doran and Reinis Nitišs (Hyundai i20). Hansen was first into turn one ahead of Scheider with Doran making it already into third from the last row. The top three remained unchanged until the end of the fifth lap when Doran got passed by Timerzyanov when he completed his joker. In the final lap Doran successful passed Timerzyanov and together with semi-final one winner Kevin Hansen and second Timo Scheider he was through to the final.
An incident between Anton Marklund (Renault Mégane Mk4) and Reinis Nitišs (Hyundai i20) in the first semi-final prevented the Latvian from finishing the race. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
The second semi-final had a front row with Niclas Grönholm and Jānis Baumanis. Hungarian Krisztián Szabó and Lithuanian Rokas Baciuška (Škoda Fabia Mk3) shared the second row and GC Kompetion and GCK Academy found each other on the last row with Guerlain Chicherit (Renault Mégane Mk4) and Cyril Raymond (Renault Clio Mk4). Baumanis won the start after the green light was shown and lead it in the first lap from Baciuška. Pole sitter Grönholm missed his start completely but from being last in the first turn he made it already into fourth by the end of the first lap. From there the Finn worked his way up to eventually pass the finish line as first. Baumanis who passed through the joker lap section in the final lap was second while Krisztián Szabó was the third qualifier for the final. A time penalty for Grönholm given by the Stewards of the Meeting afterwards for leaving the track did not change the result of the semi-final.
Start of the second semi-final with Jānis Baumanis (Ford Fiesta) going into the lead. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
Following the semi-final results the front row of the grid for the final had Hansen and Grönholm side by side. The Swede had the better start and was first in turn one followed by Grönholm. Second row starter Timo Scheider came out of the first turn as third followed by Szabó and Doran, the latter passing through the joker lap section by the end of the first lap. During the fourth lap the gap between Hansen and Grönholm became so small allowing the Finn to overtake the Swede. Eventually the positions in the top didn’t change anymore with Grönholm coming in first ahead of Hansen. Doran made it to fourth in lap four and climbed to third the lap after, a position that he kept throughout the final lap. Afterwards Grönholm received a three seconds time penalty for 'pushing and overtaking' Kevin Hansen following a Steward’s Decision. Also the other drivers in the final received time penalties – in this case for leaving the track – resulting eventually in Krisztián Szabó getting classified fourth and Jānis Baumanis fifth. Timo Scheider was the last finisher in sixth. "It feels completely crazy," Kevin Hansen said after the final. "I took the start in the final and led about five laps and then after turn 10, Niclas gave me a tap and I nearly spun and lost the lead. A win in the Stewards' room is not the perfect way. It has been a great job by all the guys in the team to get the cars here and prepared. But this one is for Timmy as he should have been on the podium." Niclas Grönholm commented on his time penalty: "It was not an intentional hit but sometimes the Stewards look at things differently to us so I have to accept it, move on and fight back in Barcelona."
The moment when Niclas Grönholm (Hyundai i20) passed the finish line as first. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
The second round of the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship takes place on April 27-28, 2019 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya at Montmeló just outside Barcelona in Spain.
Results - FIA World Rallycross Championship 2019 - Round 1
Supercar
| 1. Kevin Hansen (S), Peugeot 208 2. Niclas Grönholm (FIN), Hyundai i20 3. Liam Doran (GB), Audi S1 4. Krisztián Szabó (H), Audi S1 5. Jānis Baumanis (LV), Ford Fiesta 6. Timo Scheider (D), SEAT Ibiza Mk4 |
Standings: 1. Kevin Hansen (S) 30 2. Niclas Grönholm (FIN) 26 3. Jānis Baumanis (LV) 20 3. Timo Scheider (D) 20 |
'1067' is the total number of FIA European and World Rallycross Championship events for the photographers Jan Kåre Rafoss (46), Johnny Loix (65), Frieda Loix (64) and Jakub 'Qba' Nitka (30). This 'number' was celebrated with a picture during 'World RX of Abu Dhabi' at the Yas Marina Circuit. All of the photographers were and some still are regular contributors to rallycross.com and previously to 'Rallycross Online' and even 'The Rallycross Site' like this medium was called when it was launched back in April 1997.
Johnny and Frieda Loix joined the FIA European Rallycross Championship as photographers on June 22, 1980 during the European round at Maasmechelen in Belgium. Jan Kåre Rafoss made his debut at Höljes in Sweden on June 30 - July 1, 2001 while Jakub 'Qba' Nitka debuted on September 25-26, 2004 at Słomczyn in Poland.
From left to right: Jan Kåre Rafoss, Johnny Loix, Frieda Loix and Jakub 'Qba' Nitka. (Photo: © "Jan Kåre Rafoss")
The detailed stats in total number of FIA European and World Rallycross Championship events per photographer are as follows:
Johnny Loix: 373 events
Frieda Loix: 372 events
Jan Kåre Rafoss: 172 events
Jakub 'Qba' Nitka: 150 events
Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208) is leading it from Andreas Bakkerud (Audi S1) after a first day of action in Abu Dhabi during the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship season opener.
36C/97F it was at the Yas Marina Circuit at 1 pm today (April 5) when 'World RX of Abu Dhabi' went underway with a first practice session for the 17 Supercars (16 permanent drivers together with one non-permanent driver). It was GRX Taneco’s Niclas Grönholm (Hyundai i20) who set the fastest time ahead of the only non-permanent driver at Abu Dhabi Reinis Nitišs (Hyundai i20) in a similar car. Third fastest was Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208) of Team MJP Hansen. Those three were the only three drivers to complete a lap on the 1.2 km purpose build track within the Yas Marina Circuit in less than 44 seconds. Grönholm’s teammate at GRX Taneco, Timur Timerzyanov (Hyundia i20), was fourth fastest with Anton Marklund (Renault Mégane Mk4) completing the top five for GC Kompetition.
Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208) leading Niclas Grönholm (Hyundai i20) during Q1. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
Under similar weather conditions Q1 went underway just after 4 pm with four heat races. Andreas Bakkerud (Audi S1) drove to victory in the first one. However, in the second race the time set by the Norwegian got already beaten by Kevin Hansen (Peugeot 208) and Timo Scheider (SEAT Ibiza Mk4) after finishing one and two. Only in the fourth and final race Timmy Hansen beat the time of his younger brother Kevin [Hansen] leading to a one two finish for both Team Hansen MJP Peugeot’s in Q1. Niclas Grönholm, who came in second behind Timmy Hansen in the last race, set a third fastest time overall. The top five of Q1 was completed by Scheider and Bakkerud.
Timo Scheider (SEAT Ibiza Mk4) made it in fourth in Q1. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
In Q2 – ran under floodlight and slightly cooler weather conditions (only 33C/91F) – the starting grid was in reverse order (new from this season) with the Q1 top five going out first. Timmy Hansen scored a start-to-finish victory with Bakkerud eventually finishing second. Both Scandinavians were also topping the Q2 list afterwards. Only Reinis Nitišs who was in the penultimate Q2 race made it into third in the Q2 result. Anton Marklund, who won the second Q2 race, got classified fifth behind Grönholm.
Current FIA European Rallycross Champion Reinis Nitišs (Hyundai i20) set a third fastest time in Q2. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
In the intermediate classification the Hansen brothers are first and third separated by Bakkerud. With Niclas Grönholm and Anton Marklund respectively in fourth and fifth after day 1, the top five overnight is completely Scandinavian. Germany's Timo Scheider is the first non-Scandinavian in sixth. "I just had the perfect day", Timmy Hansen commented afterwards on his overnight lead. "I took both my starts and from the lead could control the race, even though Andreas was very close at one point. When I came out of the joker in Q2 we were side-by-side but I could carry a bit more speed because I’d taken the joker so I just squeezed by. Overall it has been a perfect day, I think it’s more than we could have expected after everything that’s happened and how hard we’ve been working to get here. Now we’re finally here everything is running perfectly."
Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208) pictured ahead of Andreas Bakkerud (Audi S1) during Q2 is also ahead of the Norwegian in the intermediate classification on Friday evening. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
Tomorrow Saturday April 6 the event continues with Q3 and Q4 together with the semi-finals and the final. Prior to Q3 the action on the track starts at 1 pm local time with a warm-up session.
Results - FIA World Rallycross Championship 2019 - Round 1
Supercar (after Q2)
| 1. Timmy Hansen (S), Peugeot 208 2. Andreas Bakkerud (N), Audi S1 3. Kevin Hansen (S), Peugeot 208 4. Niclas Grönholm (FIN), Hyundai i20 5. Anton Marklund (S), Renault Mégane Mk4 6. Timo Scheider (D), SEAT Ibiza Mk4 7. Reinis Nitišs (LV), Hyundai i20 8. Jānis Baumanis (LV), Ford Fiesta etc. |
GC Kompetition's Anton Marklund (Renault Mégane Mk4) is currently fifth in Abu Dhabi. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
With the (World RX) action on the track only starting tomorrow Friday (April 4), today a number of teams took the opportunity to present the 2019 livery prior to the opening round of the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship and afterwards they all posed for the '2019 picture'. In between the draw for the Q1 qualifying grid positions took place.
A little later than foreseen the newly formed team of Liam Doran and Andreas Bakkerud - Monster Energy RX Cartel - presented the 2019 livery for the Audi S1 Supercars.
Monster Energy RX Cartel Fielding Audi S1 Supercars for Andreas Bakkerud and Liam Doran. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
In Q1 (on Friday at 4 pm local time) Andreas Bakkerud (Audi S1) is on pole with the Audi S1 in what will be the first race of the new 2019 season. Other pole starters during Q1 will be Guerlain Chicherit (Renault Mégane Mk4), Timur Timerzyanov (Hyundai i20) and Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208).
Later in the afternoon the traditional season pictures were taken with the 2019 World RX permanent drivers lined up on the Yas Marina Circuit and below the 2019 World RX Supercars.
The 2019 World RX permanent drivers pictured at the Yas Marina Circuit. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
The 2019 World RX Supercars. (Photo: © Johnny Loix)
Tomorrow at 1 pm the practice session will go underway at the Yas Marina Circuit while Q1 and Q2 are respectively scheduled for 4 pm and 7 pm local time. Given sunset time at 6:37pm in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, Q2 will be run under floodlights.
American Cole Keatts (17) is going to race for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2019, the team of team owner Dennis Reinbold, the latter announced today (April 4). Keatts, formerly racing for Olsbergs/MSE in the Americas Rallycross Championship and the RX2 International Series - the official supporting event of the FIA World Rallycross Championship - will focus on the ARX2 class in the 2019 Americas Rallycross Championship. In 2018 he finished on the podium during the RX2 International Series event at Trois-Rivières in Canada.
Cole Keatts (right) finished third in the 2018 RX2 International Series Event in Trois-Rivières in Canada. (Photo: Janus Ree)
The 2019 Americas Rallycross Championship for ARX2 cars will go underway on June 8-9, 2019 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at Lexington, OH and consists of nine events in North America.
The "struggles" regarding the move towards an all electric series for the FIA World Rallycross Championship seems to continue. However, championship promotor IMG still believes in the project and came yesterday (April 2) with the announcement of 'Projekt E'; a concept that will see electric-powered cars compete on the same weekend as traditional Supercars.
Initially it was foreseen to switch to a full electric series for World RX already in 2020. Talks and discussions between IMG, the FIA and the manufacturers were already ongoing from 2017. The first deadline set by the parties to get the manufacturers confirmation was in March 2018. That deadline was moved to July 2018 while the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved the strategy of electrification in June 2018. However, in August 2018, the message came that the manufacturers was given more time in order to get ready and it was decided to switch to a full electric series only in 2021 instead of 2020.
The announcement of 'Projekt E', yesterday by IMG, now puts the electrification of World Rallycross in a slightly different perspective as no longer is stated that World RX will be a full electric series in 2021. Instead now it reads as a change to the event weekend program with traditional Rallycross (i.e. Supercars with internal combustion engines) and more or less 'supporting' electric series. Torben Olsen, the Managing Director of World RX for IMG said about this: "In terms of the strategy for introduction of electrification to Rallycross, we have been in discussions for nearly two years with a number of manufacturers. Ultimately it emerged that the manufacturers were not yet ready to commit in sufficient numbers to make a fully-electric World Championship a reality. However, we believe that Projekt E is a positive step forward to deliver on our 2017 pledge."
According to Mr. Olsen, by taking this decision, IMG will become a pioneer in the introduction of electric vehicle technologies to a production based motorsport series and confirms its intention of 2017 that electrification would be part of the World RX race weekend: "Our aim is to showcase, by 2021 at the latest, future mobility and relevant technologies in the tough, competitive environment of Rallycross with production-based vehicles that consumers can relate to."
He concludes that 'Projekt E' enables IMG to embrace emerging technologies, remain relevant, and show that electric cars are fast and fun.
Sebastian Eriksson (Supercar Lites) was crowned the winner of the 2019 RallyX on Ice series yesterday (March 23) at Åre in Sweden. This years competition was set up of three events with each time a different course set-up that took place within a week at a frozen lake (Åresjön) near the Holiday Club Resort at Åre.
Sebastian Eriksson (Supercar Lites) won two of the three rounds and took the overall victory in the 2019 RallyX on Ice series. (Photo: Jakub Nitka)
The first round went underway on Monday (March 18) and was won by Sebastian Eriksson ahead of Sondre Evjen (Supercar Lites) and Kevin Eriksson (Supercar Lites). Two days later, on Wednesday (March 20), 2018 RX2 International Series winner Oliver Eriksson (Supercar Lites) was victorious by beating brother Kevin [Eriksson] and another Swede Peter Hedström (Supercar Lites). Yesterday, on the final day of competition Sebastian Eriksson scored his second win with Norwegian Ben-Philip Gundersen (Supercar Lites) and American Cole Keatts (Supercar Lites) finishing respectively second and third.
FIA World Rallycross Championship driver Andreas Bakkerud (Supercar Lites) was among the competitors on Saturday. (Photo: Jakub Nitka)
Overall Sebastian Eriksson won – after 2015 – his second RallyX on Ice competition. He dominated the ice racing season in Sweden this winter after he also won the 2019 Swedish Wintersprint Rallycross Championship in Sundsvall back in the end of January. In the 2019 RallyX on Ice final standings he eventually wins it from Kevin Eriksson and Ben-Philip Gundersen.
Results - RallyX on Ice 2019 - Round 1
Supercar Lites
| 1. Sebastian Eriksson (S), Supercar Lites 2. Sondre Evjen (N), Supercar Lites 3. Kevin Eriksson (S), Supercar Lites 4. Ole Henry Steinsholt (N), Supercar Lites 5. Pontus Tidemand (S), Supercar Lites 6. Fredrik Damm Larsen (N), Supercar Lites - DNF |
Results - RallyX on Ice 2019 - Round 2
Supercar Lites
| 1. Oliver Eriksson (S), Supercar Lites 2. Kevin Eriksson (S), Supercar Lites 3. Peter Hedström (S), Supercar Lites 4. Ben-Philip Gundersen (N), Supercar Lites 5. Sebastian Eriksson (S), Supercar Lites 6. Petter Leirhol (N), Supercar Lites - DNF |
Results - RallyX on Ice 2019 - Round 3
Supercar Lites
| 1. Sebastian Eriksson (S), Supercar Lites 2. Ben-Philip Gundersen (N), Supercar Lites 3. Cole Keatts (USA), Supercar Lites 4. Martin Jonsson (S), Supercar Lites 5. Alexander Westlund (S), Supercar Lites 6. Andreas Bakkerud (N), Supercar Lites |
Final standings: 1. Sebastian Eriksson (S) 91 2. Kevin Eriksson (S) 71 3. Ben-Philip Gundersen (N) 69 |
Following the release, by championship promotor IMG, of the list of permanent drivers in the World championship, also the permanent drivers in the 2019 FIA European Rallycross Championship and the 2019 FIA European Super1600 Rallycross Championship were announced.
