PREVIEW - Rivals ready to launch fight back in France after consecutive Hansen wins.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Following a two-year absence, the FIA World Rallycross Championship returns to one of the most iconic venues for the World RX of Lohéac this weekend – with thrilling door-to-door duels in prospect.

The opening two rounds of the season have each resulted in a Hansen World RX Team one-two – with Kevin Hansen triumphing in the Catalunya curtain-raiser, and older brother Timmy returning the favour on home soil at Höljes just over a week ago.

That means the 2019 World Champion arrives at Lohéac with a six-point championship lead over his younger sibling. 

Timmy Hansen has already won the event twice, while Kevin has reached the podium there two years ago, and both are firmly focussed on maintaining their current momentum.

Their closest rival on pace so far this season has been Johan Kristoffersson, but the Swede was out of luck in Spain and Sweden, being disqualified from Q1 (in Spain) after his data-logger was found not to have been connected and falling victim to a double puncture in the semi-finals in Höljes.

This means he is playing catch-up with KYB EKS JC, but the three-time World Champion went unbeaten at Lohéac from 2016 to 2018, so if anybody can overturn the deficit this weekend, it is him.

Another driver that truly took the fight to the Hansen brothers last time out in Sweden is Kevin Abbring, who unleashed race-winning pace. Only traffic prevented the Dutchman from launching a bid for victory, leaving him fired up to fulfill his potential on his team’s home turf.

Niclas Grönholm and Krisztián Szabó (GRX-SET) have encountered contrasting fortunes over the first two rounds. The Finn has been fast but has rarely had luck on his side, while his Hungarian team-mate bagged back-to-back fourth-place finishes to get his season off to a solid start.

Timo Scheider returns with ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport and will be looking to convert the strong form he displayed in Barcelona last month into a good result in France.

Enzo Ide, in the second KYB EKS JC Audi S1 Quattro looks to make more progress this time out, whilst there are two new entrants. Ollie O’Donovan (2007 British Rallycross Champion) in a Ford Fiesta and Hervé Knapick in his Citroën DS3.

THE TRACK:

Along with the previous round at Höljes, Lohéac is widely considered one of the two ‘crown jewel’ events of World Rallycross. Unlike Höljes though, it’s less technical and less undulating.

That doesn’t mean the 1.07-kilometer track lacks a punch – rather the track is not forgiving for those who stray even slightly off-line or brake a little too late. And if it rains, all bets are off – the second half of the lap will become highly unpredictable.

Track Length: 1.070km

2020 Winners: Timmy Hansen (Team Hansen MJP)

Fastest lap: Timmy Hansen 35.843s

Asphalt/Dirt: 33%/67%

Joker Lap Loss: 1.3 seconds (approximately)

2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship standings (drivers):

Timmy Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 57 pts

Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 51 points

Krizstian Szabo (GRX-SET) 40 pts

Kevin Abbring (UNKORRUPTED) 37 pts

Johan Kristoffersson (KYB EKS JC) 37 pts

Niclas Gronholm (GRX-SET) 28 pts

Enzo Ide (KYB EKS JC) 25 pts

Juha Rytkonen 25 pts

Rene Munnich (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 16 pts

Timo Scheider (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 15 pts

Attila Mozer 13 pts

Peter Hedstrom 11pts

Tamas Karai 9 pts

Oliver Bennett (Xite Racing Team) 8 pts

Mandie August (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 4 pts

Patrick Guillerme 2 pts

Dan Oberg 1 pt

Round 3 World RX of France Schedule (CET Times)

SATURDAY:

PRACTICE: 09:00

Q1: 14:00

Q2: 17:00

SUNDAY:

WARM-UP: 08:30

Q3: 10:30

Q4: 14:30

Semi-Finals and Final: (from) 17:00 

Grid Wrap Up Show: 18:00 [RX+ only]

FREE LIVESTREAM

Red Bull TV (FINALS) at 17:00 (subject to change) - https://www.redbull.com/int-en/events/fia-world-rallycross-championship-france

Arpin joins forces with GRX for Nitro RX campaign.

PHOTO CREDIT: Grönholm RX

Grönholm RX has announced its intent to field a Hyundai i20 in this year's Nitro Rallycross Championship, forming from a new partnership with Steve Arpin and Loenbro Motorsports.  

Arpin has enjoyed a lengthy career in motorsport, switching from Dirt Racing to NASCAR before making the transition to rallycross in 2013. In his first two years in rallycross, the Canadian drove an OMSE Fiesta ST before switching to Chip Ganassi Racing in the same machinery. 

Loenbro Motorsports then ran the Ford Fiesta ST for Arpin before a move to the factory-developed Focus R.S. RX in 2018, but the performance wasn't there, which meant the team switched back to the Fiesta for the 2019 season in Nitro RX. 

A change of scenery will see Loenbro Motorsport and GRX combine assets for the joint venture, GRX Loenbro.  

