Monday 15 October 2018

Niclas Grönholm take fourth place in the World RX of Germany.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIAWorldRallycross.com
After an eventful World RX of Germany, GRX Taneco's Niclas Grönholm claimed fourth place, while teammate Timur Timerzyanov was disqualified.   

Niclas Grönholm banked P5 in Q1. In Q2, he claimed seventh place overall. Meanwhile his teammate, Timur Timerzyanov had a challenging start and ended Q1 in 15th place. The second qualifier got off to a flier but a mistake in the joker lap, saw Timur hit the concrete barrier putting an end to his session. 

“So disappointing after such a good start! I got stuck in the traffic so the joker was the best option.But I hit the wall and damaged the car so that’s it for today [Saturday],” said Timerzyanov.

With a clean slate on Sunday, Timur was ready to make amends for his Q2 error. He won the Q3 heat and was ranked 12th overall. 

The Russian showed incredible pace in Q4 and pulled off a superb overtake on Kevin Eriksson. He moving him up the standings from 19th to 14th overall. However, he was disqualified from Q3 for having accidentally changed his car’s setting, which sent him to the bottom of the table in 20th place. 

GRX Taneco's Timur Timerzyanov
PHOTO CREDIT: FIAWorldRallycross.com
So, despite some great driving, it was a weekend to forget for the Russian. “It’s not what we were hoping for,” said Timerzyanov. "On the first corner, Cyril Raymond and I nudged each other and in my haste to right the car, I accidentally touched a button that changes the settings, which is not allowed. Rules are rules." 

With one round to go, the Russian targets a better result. "I’m just looking forward to the last round of the season. I’ll prepare as best I can to try and get a good result in Cape Town,” he concludes.

Niclas Grönholm’s consistency earned him fourth and sixth place in the qualifying heats, and sixth place overall meant a second-row slot in the semi-final. “Everything has gone well up to now," said Grönholm. "We haven’t had any issues so far, so I’ll apply the same tactics in the semi-final.”

Having negotiated the first corner with the leaders in the semi-final, Niclas dropped a few places and in the end claimed third place. 

The final was red flagged due to an accident involving Kevin Hansen, but, unperturbed, the Finn took fourth place for the third time this season. “Overall, it was a good weekend!," says Grönholm. 

"Qualifying for the final and finishing fourth is a good result, but I admit I was hoping for better. I really wanted to be on the podium this time, but it wasn’t to be. We’ve got one race left to go and I hope I’ll be able to finish the season in style,” he concluded. 

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