The lists with permanent entries look respectively as follows:
Supercar
|
No. |
Driver |
Nation |
Car |
|
|
4 |
Robin Larsson |
|
Audi S1 | |
|
8 |
Peter Hedström |
|
VW Polo Mk5 | |
|
10 |
Mikko Ikonen |
|
Ford Fiesta Mk7 | |
|
23 |
Andréa Dubourg |
|
Peugeot 208 | |
|
35 |
Mike Manning |
|
Ford Fiesta Mk7 | |
|
38 |
Mandie August |
|
SEAT Ibsiza Mk4 | |
|
50 |
Atilla Mózer |
|
Peugeot 208 | |
|
55 |
Paulius Pleskovas |
|
Ford Fiesta Mk7 | |
|
73 |
Támas Kárai |
|
Audi A1 | |
|
77 |
René Münnich |
|
SEAT Ibiza Mk4 | |
|
87 |
Jean-Baptiste Dubourg |
|
Peugeot 208 | |
|
99 |
Aleš Fučík |
|
VW Polo Mk5 | |
|
188 |
Daniel Thorén |
|
VW Polo Mk5 |
Super 1600
|
No. |
Driver |
Nation |
Car |
|
|
3 |
Pavel Vimmer |
|
Škoda Fabia Mk2 | |
|
7 |
Marat Knyazev |
|
Škoda Fabia Mk2 | |
|
10 |
Janno Ligur |
|
Škoda Fabia Mk2 | |
|
15 |
Gergely Marton |
|
Audi A1 | |
|
16 |
Josef Šusta |
|
Škoda Fabia Mk3 | |
|
18 |
Zsolt Szíjj |
|
Škoda Fabia Mk2 | |
|
19 |
Egor Sanin |
|
Renault Twingo Mk2 | |
|
20 |
Siim Saluri |
|
Renault Twingo Mk2 | |
|
37 |
Jimmy Terpereau |
|
Škoda Fabia Mk2 | |
|
39 |
Artur Egorov |
|
Audi A1 | |
|
48 |
Aydar Nuriev |
|
Audi A1 | |
|
50 |
Marcel Snoeijers |
|
Renault Mégane Coupé Mk3 | |
|
51 |
Marius Bermingrud |
|
Škoda Fabia Mk2 | |
|
57 |
Jakub Wyszyński |
|
VW Polo Mk5 | |
|
87 |
Radoslaw Raczkowski |
|
Škoda Fabia Mk3 | |
|
88 |
Ole Henry Steinsholt |
|
Škoda Fabia Mk3 | |
|
89 |
Timur Shigaboutdinov |
|
Audi A1 | |
|
95 |
Yury Belevskiy |
|
Audi A1 | |
|
96 |
Marcel Suchý |
|
Peugeot 207 | |
|
113 |
Dávid Gerencsér |
|
Alfa Romeo MiTo | |
|
128 |
Jérémy Lambec |
|
Citroën C2 | |
|
133 |
Jack Thorne |
|
Renault Twingo Mk2 | |
|
136 |
Tomáš Krejčík |
|
Škoda Citigo |
In addition to these permanent entries, each round of the European championship will see a number of drivers entering for selected rounds of the championship only.
The opening round of the 2019 FIA European Rallycross Championship will go underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain on April 27-28.
IMG, promotor of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, announced today (March 6) the list of permanent entries for the upcoming 2019 season that goes underway on April 5-6 at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The list consist of 16 names, i.e. twelve names (with one still to be announced) representing six teams together with four individual entries. The list holds eleven different nationalities and eight different car brands.
In addition to the recently announcements made by the different teams the 'Monster Energy RX Cartel Team' is yet another add to the World championship with drivers Liam Doran and Andreas Bakkerud at the wheel of two Audi S1 Supercars. Also to add to the list are GRX Taneco development driver Reinis Nitišs as well as ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport's René Münnich who will participate at selected World championship events.
The list of entries looks as follows:
|
No. |
Driver |
Nation |
Car |
Team |
|
|
6 |
Jānis Baumanis |
|
Ford Fiesta | Team STARD | |
|
7 |
Timur Timerzyanov |
|
Hyundai i20 | GRX Taneco | |
|
13 |
Andreas Bakkerud |
|
Audi S1 | Monster Energy RX Cartel | |
|
14 |
Rokas Baciuška (*) |
|
Škoda Fabia Mk3 | ESmotorsport-Labas GAS | |
|
21 |
Timmy Hansen |
|
Peugeot 208 | Team HANSEN MJP | |
|
33 |
Liam Doran |
|
Audi S1 | Monster Energy RX Cartel | |
|
36 |
Guerlain Chicherit |
|
Renault Mégane Mk4 | GC Kompetition | |
|
42 |
Oliver Bennett (*) |
|
BMW MINI Cooper | Xite Racing | |
|
44 |
Timo Scheider (*) |
|
SEAT Ibiza Mk4 | ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | |
|
68 |
Niclas Grönholm |
|
Hyundai i20 | GRX Taneco | |
|
71 |
Kevin Hansen |
|
Peugeot 208 | Team HANSEN MJP | |
|
92 |
Anton Marklund |
|
Renault Mégane Mk4 | GC Kompetition | |
|
96 |
Guillaume De Ridder |
|
Renault Clio Mk4 | GCK Academy | |
|
113 |
Cyril Raymond |
|
Renault Clio Mk4 | GCK Academy | |
|
123 |
Krisztián Szabó (*) |
|
Audi S1 | EKS Sport | |
|
xx |
tba | Ford Fiesta | Team STARD |
(*) Individual entries
A last minute agreement multiple Rallycross champion Kenneth Hansen called it after he announced "Team HANSEN MJP" today. The new team (a cooperation between Hansen Motorsport and MJP Racing) will be the new home for Timmy Hansen and Kevin Hansen who confirmed their entry in the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship with two Peugeot 208 Supercar. "It was a real last-minute agreement," Hansen said. "But we are here and ready to race with a small yet efficient team. To be able to contest not just one but two major international Rallycross series this year is a dream come true. You really can't wipe the smiles off our faces at the moment!"
For now Timmy and Kevin Hansen are also the only drivers who will compete apart from the World championship also in all events of the GRC Europe series of Max Pucher.
"The months following Peugeot Sport's decision to close their RX activity – which saw the Hansen family stranded without a team and program – have been some of our toughest ever," Kenneth Hansen continued. "Since then, with a commitment deeply rooted in our love for Rallycross, Hansen Motorsport has used almost every single waking hour to find ways and possibilities to get a team and budget together to be able to return to World RX."
The Hansen family: ready for a full season in World RX in 2019.
Eventually Hansen Motorsport and MJP Racing joined forces to bring a team to the World championship.
"It was a great moment when Kenneth and I decided to do more together in 2019 as we have an almost similar vision for the future of Rallycross," Max Pucher, the owner of MJP Racing said. "Kenneth worked really hard on this, and I am very glad that Team Hansen MJP is now a part of World RX. I look forward to more Rallycross than ever in 2019."