Grönholm RX has operated their Hyundai i20 RX Supercars since 2018, claiming wins and podiums in both the FIA World Rallycross Championship and RallyX Nordic. 

"I’m pumped to been able to put this partnership together with GRX! As with everything we do, it’s all about the people," Arpin said. 

"I’ve known Jussi Pinomäki since my first event in rallycross when we were able to work together in Brazil and I’ve got a ton of respect for him. To be able to team up with him and utilize his knowledge in the sport as well as Marcus and Niclas Grönholm and everything they’ve accomplished is a great opportunity for all of us."

Jussi Pinomäki, GRX team principal, added: “Since I first worked with Steve not only has he become one of the top drivers in rallycross, but he has developed a similar passion for the sport to the feeling we have at GRX. We’re very excited to be partnering Steve and the Loenbro team for this new championship, with its fresh vision, new tracks, and an interesting field of drivers and cars. We are all very competitive people, so as always we are working hard to achieve the best possible results this fall.”

Together, the GRX Loenbro venture will take on some of the biggest names in rallycross, in terms of both drivers and teams from the US and Europe in the first full Nitro RX season, which begins at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Salt Lake City on September 24 – 25, before further rounds at ERX Motor Park in Minneapolis (October 2 – 3), Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Phoenix (November 13 – 14), Glen Helen Raceway, Southern California (November 20 – 21) and The Firm, North Florida (December 4 – 5).

PREVIEW - The Championship battle heats up in Höljes.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

The FIA World Rallycross Championship heats up, as homegrown heroes Kevin Hansen, Timmy Hansen, and Johan Kristoffersson arrive on home turf for round two of the season at Höljes this weekend (20-22 August). 

One of the world’s most iconic rallycross tracks, Höljes is nestled deep in the Värmland forest not far from the Norwegian border has been a popular World Championship fixture ever since the series’ inception back in 2014.

Kevin Hansen currently leads the championship heading into the Swecon World RX of Sweden, having overcome older brother Timmy and Johan Kristoffersson in the final at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last month to claim a second career victory at the pinnacle of rallycross. 

The Hansen World RX Team driver is a multiple winner at Höljes at European level and has been a podium-finisher in the World Championship event held at the circuit in each of the past two seasons, taking the chequered flag second on both occasions. 

The Swede will be targeting the very highest step next weekend as he bids to extend his advantage.

"Our development over the winter was focussed more on tracks like Höljes rather than Barcelona, so we are hopeful of having made a solid improvement from last year’s event. We know we have a good car, and we have a good feeling right now," Hansen said. 

"For sure, the competition is going to be extremely tough and it’s going to be the usual suspects at the front so it will all come down to getting a good start to the weekend and then maintaining that form. It’s heading down and all about the details from this point on."

The championship leader will not have it easy, however, his two closest pursuers are both world champions – Timmy Hansen in 2019 and Kristoffersson in 2017, 2018, and 2020. His elder brother is just two points adrift, and having not reached the podium at Höljes since 2016, will be particularly fired up to turn the tables and seize the initiative in the chase for the coveted crown.

The three-time World Champion Kristoffersson, by contrast, knows just what it takes to win around the challenging Höljesbanan circuit, having done so in each of his title-winning years. 

In only his second full season, Krisztían Szabó occupies the fourth spot in the Drivers’ standings for GRX-SET World RX Team following a solid season-opener.

Team-mate Grönholm, meanwhile, needs a good result after his Spanish weekend ended in the semi-final when he was turned into the barrier at turn 2. 

Fellow countryman Juha Rytkönen will be bidding to replicate the scene-stealing performance he produced on his dazzling World RX debut at Kouvola last summer when he took the fight to Kristoffersson in the final, whilst UNKORRUPTED's Kevin Abbring showed a decent turn of form in Barcelona behind the wheel of his Renault Mégane R.S. RX.

The dark horse, however, is undoubtedly Peter Hedström, who has a GRX-SET prepared Hyundai i20 at his disposal and reckons he has the best chance of his career to-date to cause a stir, particularly if rains.

THE TRACK:

Höljesbanan is an undisputed icon of rallycross, featuring a mix of almost everything. It’s a track of two halves; the first twisty and quite technical, the second half a sprint back to the finish line.

Track Length: 1.210m

2020 Winners: Round 1 - Johan Kristoffersson

                        Round 2 - Mattias Ekstrom

Fastest lap: Kevin Abbring 42.432s

Asphalt/Dirt: 60%/40%

Joker Lap Loss: 2.8 seconds (approximately)

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media

2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship standings (drivers):

Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 29 points

Timmy Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 27 pts

Johan Kristoffersson (KYB EKS JC) 20 pts

Krizstian Szabo (GRX-SET) 20 pts

Rene Munnich (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 16 pts

Timo Scheider (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 15 pts

Kevin Abbring (UNKORRUPTED) 14 pts

Niclas Gronholm (GRX-SET) 14 pts

Juha Rytkonen 10 pts

Enzo Ide (KYB EKS JC) 9 pts

Tamas Karai 9 pts

Oliver Bennett (Xite Racing Team) 8 pts

Mandie August (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 4 pts

Attila Mozer 3 pts

Patrick Guillerme 2 pts

Dan Oberg 1 pts

Rounds 2 World RX of Sweden Schedule (CET Times)