Kenneth Hansen concluded: "Rallycross has been a big part of our lives for as long as I can remember. After a turbulent winter for the sport, it would be wonderful for me to see both World RX and GRC Europe bloom side-by-side, bringing the best RX races the fans have seen in a long time."
Today (March 6) the team of Lithuanian Ernestas Staponkus revealed the long awaited name of the driver who is going to compete in the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship. 2018 Super1600 European champion Rokas Baciuška (19) from Lithuania will take on the wheel of the Škoda Fabia Mk3 for the upcoming 2019 season under the wings of ESmotorsport-Labas GAS. Baciuska will enter the championship as a so-called individual entry for the ten rounds and will only score points for the drivers’ championship.
Team principal Ernestas Staponkus: "We developed our car with the help of many different drivers from different categories, not only Rallycross. But at the end we decided to start with young talent from our country. Last year, Rokas Baciuška won the European Rallycross Championship in the Super1600 class. We are sure that he will be able to fight with the fastest drivers in the world this season."
The Team ESmotorsport-Labas GAS Škoda Fabia Mk3 during one of the test sessions.
Staponkus furthermore mentioned that a second car in on the way and will be introduced during the season. Once ready, the second Fabia Mk3 will be raced by Kevin Abbring, the Dutchman who did a lot of kilometres in testing for the new team.
GC Kompetition, the team of Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit, named four permanent drivers today (March 5) for the upcoming 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship. First of all there is the continuation of the 2018 season with the two Renault Mégane Mk4 Supercars. Guerlain Chicherit will be at the wheel of a Mégane and he will be joined by Swede Anton Marklund who will compete in the second Mégane. Marklund already raced for the team at the end last season during the events in the USA, Germany and South Africa. For the 2019 season he now joins the squad as a full time permanent driver.
Anton Marklund, pictured at COTA in 2018 when he debuted with GC Kompetition, has been named one of the permanent drivers for the team in the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship. (Photo: Colin McMaster)
In the mean time also a so-called 'GCK Academy' was created by Chicherit with a vision to support young Rallycross talent and junior drivers. Frenchman and former RX2 International Series winner Cyril Raymond and Belgian Guillaume De Ridder – who was the runner up in the 2018 RX2 International Series - will form part of the GCK Academy for 2019 and will race the Renault Clio Mk4 Supercars of the team as permanent drivers in the 2019 World Championship.
Guillaume De Ridder steps up to the World championship and Supercar racing in the 2019 season. (Photo: GCK)
"2019 is going to be a really big year for GCK," said GC Kompetition founder Guerlain Chicherit. "We debuted the team in the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2018 and have been working really hard to further develop the GCK Mégane, the first car to have been designed and built from scratch to compete in Rallycross. To now enter the Championship with 4 cars is a big step. It allows me to compete in the GCK Mégane alongside Anton who I’ve been working with closely over the last few months but also to support two super talented junior drivers in Cyril and Guillaume to develop in a World Championship driving the GCK Clio. I’m really excited to see what the season will bring."
The 2019 season will go underway on April 5-6 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Mattias Ekström's EKS Sport today (March 3) announced it's entry for the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship with an Audi S1. The announced permanent driver is former Super1600 double FIA European Rallycross Champion Krisztián Szabó. The Hungarian was already racing for the team in an Audi S1 Supercar during the 2018 rounds in France and Latvia.
A full season in the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship for former European Rallycross champion Krisztián Szabó.
"Since the beginning of my career, I have been dreaming about racing in the World Championship," Szabó said. "Mattias Ekstrom announced last year that he will stop racing in 2019, which means he has more time to focus on managing the EKS Sport team."
For Szabó, after the promising results for the team in France and Latvia in 2s018, it's like a more or less 'now or never' opportunity. "It is going to be different in 2019 with a much more balanced championship," he continued. "Everyone has a bigger chance, including me. I have one of the best teams and cars behind me. I have the right background – a World championship-winning team, the professional support of Mattias [Ekström] and I feel well-prepared. I know most of the tracks but Abu Dhabi and Spa are unknown for me too. I can't wait to take on the legendary Eau Rouge. I am also excited to travel to Canada and South Africa, because I have not raced outside of Europe in the past couple of years. It is a now or never for me in 2019 and I start my first World Championship season with title hopes."
Krisztián Szabó (Audi S1), pictured at Lohéac in France last year. (Photo: Malte Christians)
Mattias Ekström added: "I wanted to work together with Krisz[tián Szabó] this season because his results were quite promising last year and I predict a bright future for him. The World RX field has changed for 2019 and I think Krisz[tián Szabó] has a big chance to be one of the best and win many races. This is why I suggested that he races in the World Championship instead of the European Championship. I will help him as the team leader, I still have vivid memories from last year and I believe it will be useful for the team. I think that Krisztian [Szabó] will surprise many people because they still don't know what he can do."
The 2019 season will go underway on April 5-6 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The track layout for the opening round of the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship has been revealed today (March 3) with a little over a month before the Championship gets underway at the Yas Marina Circuit at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (April 5-6).
It was Muhammed ben Sulayem, a former Rally champion and president of the Automobile and Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE), who was given the honour of completing the first laps on the track at the wheel of a GRX Taneco RX2 car. Furthermore the three recently announced drivers of GRX Taneco for the World championship, Niclas Grönholm, Timur Timerzyanov and Reinis Nitišs were all present for passenger rides, as well was Xite Racing's Oliver Bennett.
Racing during the opening round will occur on a purpose-built 1200 metres track of 63% tarmac and 37% gravel including a series of wide tarmac areas, tight turns, a hairpin and a jump section.
Earlier, FIA World Rallycross Championship promotor IMG announced a new long-term partnership with Swiss manufacturer of luxury wristwatches Edox. Edox has been named the 'Official Timing Partner' of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Details of the deal were not disclosed. Under the deal Edox will have significant trackside branding and put its name to the fastest lap at each round of the championship. Additionally there are plans for a FIA World Rallycross-themed timepiece collection.
GRX Taneco, the World RX team of double FIA World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm, confirmed its participation in the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship today (February 11).
The team debuted World Rallycross last season with drivers Niclas Grönholm and former FIA European Rallycross Champion Timur Timerzyanov. Both drivers will continue in the 2019 season and will be joined by current European champion Reinis Nitišs as so-called development driver for selected events. The team will race in 2019 Hyundai i20 Supercars.
"We knew that our first season with a new car would be tough, but we exceeded our expectations in 2018 and throughout the winter break we have been working hard to improve our i20 Supercars and take the next step in 2019," said Team Principal Marcus Grönholm. "With this project we are thinking long term and I am happy that we have the same great core team with us, and the same driver line-up that can continue their work and fight for the leading positions in the championship."
From tall to small: Niclas Grönholm, Timur Timerzyanov and Reinis Nitišs. (Photo: GRX Taneco)
Jussi Pinomäki remains the Team Manager in the upcoming season. "World RX has experienced some turbulence lately, but I think the competition this season will be very, very close and this year will prove to be an exciting one for drivers and spectators," he said. "Last year we built a good base to work from – all of our technical staff have remained on-board, both Niclas [Grönholm] and Timur [Timerzyanov] know the car well, and I am confident that with this package we'll be able to fight for top positions. For further improvements we have also added a third car for several rounds with Reinis [Nitišs] as our development driver, to help us gain data and continue the car's evolution."
The 2019 season will go underway on April 5-6 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
MJP Promotions, the promotor of the Global Rallycross Europe series, today (February 8) announced Frenchman Stéphane Sarrazin (43) as the most recent series add. Sarrazin, who has a background in several disciplines of Autosport going from Formula 1 over Rally, V8 Supercars to Formula E, will be probably most know from his results in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in general the FIA World Endurace Championship. During these days he was several times for Toyota co-driving with Alexander Wurz, the Austrian who made a switch to Rallycross already last year.