SATURDAY:

Q1: 14:30

Q2: 17:00

SUNDAY:

Q3: 11:00

Q4: 14:30

Semi-Finals and Final: (from) 17:00 

Grid Wrap Up Show: 18:00 RX+ only

FREE LIVESTREAM

Red Bull TV (FINALS) at 18:45 UTC+2 (subject to change) - https://www.redbull.com/int-en/events/fia-world-rallycross-championship-sweden

Szabó claims best-ever World RX finish, as Grönholm crashes out.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX-SET World RX Team

Hungarian Krisztián Szabó claimed a career-best result at round one of the 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona. 

Starting his first full season with the GRX-SET World RX Team, Krisztian improved every time he went on track through the course of the event, and from the second row of the semi-final grid, he then started on the second row of the final on his way to fourth.

"To be fourth in the final is my best result in World RX so that is very good as a start to the new season, and hopefully next time I can take a step higher onto the podium," Szabó said. "I’m finding more confidence in the car all the time, I’m finding more rhythm in myself and we fine-tuned the car through the weekend. The pace in the semi-final was fast, then in the final, I missed a little, but the guys in front of me were the very fast guys in the championship, so I am pleased."

Teammate Grönholm on the other hand had a difficult weekend, despite the Finn battling hard and delivering a strong performance to make the best of a challenging situation. He carried a small technical issue from the opening practice sessions that despite all of the experience of the Gronholm RX and SET Promotion engineers, couldn’t be resolved at the circuit.

Marcus Grönholm hinted that his son suffered from anti-lag and turbo issues, which the team later refuted. 

Despite that, Niclas delivered fast lap times, and managed to qualify fourth overall for the semi-finals, only for the weekend to be compounded by contact that sent him into a concrete wall at the second corner of the semi, putting him out and with damaged the car.

"It was a difficult weekend overall. I struggled since practice with finding pace in the car and driver. I think we found a bit more pace for Saturday, the car was feeling a bit more how I wanted and we were doing a bit better launches, but ultimately, we didn’t really have enough at any point in the weekend to close the gap to the top spots," Grönholm said. "It sadly ended in the semi-final with a crash into the wall. The car is in quite bad condition now, but we will fight back."

Jussi Pinomäki (team principal) has been left impressed by Krisztián Szabó's performance at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona.

"Krisztian did a solid job for himself and the team this weekend. He proved that with a little more experience racing against the competition he can be right up there fighting for podiums on a regular basis, so I am pleased with his performance," he said.

Whilst his team did not achieve their desired results this weekend, the Finn admits that his team will do everything they need to, to be ready for round 2 in Holjes next month. 

"As a team we have high hopes for World RX this year and with Niclas missing a bit of the pace we expected, it didn’t go to plan at all," Pinomäki said. "But, it’s not how or why you go down, it’s how you pick yourself back up again that counts and we have a great group of guys who I know will do everything we need to do in this short gap now before the next race in Sweden to make sure we are as ready as we can be."

Timerzyanov to miss World RX of Catalunya curtain-raiser due to COVID-19.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media

Timur Timerzyanov will miss this weekend’s FIA World Rallycross Championship curtain-raiser in Barcelona after testing positive for COVID-19. 

The Russian is one of the most experienced drivers of the current rallycross generation - and, one of only three to have contested every World Championship event to date since the series' inception back in 2014. 

Whilst racing alongside Niclas Grönholm for the past three seasons, due to budgetary issues related to the global pandemic. The 34-year-old was unable to secure a full-time seat with the GRX-SET World RX Team for the 2021 season. However, he was able to secure a seat in the third Hyundai i20 for selected outings.

All roads led to Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona for the curtain-raiser this weekend, but unfortunately, Timerzyanov will not make this grid this weekend. 

"Sadly, Timur is unable to race this weekend due to COVID, but he is doing well and we wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him later in the season," the FIA World Rallycross Championship statement read. 

GRX-SET and Timerzyanov are yet to release a statement.

Grönholm targets a "good start to the season" in Catalunya curtain-raiser.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX-SET

Same same, but different... a new name and livery, but same team and dream. Yes, the name we've been accustomed to over the last few years "GRX Taneco" has changed to the GRX-SET World RX Team for the 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship. 

It's been three years since the team made their debut appearance in the FIA World Rallycross Championship, and since then we've seen the rapid progression of the team from seventh overall to fourth in 2020. 

Whilst 2020 was challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season got underway eventually, and ended up being a Kristoffersson/Ekstrom fight, but Niclas was never too far away to capitalize on any mistake. He proves this in Kouvola beating Kristoffersson to claim his one and only win last year. 