"I am always looking for new challenges," Sarrazin said. "When I learned about GRC Europe from Alex Wurz, who is totally hooked on Rallycross now, I had to find out about it. It looked very exciting from the start, particularly in bringing my off-road and tarmac skills together in a single race. To my great surprise, it was not too hard to find the sponsors due to the lower costs and here I am looking forward testing the brand-new PanteraRX6 car by MJP Racing."
Stéphane Sarrazin, pictured during the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans, joins GRC Europe for 2019. (Photo: Florent Gooden)
The inaugural Global Rallycross Europe season will kick off with an official test event at May 4-5 at Fuglau (MJP Racing Arena) in Austria before heading to France for the opening round at Dreux (Circuit de l'Ouest Parisien) on June 29-30.
Following an earlier announcemnet that Joel Christoffersson's JC Raceteknik acquired two 2017 former EKS Audi S1 Supercars, the team today (February 7) revealed the names of the drivers for the 2019 season.
Swedes Robin Larsson and Mats Öhman will be behind the wheel of the two Audi's. Larsson, who previously raced in the FIA World Rallycross Championship with winning the round in Argentina in 2015 and was the FIA European Rallycross Champion in 2014, will target the 2019 FIA European Rallycross Championship together with the 2019 RallyX Nordic series. Mats Öhman on the other hand will be racing in this year's RallyX Nordic series.
"It will be an exciting year for JC Raceteknik with both new Supercars and two strong drivers," said Joel Christoffersson. "We had some setbacks last year, so now the whole team is really pumped for a strong season. Mats [Öhman] has worked with us for several years, so it will be fun to be able to focus on a good result together with him in RallyX Nordic. Robin [Larsson] is completely new to the team, even though he is a well-known face in the paddock. We look forward working with him and we will definitely fight for top results in both Euro RX and RallyX Nordic."
Mats Öhman (left) and Robin Larsson will both race in an Audi S1 by Raceteknik in 2019. (Photos: Andrea Ivares Berglind)
The 2019 FIA European Rallycross Championship will go underway at Silverstone in the UK on May 25-26 while the 2019 RallyX Nordic already sees its first event a week earlier on May 17-19 with a double header event at Höljes in Sweden.
Finn Jesse Kallio will race in 2019 for Andréas Eriksson's Olsbergs/MSE. Kallio, who won the so-called RX Academy in 2017 and following his win was awarded in 2018 with a season in Super1600 in the FIA European Rallycross Championship, will step up to the RX2 International Series in 2019 - the official support series to the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Kallio agreed a two-year-deal with Olsbergs/MSE. "I think RX2 is the best option for the next two years to develop myself as a driver," he said. "I know that I have the talent to compete at the very top, but at the same time I recognise that I'm not yet ready to go up against the best drivers in the world."
Finn Jesse Kallio steps-up to the RX2 category in 2019.
The 2019 RX2 International Series will go underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on April 27-28.
The third round of the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship will take place at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Championship promotor IMG today (February 6) revealed the track layout for "World RX of the Benelux".
A 913-metre track will be set out in the endurance area of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, incorporating Eau Rouge. The ascent of the Raidillon is followed by a hairpin bend, before hurtling back towards Eau Rouge. Furthermore there is a stadium section which features an extra wide, banked corner designed to allow drivers take various racing lines. There are parallel jumps on the main track and the joker lap section.
"World RX of the Benelux" at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps takes places on May 11-12, 2019.
Timmy and Kevin Hansen will become also "team managers" in the 2019 season after they launched today (February 4) the Yellow Squad Young Driver Team. The team is not a Rallycross team as such however it is a Cross Car (XC) team. Cross Car (XC) is a recent FIA category for young drivers racing rear-wheel drive single seater "buggy type" cars with a multi tubular steel frame and a motorbike engine. It is considered as a step-up for off-road racing like Rallycross and Autocross. Yellow Squad has been created to develop those young drivers.
"We are launching Yellow Squad by Hansen to help young boys and girls at the beginning of their motorsport careers," Operations Director Timmy Hansen said. "Me and Kevin will help them become the best drivers they can be through offering advice from what we have learnt during our years in the game. At the same time it will personally be a fun new challenge for me to run this team together with my brother." Team manager Kevin Hansen continued: "We want to make sure our drivers can focus on what they are meant to do, drive a car as fast as possible. We aim to share our experiences in everything from how to eat correctly on a lazy day at home to evaluating the driving into the smallest of details. We strongly believe what we have done in the past and are doing right now is a good base to work from."
Yellow Squad by Hansen: A Cross Car (XC) team managed by Kevin Hansen (left) and Timmy Hansen. (Photo: Yellow Squad by Hansen)
The Cross Car (XC) category will run together with the main cross kart category in the Swedish championship and the RallyX Nordic series. "We will visit some great tracks around Northern Europe as we focus on the RallyX Nordic series," Kevin Hansen mentioned. "We believe this is the perfect way for our drivers to get a taste for the real deal of Rallycross!"
The team will field the so-called 'Speedcar' in the beginning of the season and will later on introduce the new 'TN5 XC' developed by FIA XC Cross Car manufacturer LifeLive, the company of World Rally Championship driver Thierry Neuville and his brother Yannick [Neuville].
The 2019 Americas Rallycross Championship calendar has been revealed today (January 31). The championship promoted by IMG and only founded last year after the Global Rallycross Championship went out of business will see two new tracks joining the championship this year. The series will visit Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH twice and will travel to Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, IL both in the American Midwest. Apart from the newcomers, the events at Circuit Trois-Rivières in Trois-Rivières, Canada and at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX form also part of the championship's second season.
The 2019 calendar, including six ARX Supercar events and nine ARX2 events, looks as follows:
2019 Americas Rallycross Championship
ARX
08.06.-09.06. - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Lexington, OH - USA // Round 1
13.07.-14.07. - Gateway Motorsports Park - Madison, IL - USA // Rounds 2 & 3
03.08.-04.08. - Circuit Trois-Rivières - Trois-Rivières - Canada // Round 4
28.09.-28.09. - Circuit of The Americas - Austin, TX - USA // Round 5
05.10.-06.10. - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Lexington, OH - USA // Round 6
ARX2
08.06.-09.06. - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Lexington, OH - USA // Rounds 1 & 2
13.07.-14.07. - Gateway Motorsports Park - Madison, IL - USA // Rounds 3 & 4
03.08.-04.08. - Circuit Trois-Rivières - Trois-Rivières - Canada // Rounds 5 & 6
28.09.-28.09. - Circuit of The Americas - Austin, TX - USA // Round 7
05.10.-06.10. - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Lexington, OH - USA // Rounds 8 & 9
MJP Promotions, the promotor of the Global Rallycross Europe series, today (January 31) announced Hayden Paddon (31) from New Zealand as latest addition to the 2019 driver line-up. Paddon, who competed for Hyundai Motorsport in the FIA World Rally Championship the past five years will race in the GRC Titans category in a 'Pantera RX6' with a Hyundai i30 body kit.
Hayden Paddon: from WRC to GRC. (Photo: GRC)
Earlier this week Joel Christoffersson's JC Raceteknik announced that the 2018 drivers Ben-Philip Gundersen and Sondre Evjen will contiue for the team in 2019. Both Norwegians will participate in the 2019 RX2 International Series, the official supporting series to the FIA World Rallycross Championship. In addition, Gundersen and Evjen, joined by Swede Jimmie Walfridsson are the team's drivers for the upcoming 2019 RallyX Nordic series (Supercar Lites).