Having finished fourth in the drivers' standings in 2019 and 2020, the only way is forward for the Finnish squad. 

Recently, the team completed testing in Inkoo, Finland in preparation for the season ahead, and with the new season ahead, comes a striking new look. Yes, the GRX-SET World RX Team has unveiled their livery(ries) for the 2021 season. 

Out with the old and in with the new... it's a concept that at times is hard to grasp, but with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Timur Timerzyanov will not return for the full season and will be replaced by Krisztian Szabo this year. It's not all doom and gloom though because the Russian will return for selected outings this season. He will take the wheel of the third Hyundai i20 in Barcelona this coming weekend (his first outing). 

New look for the 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship. Red is Gronholm and Green for Szabo.
PHOTO CREDIT: GRX-SET

Niclas Grönholm enters his sixth World RX season and has his eyes firmly set on the title in 2021, having claimed event wins in each of the last two campaigns. 

"Testing has gone very well and I’m very happy with the progress we’ve made. The feeling is good in the car, I could almost say that it's better than ever but we will see in Barcelona where we are with the pace," Grönholm said. "The track there is quite okay, not one of my favourites but quite enjoyable when you get it right."

"The goal is clear for this weekend, to finish in the top three to get a good start to the season. And the new livery, it’s nice! Quite similar to last year but a bit more simple - I like it!"

Alongside Niclas this season is double European Rallycross Champion, Krisztian Szabo, who is contesting his second full World RX campaign in 2021, having raced with the GRX-SET team in selected events last season.

"I like the track in Barcelona. I’ve never won there but I’ve had some good results back in my Super1600 (RX3) years. I love the circuit part of the track, and discovered the rhythm and tricks of it," Szabo said. 

The Hungarian impressed in a recent RallyX Nordic appearance in the car and will be one to watch this season.

"I’ve had the chance to drive the car quite a lot in the off-season, the RallyX Nordic race at Holjes was very useful and we did a two-day test last week specifically for Barcelona," he adds. "I feel myself, the team and the car are ready for the season-opener, but I don’t want to put pressure on myself with any expectations before we know anything about the other competitors."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Grönholm and Szabó join forces to fight World RX title glory.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic

Niclas Grönholm and Krisztián Szabó will join forces for the 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship, as the GRX-SET WORLD RX TEAM sets their sights on championship glory. 

Grönholm – the son of two-time FIA World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm - has enjoyed a lengthy career in World RX since making his debut in 2015. He returned for the full 2016 campaign with Olsbergs MSE, before switching to his family-run GRX squad in 2017 behind the wheel of a Hyundai i20 Supercar. 

The team took a significant step forward in 2018, as they progressed to the final on four occasions with a newly developed Hyundai i20, which paved the way for a full title fight the following season. They went on to clinch three wins and four podium finishes, on course to second in the teams' championship standings. 

It's also worth noting that had Niclas not missed two rounds due to appendicitis, he could have challenged for the championship having ended the season just 25 points shy of the drivers' title. He claimed another race win in Kouvola, Finland holding off a fast-charging Kristoffersson to cement a fourth overall spot in the standings. 

The GRX squad used the off-season to test the new developments of their Hyundai i20 entering RallyX Nordic in Höljes. An event that saw Niclas walk away with two wins, whilst newly announced team-mate Szabó claimed a third-place finish. 

The 25-year-old returned for his home round at Ouluzone (Finland) and went on to claim yet another win ahead of three-time World RX champion Johan Kristoffersson. 

Having had a successful test program in RallyX Nordic, GRX-SET World RX Team now has a thorough understanding of how to extract maximum performance from their Hyundai i20 Supercars.

Grönholm admits that he is ready to fight for the biggest prize in international rallycross - the World Rallycross Championship crown. 

"My hopes for this season are quite simple – to fight for the championship. Last year was difficult, but I think we learned a lot and we are going in the right direction at the moment. We have done a lot of experiments with the car and found some good things, as well as some areas to work on," Niclas Grönholm said.

"I expect the competition to be similar to the 2019 and 2020 seasons – nothing will be won easily. We will need to be ready to fight and put in the work required at every round to have a chance to win. The events I’m most looking forward to are Sweden and Portugal – the tracks there are so nice – but also the Nürburgring because it’s new for everybody and nobody knows what to expect, which always makes things interesting."

His team-mate in 2021, Krisztián Szabó has enjoyed a lot of success in his junior career. He clinched his first car racing title at the age of 16 in the Hungarian Autocross Championship in 2008. 

He had further success in the FIA Junior Buggy championship in 2009 and 2009, before stepping up to the Buggy1600 category, where he claimed third in the European Championship in 2013. 

2014 saw the Hungarian make the switch rallycross, making his debut in the FIA European Rallycross Championship's Super1600 class. A year later, he claimed a third-place finish in the championship, setting the scene for consecutive Euro RX Super1600 crowns in 2016 and 2017. 

The 29-year-old then entered two Euro RX rounds in 2018 with Mattias Esktröm’s EKS Audi Sport squad with a second-place finish in Lohéac before making the switch to World RX a year later with EKS Sport, and despite a challenging season, he went on to claim tenth overall in the championship. 

Left without a season for the 2020 season, he joined up with the GRX-SET team for the Swedish and Latvian rounds progressing to the semi-finals on both occasions, but in 2021, he will return for the full campaign. 

"I’m very happy that I can continue with this great team, especially under [Team Principal] Jussi Pinomäki, and I’m even more pumped that I can finally play a part in fighting for the Teams’ championship. The Hyundai is very good – I love it – and it’s really great to work with Niclas; I can learn a lot from him and everyone in the team," Krisztián Szabó said.

"It’s hard to know where we will be, but I’m pretty optimistic that we will be fast this year. My personal aim for the season is to have strong and stable results and to be in the final as much as possible. After the first few rounds, we will know better where we are compared to the others and what we can aim for overall, but I believe we can be very strong contenders this year."

There is no doubt that it has a challenging road trying to secure the necessary funding to compete at World Championship level, due to the current economic climate, but with hard work, the Finnish squad will return in 2021 with one aim in mind, and that is to challenge for the drivers' and teams' championship.

Jussi Pinomäki admits that returning to the championship with Niclas and Krisztián can help the team deliver on their potential. 

“We have worked hard to be able to return this year, and it’s brilliant to do that with Niclas and Krisztián. I think together they can help us to deliver our potential at every event," Jussi Pinomäki, Team Principal, GRX-SET WORLD RX TEAM, said. "As Niclas says, nothing comes easy, especially at this level, but I’m very proud of our hard-working team and we will be doing everything we can to achieve the best results possible."

Today's announcement means that after three years with Grönholm RX team, Timur Timerzyanov will not return in 2021. 

Kristoffersson and Grönholm rivalry set to continue in RallyX Nordic.

PHOTO CREDIT: Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS.

Johan Kristoffersson and Niclas Grönholm are set to go head-to-head once again when the RallyX Nordic series returns next weekend in Finland. 

Fresh off the back of a thrilling duel in Höljes last time out, it was Niclas Grönholm who stood out above the pack winning Rounds 3 and 4 at the iconic Värmland circuit behind the wheel of his 2021 World RX specification Hyundai i20.

Whilst it all went to plan for Niclas, Kristoffersson on the other hand had to deal with a few mechanical issues, as well as a puncture in the semi-final of Round 3, but despite that, he bounced back pretty well and fought his Finnish rival all the way to the checkered flag in Round 4.

Kristoffersson's fightback on home soil ensured that he remained at the top of the Supercar championship standings. 

And, guess what? They are back for me! Both Kristoffersson and Grönholm are confirmed for the Finnish double-header next weekend. These top-flight World RX drivers will undoubtedly bang doors once again when RallyX Nordic heads to Finland, a track Niclas has visited previously.

"It's a new course for me. Based on the videos I have seen, it is a very circuit-like track," Kristoffersson said. "Maybe not what our car likes most, but we have to make some adjustments and see what we can conjure up. Above all, we have to get the starts in order."

Having finished behind Grönholm in Höljes, the Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS driver will be on a mission to beat his Finnish rival.

"[It's] time for revenge! We were beaten last time, but it's great to get another chance to try ourselves at the highest level. I always enjoy tough competition. It also makes winning more fun," Kristoffersson adds.

The three-time World RX champion admits that he needs to continue to collect points without taking any major risks if he is to maintain the championship lead. Whilst Niclas will have other plans in mind. 

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic.

Grönholm RX has often used the RallyX Nordic series in preparation for the World Rallycross Championship, and this year it's no different. The Finnish squad will be hoping to keep the victory streak alive.

"We all had a good time racing in Sweden recently and importantly we were able to try a number of different things through the weekend," Jussi Pinomaki, GRX Team Manager, said. 

"We are all racers in the team and competing is what we love to do so when the opportunity came up to once again race in RallyX Nordic with Niclas in our ‘home’ rounds at Oulu, we were keen to make that happen.

"There is some strong competition in RallyX Nordic so it’s a good way to continue preparing for our plans this season, not only on track but operationally for the team too."

It's still all to play for with three rounds remaining, but it's fair to say that Kristoffersson will be both the hunter and hunted in Finland. 

Kristoffersson extends lead despite challenging Höljes double-header.

PHOTO CREDIT: Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS/QNIGAN

Johan Kristoffersson extended his RallyX Nordic championship advantage over Fraser McConnell this weekend, after a challenging weekend in Höljes.

The 32-year-old failed to make the final on Thursday (round 3) after a puncture, which saw him eliminated in the semi-finals. 

Returning a few days later, he was on a mission... and despite challenging weather conditions, it did not quite turn out the way he had hoped for. 

He struggled with starts and clinched third place overall on Saturday afternoon (in Q1 and Q2). 