Ben-Philip Gundersen (left) and Sondre Evjen both continue for JC Raceteknik in 2019 targeting the RX2 International Series and the RallyX Nordic series. (Photo: Jan Kåre Rafoss)
JC Raceteknik also acquired two 2017 - former EKS - Audi S1 cars according to an earlier announcement to race in the Supercar category in 2019. However, championships or series and/or drivers for these cars were at the time of writing not yet revealed.
Hansen Motorsport, the team of multiple Rallycross Champion Kenneth Hansen, is participating in the 2019 Global Rallycross Europe series. The news was released today (January 11) by series promotor MJP Promotions. One of the announced drivers is Timmy Hansen (26), who was the runner-up in the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship and was until last season competing for Team Peugeot-Total in the World championship. He is joined by his younger brother Kevin Hansen (20), FIA European Rallycross Champion in 2016, who was also racing in last year's World championhip.
Kevin and Timmy Hansen announced their participation in the 2019 Global Rallycross Europe Series. (Photo: Janus Ree)
The Global Rallycross Europe series is open for Supercars (GRC Supercars category) and for the so-called GRC Titans category fielding 'Pantera RX6' cars. Each team participating in the series has to field a car in the Supercar class and the Titans class. Details about what car Hansen Motorsport will race were not revealed nevertheless we at rallycross.com understood that the team is planning to race the former Team Peugeot-Total Peugeot 208 cars in case they can successfull acquire the cars. As a worst case and/or fall back scenario MJP Racing Ford Fiestas Supercars will be rent out to the team.
Timmy and Kevin Hansen are the first names officially announced for the series that is supposed to have Finn Toomas Heikkinen and Austrian Alexander Wurz also as drivers.
The 2019 Global Rallycross Europe series season opener will take place at Dreux (Circuit de l'Ouest Parisien) in France on June 29-30.
Subaru of America, Inc. today (January 11) announced the addition of Rallycross driver Scott Speed to its 2019 Americas Rallycross Championship (ARX) driver lineup. The former Formula 1 driver won the Global Rallycross Championship three times (2017, 2016 and 2015) and was the winner of the last year's inaugural Americas Rallycross Championship.
Subaru Motorsports Rally Team USA will field three cars in the Americas Rallycross Championship in 2019 with Swede Patrik Sandell and Australian Chris Atkinson the other drivers in the team.
Scott Speed defends his Americas Rallycross Championship title in 2019 at the wheel of a Subaru. (Photo: Subaru)
This is a list of all Rallycross Events for the year 2019 that we know of. Some of the listed dates are not yet finally confirmed and we expect to see some changes of the dates in the near future. But as soon as we are notified of changed dates or new events, we will update this list.
Following all the news of different teams/manufacturers quitting the FIA World Rallycross Championship and/or sitting out the 2019 season, yesterday (December 21) a first team committed to the 2019 series. René Münnich's ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport announced an entry of a SEAT Ibiza for former DTM champion Timo Scheider. "Despite the withdrawal of some manufacturers, I firmly believe in the future of the World Rallycross Championship," team owner René Münnich said. "For private teams it provides a massive opportunity to showcase themselves on a global and professional platform with a huge following. I am delighted that Timo Scheider will be contesting his first full season in parallel with his commitments as a BMW works driver. He has quickly adapted to the demands of Rallycross and demonstrated his enormous potential on multiple occasions. I feel confident that we have a very good overall package and that we will be genuine contenders for top positions."
Timo Scheider will race in the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship. (Photo: Tom Banks)
Scheider debuted Rallycross back in 2015 in the team of René Münnich. "It was no secret that I was bitten by the Rallycross bug a long time ago," he said. "Consequently, I am more than happy to be entering my first full season as a member of Rene's strong squad. We have slightly restructured the team and are preparing for the new challenges with the utmost diligence and ambition."
Scheider will be joined by team owner René Münnich in selected events.
The 2019 season will go underway on April 5-6 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
MJP Promotions today (December 15) announced the calendar for the new Rallycross series (see news fvr/10/18/18) Global Rallycross Europe 2019.
"A lot of effort and coordination went into the planning to avoid overlap with WRX and RallyX races," said MJP Promotions CEO Max J. Pucher. "After signing with the Estering yesterday, we now only wait for the contract for France to be signed(*). We have already signed multi-year agreements with Nyirad and Lydden Hill." Earlier MJP Promotions signed also a deal with the Montalegre organizing club in Portugal after the latter was no longer granted an event in the FIA World Rallycross Championship.
The calendar (with five double header race weekends together with a Grand Finale) looks as follows:
2019 Global Rallycross Europe
29.06.-30.06. - Circuit de l'Ouest Parisien - Dreux - France
27.07.-28.07. - Lydden Hill Race Circuit - Wootton - England
10.08.-11.08. - Pista Automóvel de Montalegre - Montalegre - Portugal
07.09.-08.09. - MJP Racing Arena - Fuglau - Austria
05.10.-06.10. - Nyirádi Motorsport Centrum - Nyirád - Hungary
19.10.-20.10. - Estering - Buxtehude - Germany
Prior to the series start there will be a testing event on May 4-5 at Fuglau (MJP Racing Arena) in Austria.
(*) On December 29, 2018 the opening round at Dreux (Circuit de l'Ouest Parisien) was announced.
After first Audi and later on Peugeot (see news fvr/10/18/18) already said 'goodbye' to the FIA World Rallycross Championship, today (December 14) it was PSRX Volkswagen Sweden (the team of Petter Solberg and Johan Kristoffersson) and Volkswagen Motorsport who announced to sit out the 2019 series and to focus on 'other areas and disciplines' in Motorsport.
PSRX Volkswagen Motorsport was founded two years ago and won during the 2017 and 2018 season 19 events out of 24. Johan Kristoffersson won back-to-back World titles in the drivers' championship while the team won two titles in the teams' championship.
PSRX Volkswagen Sweden with drivers Petter Solberg and Johan Kristoffersson pauses its World RX programme for 2019. (Photo: Tony Welam)
"It's really sad, but the declining numbers of teams in the series makes it impossible for us to remain for 2019," said Team principal Pernilla Solberg. "In the past two years the competition in WRX between the cars from Audi, Ford, Peugeot and Volkswagen has been huge, resulting in fantastic sport with close racing between some of the most famous drivers in motorsport," added Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets. "Unfortunately, with the exit of three works or works-supported teams from World RX, the situation has changed dramatically. Together with PSRX and Volkswagen Sweden, we had to re-evaluate the involvement in the championship. We certainly didn't take the decision lightly, but we came to a mutual agreement not to continue in WRX in 2019 as there is huge uncertainty regarding the entries and the competition for next season. Naturally, Volkswagen Motorsport will keep a close eye on any developments towards the electrification of the sport of Rallycross. From the beginning we have been supporters of this initiative and we continue to be interested."
FIA World Rallycross Championship promotor IMG's Paul Bellamy (Senior Vice President Motorsports and World RX Managing Director at IMG) commented on the news: "Going into 2019, there is now a wide open field and a huge opportunity for existing and new teams to step up to the podium in one of the most exciting motorsports championships there is. We have a lot of young, talented drivers coming through and are in ongoing discussions with a number of new teams looking to enter the series, especially now that we've made the championship more affordable and competitive with 10 rounds. We remain in continuous discussions with a number of manufacturers, including Volkswagen, as we move towards an electric series with the FIA in 2021."
The 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship came formally to an end on Friday evening (December 7) during the 2018 FIA Prize Giving ceremony at Saint Petersburg.
The 2018 Drivers' and Teams' champions, Johan Kristoffersson and PSRX Volkswagen Sweden represented by Pernilla Solberg, collected the Trophies on the podium inside the Grand Hall of the historic Saint Petersburg Philharmonia.