"The starts weren't good enough - at all - and that's the most important detail in rallycross," Kristoffersson said.

The dawn of a new day ushered in new opportunities, and yet more changeable weather conditions. The third and fourth qualifying rounds ended in the same vein. Johan once again had problems with the starts, but he offered effective joker actions and a great overtaking display. After the qualifiers, Kristoffersson had still managed to secure a place at the front row for the second semi-final. 

"We had no really big problems, but far too many for us to be able to challenge the World RX cars," he explained.

Even in the semi-finals, Krisztian Szabo had the best start and immediately shut the door on Johan, but in a masterful strategy, the three-time world champion wisely used his tactic and skill to fight back and win to seal a place alongside Grönholm in the final.

"I drove to my absolute extreme, and had to turn out everything I could," he adds.

Yet again, Johan had a bad start in the final, but with Fraser McConnell with an inside line into turn two, he immediately took the joker lap and the push began. 

From there, his only target was "to win". He pulled off a masterful overtake around the inside of Andreas Bakkerud on entry to the velodrome, and from there pushed to close the gap. 

"Yes, it was different. I had to "take it on a volleyball" you could say, but it worked out," he said.

Once he passed the Norwegian, the Swede had a couple of laps to catch up with Grönholm, but it was not quite enough. Although he finished 0.400s behind the race winner, it was a solid second-place finish.

Former team-mate and championship rival Sondre Evjen missed the final, which means the Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS driver now has a 13-point lead in the championship, over Fraser McConnell. 

Despite the challenge, team boss Tommy Kristoffersson is quite pleased. 

"We have to take the positives from this weekend," he said. "We knew it would tough against the World Championship cars, but we should not hide under the chair that we have struggled with some technical challenges."

RallyX Nordic will head to northern Finland in just three weeks, a track that not too many drivers have raced on before. So, it will be new for many, but the action will still be pretty epic! 

"Satisfied" Grönholm doubles up with Höljes win.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic

Niclas Grönholm is "satisfied" after securing back-to-back Supercar wins in Höljes over the weekend. 

Level on points with Fraser McConnell after Q1 and Q2 on Saturday, Grönholm picked up where he left off by setting the fastest time in Q3. 

Having had the superior pace all weekend. The question remained: Would Niclas have the pace for a clean sweep in qualifying? Soon, we'd get the answers to these questions.

Despite keeping his nose clean during the final qualifying race, it was Anton Marklund who sprung a surprise to claim the top spot in Q4 but based on the points tally over the four qualifying sessions, it was Grönholm clinched the Top Qualifiers honors. 

The 2021 specification World RX Hyundai Supercars have had superior starts (launches) all weekend, and in the semi-final, Niclas enjoyed a trouble-free run from the lights to flag, ahead of second-placed McConnell. Whilst Kristoffersson fought back to overhaul Krisztian Szabo to book a spot on the front row in the final. 

From pole position, Grönholm had another impressive start to cover off turns 1 and 2, whilst those behind battled for position with fast-starting McConnell taking the inside line for turn 2 forcing Kristoffersson into a lap one joker. Thereafter, Niclas controlled the pace to the flag.  

With a desire to win, Kristoffersson pulled off an incredible pass on Andreas Bakkerud to keep some pressure on Grönholm. Soon after, he picked off McConnell who took the joker lap, but his efforts to catch the Finn were ultimately in vain as the Hyundai driver comfortably controlled the pace to cross the line 0.400 seconds ahead of the three-time World RX champion. 

"I’m definitely more satisfied with this win than on Thursday!" Grönholm said. "To be honest, the first laps I didn’t know what the gap was behind, they didn’t tell me but it got to the stage where Jussi [Pinomäki] said we need a bit more, luckily I found it and managed to push without making any silly mistakes so that’s something to be satisfied with."

"For sure it feels nice to get these two victories so I’m happy but as always, the hard work continues."

Kristoffersson admits "I did what I could" to challenge Niclas Grönholm in the Supercar final.

"The lap times were just not enough when Niclas got into the rhythm, but it was a difficult place to be in the final starting in the second position, and I have two Hyundai's on the inside. Our starts haven't been good enough, but it was good-ish," Kristoffersson said.

"Niclas had a very good start and I was able to slot in there. Then McConnell came from the outside. I didn't plan to joker on the first lap because of the exact situation that happened. Then tried to get my head down, but it was just not enough. I did everything I could. Right now, it feels shit. I am happy in one way because I could challenge-ish Niclas, but not really because I know that he is controlling it a little bit. The plan was not to make Niclas feel comfortable in the final. I did what I could!"

Round one race winner, Fraser McConnell, brought his Olsbergs MSE Fiesta home in third to keep his championship hopes alive, with Krisztian Szabo finishing in fourth ahead of Enzo Ide, and Andreas Bakkerud who made history for not only winning qualifying races but also making the final in the fully electric STARD Ford Fiesta.  

Kristoffersson’s second-place finish in Höljes means he retains the lead in the Supercar standings, 13 points ahead of McConnell and a further 5 points clear of Sondre Evjen whilst Grönholm sits in joint-fourth with Ide following his two-round appearance in Sweden.

Will Niclas Grönholm return for the three remaining rounds of the RallyX Nordic championship? 

"You never know. Let's see what happens!" Grönholm said. "There are a lot of things going on not only rallycross, so we need to see if it's possible, but for sure racing is always fun."

Grönholm claims "nerve-wracking" win in Höljes.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic.

Nicolas Grönholm claimed a nerve-wracking victory behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20, staying level-headed in a frenetic Supercar final in Höljes.

The 24-year-old bagged third-place finish in the opening race of the 2020 'Magic Weekend' and finished as top qualifier in the second event - onto to run into mechanical issues. 

This year, however, there were no such problems for the Finn who worked throughout the day to find the perfect balance with his Supercar, finishing third in Q1 then matching the result in Q2 after a thrilling wheel-to-wheel duel with Krisztian Szabo and Johan Kristoffersson. 

Niclas followed that up with a second-place finish in Q3 after a stunning pass on team-mate Szabo to took the runners-up spot in his semi-final.

Lars Andersson rolling after a high-speed impact with a grass bank.
PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic LIVE coverage.

In the semi-final, he recovered well to finish 0.270s behind Anton Marklund in a hideous affair, which saw Lars Andersson involved in a high-speed accident whilst fighting Fraser McConnell. Thankfully, he walked away unscathed. Thereafter, race leader Kristoffersson bowed out with a front-right puncture. 

With a second row slot for the final, Grönholm was forced into a first lap joker due to congestion at turn two but made the most of the clear air and leapfrogged early race leader Sondre Evjen when the latter ran wide at turn one and was forced into a joker of his own.

Contact between Marklund and Szabo slowed the pair, who took their jokers in simultaneously, clearing the way for the Finn to cruise to the checkered flag. Anton Marklund brought his Hedstroms Motorsport VW Polo across the line in second followed by Szabo in third. 

But, ultimately, it was Niclas Grönholm in his 2021 specification Hyundai i20 Supercar who came out on top in Höljes.

"It wasn’t the easiest win today - it was nerve-wracking!" he said. "I had the pace to go a little bit quicker but in the end, I knew that those ahead hadn’t taken their jokers so I tried to keep the car in one piece and avoid punctures.

Whilst a race win is always good on paper, Niclas admits that he was not entirely happy with his return to the RallyX Nordic championship.

"The result is good, but I’m not completely happy with it," the Finn added. "We’ve been struggling all day and we need to sit down and find out why. On the bright side, we got the win but there were some tough competitors who didn’t make the final. I hope they will on Sunday so we can have a rematch with Johan and Enzo [Ide] – if we can match their pace, I will be a bit happier."

The action resumes at Höljes with Round 4 of the 2021 season, starting on Saturday (15 May) and concluding on Sunday (16 May), and you can catch it LIVE on RallyX TV.

Written By - Junaid Samodien

GRX Taneco rues lack of grip at Barcelona double-header.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco

It was a weekend to forget for GRX Taneco who was struggling with a lack of grip at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona.

The Finnish squad had high expectations for the final double-header of the season in Barcelona after finding some improvements after the Latvian double-header, but they were soon brought down to reality with Timur Timerzyanov bowing out in the semi-finals at round seven (on Saturday).

And, while it looked a bit better for Niclas Grönholm who made the final. He finished in fourth place and admitted that his Hyundai i20 was lacking grip. 

Whilst Saturday did not bring the desired results, GRX Taneco worked into the night to analyze why they were lacking grip and make the necessary changes for Sunday's round, but unfortunately, both GRX Taneco drivers were still struggling with grip and were unable to match the pace of their rivals. 

Despite lacking grip, Grönholm admits that the team has taken a step forward with race starts (launches), and he believes that he had the right tire strategy, but he was unable to make use of it. 

"We had good starts and I must say that is a big step forward from where we were at the beginning of the season, but out on the track we still struggled with the grip," he said. "I think we were also very good on the tire strategy, but just couldn’t take the advantage of it."

"Now it will be a long break before we go to Belgium, and I really hope we can find a solution and be more competitive in the next race."

Missing the draw on Saturday evening for round eight, Timur started his day off in Q1 Race 1 where he finished behind Robin Larsson and was sixth overall with two qualifying sessions to go. 

Whilst leading Q2 Race 3 in the early stages, he did not have the pace to match the likes of Kristoffersson and Bakkerud. And, would finish behind his teammate Niclas in fourth seeing him drop a position in the overall standings to P7 overall. 

Q3 saw the GRX Taneco drivers both have great launches, but Anton Marklund had other plans and led the race into turn 1/2, while Timo Scheider also got the best of the duo, which meant Timur would finish behind his teammate once again. 