PSRX Volkswagen Sweden's Pernilla Solberg together with Drivers' World champion Johan Kristoffersson. (Photo: FIA)
Kristoffersson won his second title in a row this season only missing out on a victory once in the 12-round-championship. "It's been an amazing season," Kristoffersson said after he received his Trophy out of the hands of FIA Vice President Mohammed bin Sulaymen. "It's tricky to get the feeling of how great it actually was. Going to every round with the target of being able to fight for the win but to be able to pull off 11 out of 12 in a sport like Rallycross, with the competition at the level it was this year, it shouldn't be possible to do it, but we did."
Also the drivers placed second and third in this years World championship, EKS Audi Sport's Mattias Ekström and Andreas Bakkerud, were honoroud on the podium in Saint Petersburg.
Andreas Bakkerud and Mattias Ekström. (Photo: FIA)
The calendar for the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship has been confirmed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council today (December 5) during a meeting held at Saint Petersburg. Compared to the calendar released by series promotor IMG on October 25 (see news fvr/10/25/28) two modifications have been applied. First of all the event scheduled initially for September 28-29, 2019 at Austin, TX will not count towards the 2019 World championship - it's planned to be Americas Rallycross Championship (ARX) only - bringing the total number of events back to ten. The date for the season finale in South Africa has been changed to November 9-10, 2019.
The WMSC also approved a number of other measures designed to more effectively control costs during the two-year transition to 'Electric Rallycross', apart from reducing the calendar to 10 rounds, also a new limit on the number of personnel per team and a shortening of the events to two days were confirmed.
The new calendar as confirmed by the FIA WMSC looks as follows:
2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship
05.04.-06.04. - Yas Marina Circuit - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates
27.04.-28.04. - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Montmeló - Spain
11.05.-12.05. - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - Francorchamps - Belgium
25.05.-26.05. - Silverstone Circuit - Silverstone - England
15.06.-16.06. - Lånkebanen - Hell - Norway
06.07.-07.07. - Höljesbanan - Höljes - Sweden
03.08.-04.08. - Circuit Trois-Rivières - Trois-Rivières - Canada
31.08.-01.09. - Circuit de Lohéac - Lohéac - France
14.09.-15.09. - Biķernieki Sport Complex - Riga - Latvia
09.11.-10.11. - Killarney Race Circuit - Cape Town - South Africa
The calendar for the 2019 RX2 International Series has been revealed today (November 27). Similar to this year the calendar counts seven events with the season opener next year in Barcelona and the season finale in South Africa. In between Spain and South Africa the Series will visit Belgium, England, Norway, Sweden and France.
The new calendar look as follows:
2019 RX2 International Series
27.04.-28.04. - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Montmeló - Spain
11.05.-12.05. - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - Francorchamps - Belgium
25.05.-26.05. - Silverstone Circuit - Silverstone - England
15.06.-16.06. - Lånkebanen - Hell - Norway
06.07.-07.07. - Höljesbanan - Höljes - Sweden
31.08.-01.09. - Circuit de Lohéac - Lohéac - France
(*) 30.11.-01.12. - Killarney Race Circuit - Cape Town - South Africa
09.11.-10.11.
(*) changed after the FIA WMSC meeting on December 5, 2018 at Saint Petersburg.
Johan Kristoffersson (VW Polo Mk5) won the final round of the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship today (November 25) at Killarney Raceway near Cape Town in South Africa. For the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver it was his eleventh win (out of twelve) and his ninth victory in a row. EKS Audi Sport drivers Mattias Ekström (Audi S1) and Andreas Bakkerud (Audi S1) secured themselves second and third place in the championship. Oliver Eriksson (RX2) became the winner of the 2018 RX2 International Series and got awarded with a Supercar drive in an event of next years World championship.
Johan Kristoffersson was once more the top qualifier during the last event of 2018. After a slow start with a technical issue during Q1 on Saturday, the Swede set fastest times in Q2 and in today's Q3 and Q4 sessions. Team Peugeot Total drivers Sébastien Loeb (Peugeot 208) - who was second fastest in both of today's qualifying sessions - and Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208) were placed second and third. Kristoffersson's teammate at PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Petter Solberg (VW Polo Mk5) was fourth in the intermediate classification ahead of Andreas Bakkerud (Audi S1).
Start of the Supercar final at Killarney International Raceway. (Photo: Tom Banks)
The first semi-final, with Johan Kristoffersson and Timmy Hansen on the front row, saw another lights-to-flag victory for Kristoffersson. Peugeot drivers Timmy Hansen and Kevin Hansen made it in second and third and got qualified for the final. Andreas Bakkerud was not able to finish his semi-final due to a broken steering after a collision with Kevin Hansen and therefore his teammate Mattias Ekström made the second place in the 2018 championship his. "Second is a fantastic result and a good end to a long season, in which Johan [Kristoffersson] was always a small step ahead," commented Ekström. "Even so, I'm extremely proud of the entire team. We extracted the maximum from our resources." In the second semi-final Solberg won it from Loeb and Ekström. The last final of the year had an all PSRX Volkswagen Sweden front row and a Team Peugeot Total second row. Kevin Hansen and Mattias Ekström completed the grid on the third row. During the start Kristoffersson was challenged by Solberg for a moment however the best start was made by Ekström who made if from the last row passed second row starters Hansen and Loeb. During the second lap it was game over for Petter Solberg and Timmy Hansen as both drivers for different reasons were forced to retire from the final. In the remaining laps Loeb pushed very hard in an attempt to get passed Ekström but the Swede was successfull in holding off the Frenchman. Kristoffersson won his eleventh race of the season and was joined on the podium by Ekström and Loeb, meaning that all three manufacturer backed teams were on the last podium of the season. In the final standings Kristoffersson (341 points) wins it from Ekström (248 points) and Bakkerud (237 points). The team championship went to PSRX Volkswagen Sweden (568 points) ahead of EKS Audi Sport (485 points) and Team Peugeot Total (421 points).
Winner of 2018 'World RX of South Africa' and 2018 FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson. (Photo: Tom Banks)
In the RX2 category Oliver Eriksson started the final event with a 14-point-lead on Belgian Guillaume De Ridder (RX2). Given the point scoring system this meant that Eriksson should be placed ahead of De Ridder in the intermediate classification to secure himself the title already before the semi-finals. Fastest times in qualifying were set by Ben-Philip Gundersen (RX2) in Q1 and Q4 and by Eriksson in Q2 and Q3. Gundersen was the top qualifier ahead of De Ridder and Eriksson. De Ridder set a second fastest time and two times a third fastest times during Q1, Q2 and Q3 while for his Q4 race a re-run (after a red flag) was ordered. After the re-run - won by De Ridder - he received a five seconds time penalty from the Stewards of the Meeting for going off track limits at turn seven, however, the Stewards decision did not impact the intermediate classification for the Belgian.
The decision for the title was therefore carried over to the semi-finals. Eriksson was out on the track during the first semi-final and won it. Afterwards, in the second semi-final, De Ridder didn't made the start of it nevertheless his car was on the grid initially. Qualifiers for the final following the first semi-final were eventually Eriksson, Ben-Philip Gundersen and Sami-Matti Trogen (RX2). Vasiliy Gryazin (RX2) won the second semi-final and together with William Nilsson (RX2) and Sondre Evjen (RX2) they made it through to the final. The final saw Eriksson winning the start and going into the lead in an attempt to finish the season in style. Unfortunately in the second lap the car stopped and the 2018 series winner was forced to record a DNF. After six laps on the track Gundersen won the final from his countryman Sondre Evjen. Russian Vasiliy Gryazin joined the two Norwegians on the final RX2 podium of the season. In the final standings Eriksson is on top with 175 points ahead of De Ridder (156 points) and Henrik Krogstad (121 points).
The 2018 RX2 International Series podium with from left to right: runner-up Guillaume De Ridder, series winner Oliver Eriksson and Henrik Krogstad. (Photo: Jakub Nitka)
The next round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship - the opening round of the 2019 season - is set to take place at the Yas Marina Circuit at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on April 5-6, 2019.
Results - FIA World Rallycross Championship 2018 - Round 12
Supercar
| 1. Johan Kristoffersson (S), VW Polo Mk5 2. Mattias Ekström (S), Audi S1 3. Sébastien Loeb (F), Peugeot 208 4. Kevin Hansen (S), Peugeot 208 5. Petter Solberg (N), VW Polo Mk5 - DNF 6. Timmy Hansen (S), Peugeot 208 - DNF |
Final standings: 1. Johan Kristoffersson (S) 341 2. Mattias Ekström (S) 248 3. Andreas Bakkerud (N) 237 |
Second place today and second in the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship: Mattias Ekström (Audi S1). (Photo: Malte Christians)
Results - RX2 International Series 2018 - Round 7
RX2
| 1. Ben-Philip Gundersen (N), RX2 2. Sondre Evjen (N), RX2 3. Vasiliy Gryazin (RUS), RX2 4. William Nilsson (S), RX2 5. Sami-Matti Trogen (FIN), RX2 6. Oliver Eriksson (S), RX2 - DNF |
Final standings: 1. Oliver Eriksson (S) 175 2. Guillaume De Ridder (B) 156 3. Henrik Krogstad (N) 121 |
Ben-Philip Gundersen (RX2) won the final race of the season in the RX2 category. (Photo: Jakub Nitka)
The results and standings sections after the 12th round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship 2018 and the 7th round of the RX2 International Series 2018 at Cape Town (Killarney International Raceway) are up to date now.
In South Africa at Killarney International Raceway near Cape Town, the final round of the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship went underway this morning (November 24). With the championship decided it's all about who will earn this years World RX silver and bronze. Before 'World RX of South Africa' both Audi EKS Sport drivers Mattias Ekström (Audi S1) and Andreas Bakkerud (Audi S1) are in second (228 points) and third (224 points) behind champion Johan Kristoffersson (VW Polo Mk5). Fourth and fifth and mathematically still in the running for second place in the championship are Petter Solberg (VW Polo Mk5) and Sébastien Loeb (Peugeot 208). Solberg is fourth with 206 points after he got penalized with 15 championship points for using a third engine this season. Loeb, who is the only driver apart from Kristoffersson who won a World RX event in 2018 so far, totalized 205 points prior to this weekend's race.
Mattias Ekström (Audi S1) is currently second in the championship. (Photo: Tom Banks)
It was the Frenchman who set the fastest time in Q1 ahead of his teammate Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208). Andreas Bakkerud signed for the third fastest time. Johan Kristoffersson spun his car and was dealing with technical issues afterwards resulting in only a 16th time in Q1. During Q2 it was business as usual for Kristoffersson with setting the fastest time. Teammate Solberg, who was out on the track during the final Q2 race, was second fastest. Ekström, Timmy Hansen and Bakkerud completed the top five in Q2. Sébastien Loeb, who was sixth in Q2, holds the overnight lead with Petter Solberg and Loeb's teammate Timmy Hansen on respectively second and third. "The second heat was okay," said Loeb. "I didn't have the best start, Petter [Solberg] had a magic start and he took the lead in the first corner. I struggled a bit in the traffic and then I was in the dust but overall I'm still at the top so it's a good start of the weekend." EKS Audi Sport drivers Ekström and Bakkerud are in fourth and fifth before Q3.
Sébastien Loeb (Peugeot 208) is leading it in South Africa after the first day of the final round of the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship. (Photo: Tom Banks)
In the supporting RX2 International Series the title will be decided this weekend during the seventh round among Oliver Eriksson (RX2), current points leader, and Guillaume De Ridder (RX2). Both Olsbergs/MSE drivers are separated by 14 championship points while there are still 30 points up for grabs. In Q1 Ben-Philip Gundersen (RX2) was quickest ahead of Sami-Matti Trogen (RX2) and De Ridder. Eriksson, who went very wide in the first turn, was only 11th in Q1. However, in Q2 the Swede set the fastest time with Gundersen and De Ridder classified as second and third. Following the Q1 and Q2 results Ben-Philip Gundersen holds the overnight lead ahead of both title contenders Guillaume De Ridder and Oliver Eriksson.
Racing action at Killarney International Raceway resumes Sunday morning at 9am local time with a warm-up session followed by the remaining qualifying sessions, the semi-finals and the finals.
Results - FIA World Rallycross Championship 2018 - Round 12
Supercar (after Q2)
| 1. Sébastien Loeb (F), Peugeot 208 2. Petter Solberg (N), VW Polo Mk5 3. Timmy Hansen (S), Peugeot 208 4. Andreas Bakkerud (N), Audi S1 5. Mattias Ekström (S), Audi S1 6. Johan Kristoffersson (S), VW Polo Mk5 7. Kevin Hansen (S), Peugeot 208 8. Jānis Baumanis (LV), Ford Fiesta Mk7 etc. |
Petter Solberg (VW Polo Mk5) is second on Saturday evening. (Photo: Tom Banks)
Results - RX2 International Series 2018 - Round 7
RX2 (after Q2)
| 1. Ben-Philip Gundersen (N), RX2 2. Guillaume De Ridder (B), RX2 3. Oliver Eriksson (S), RX2 4. Sami-Matti Trogen (FIN), RX2 5. Vasiliy Gryazin (RUS), RX2 6. Henrik Krogstad (N), RX2 7. Conner Martell (USA), RX2 8. Jami Kalliomäki (FIN), RX2 etc. |
The Scandinavian 'RallyX on Ice' series wil return in 2019 with three events taking place at Åre in Sweden.
The 2019 season will take the form of a week-long ice racing festival at ski resort Åre, as part of a four-year-deal with the Swedish winter sports venue. "A lot of hard work has gone into securing the use of the venue at Åre," RallyX on Ice CEO Andréas Eriksson said. "Our partners share our vision of fossil-free motorsport and are excited about the introduction of all-electric vehicles in the coming years."
For 2019 three rounds are scheduled over six days, from March 18th (Monday) to March 23rd (Saturday) on three different purpose build tracks. The events will be based around the Holiday Club Åre resort located on the shore of Lake Åre.
The 2019 RallyX on Ice series will consist of three events taking place at Åre in Sweden. (Photo: © Jakub Nitka)
The new calendar looks as follows:
2019 RallyX on Ice
18.03. - Holiday Club Åre resort - Åre - Sweden
20.03. - Holiday Club Åre resort - Åre - Sweden
23.03. - Holiday Club Åre resort - Åre - Sweden
The 2019 MSA British Rallycross Championship will consist of eight events spread out over seven six (*) race weekends. The championships gets underway in the end of March at the World RX track at Silverstone and is concluded at Croft Circuit in the end of October.
The new calendar looks as follows:
2019 MSA British Rallycross Championship
24.03. - Silverstone Circuit - Silverstone - England
22.04. - Lydden Hill Race Circuit - Wootton - England
22.06. - Pembrey Circuit - Llanelli - Wales
23.06. - Pembrey Circuit - Llanelli - Wales
26.08. - Lydden Hill Race Circuit - Wootton - England
(*)
08.09. - Croft Circuit - Croft on Tees - England
(*) 21.09. - 22.09. - Pembrey Circuit - Llanelli - Wales
(*) 26.10. - Croft Circuit - Croft on Tees - England
27.10. - Croft Circuit - Croft on Tees - England
(*) Update fvr/01/06/19
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