In the semi-finals, the Russian made it through the first corner last, and despite a first lap joker he was only able to jump Enzo Ide to finish in fifth-place where his weekend would end. 

"It was a tough race today [Sunday] and the track evolution didn’t make my day any easier," Timerzyanov said. "At some moments we were able to deliver, but overall we are not where we want to be and we need to work on finding the overall pace."

Jussi Pinomäki, the GRX Taneco Team Manager says despite reaching a new low, the only way is up, and his team will use the month break between Barcelona and Belgium to bring the team back to the top again. 

"It’s not a simple sport and I guess that’s what makes it so attractive. Everyone has their ups and downs, and at the moment we are quite down," Pinomäki said. "But it means that there is only one way to go from here - and that is up. Everyone in the team is working really hard to bring us back at the top and now we have one month to do it."

After eight races of the season, Niclas Grönholm is currently fourth and Timur Timerzyanov tenth in the drivers’ standings, while the GRX Taneco squad hangs onto third in the teams' standings.

Written By - Junaid Samodien

GRX Taneco "are ready to fight" for good results in Spanish double-header.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco.

GRX Taneco is ready to fight for strong results at rounds seven and eight of the FIA World Rallycross Championship at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona this weekend. 

So far, this season has seen three double-header race weekends in Sweden, Finland, and Latvia. And, although Spain was initially set to host a single round, due to the cancelation of the Portugal event, it has changed its format to the double-header.

The 2020 season has been far from ideal for GRX Taneco, but Niclas Grönholm has claimed a win for the Finnish squad on home soil in Kouvola (Finland) and will aim to take the fight to the likes of Johan Kristoffersson and Mattias Ekström on the 1135m long World RX track in Barcelona. 

"Feeling good going to Barcelona, as we had a good pace at the last year’s race and we hope that we’ve found some improvements after the race in Riga, that didn’t go our way," Grönholm said. "It will be a tough weekend with two races again, but we are ready to fight and score some good results!"

The Coronavirus [COVID-19] pandemic has drastically altered the World RX calendar this season, but the championship will return to Barcelona this weekend. And, Timur Timerzyanov is happy to return to one of his favourite tracks on the calendar.  

"Barcelona is amongst my favorite tracks of the calendar and for sure one of the best F1-RX tracks. I’m really happy, that we are able to go there this year," said Timerzyanov.

It has been a season of ups and downs for Timerzyanov through on-track incidents and technical issues, but through all the bad luck, he claimed a third-place finish in Kouvola and will aim to claim some good results in Barcelona. 

"In the previous weekends, I have had many runs with good pace, but also many misfortunes or setbacks," he said. "I hope that in Barcelona I will be able to keep the good pace and consistency."

"Every race weekend we start with an aim of the podium, and this will be no different. We just need to do our best and results will come."

“I think this goes without saying that 2020 season has been a very challenging one and, so far, maybe not as successful as we hoped for, but we keep our spirits high and every single one in the team is working really hard to deliver their maximum," says Jussi Pinomäki, GRX Taneco team manager. 

"Barcelona is a place where we, as GRX Taneco, had our first race back in 2018 and we are excited to go back there."

GRX Taneco are currently third in the teams' standings with 176 points and will hope to close the deficit to KYB Team JC in Barcelona. 

Written By - Junaid Samodien

World RX: The best poker game ever?

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

After a dramatic end to the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship, everyone eagerly awaited the start of the 2020 season, with the COVID-19 pandemic helping to increase this anticipation. 

However, while the new season would see four of the last world championship winners on the grid, most carried caution to their anticipation as Johan Kristoffersson left the championship in 2018 after a very dominant and quite predictive nature. This might just have been why the 2019 season was so spectacular, but with the return of the latter, everyone feared that we might go in the same direction as Formula 1 went with Lewis Hamilton during the past few years. 

Most would have rightfully betted that Kristoffersson would lead the championship after three double-headers, but fewer would have predicted that the former powerhouse would struggle a bit to keep the rest behind. 

    1. A tactical warfare 

Even fewer would have predicted that tactics (and not sure speed) would be at the order of the day. With Mattias Ekström taking Jānis Baumanis’ (JC Raceteknik) seat at the last moment, the paddock became increasingly wary of this. 

The Swede might just have amazed himself at Höljes, taking the second win of the championship and changing his plans for the following weekend as he would once again take part in the Finnish double-header. 

While Kristoffersson and Niclas Grönholm won the next two rounds, Ekström kept consistent. Grönholm again took the top qualifier position in Riga on Saturday, but a chaotic start to the final saw Kristoffersson take the win, with Ekström taking second. It went even further as the latter took the top qualifier spot on the next day and won the Sunday event in Riga. 

Yet, with both Kristoffersson and Ekström in the pack, it is becoming evidently clear why and how the 2016 – 2018 championships were won by these two. Tyre strategies, mind games, and team help is now the order of the day and we might just see this until December when the 2020 championship finishes. 

Niclas Grönholm leads Mattias Ekström and Johan Kristoffersson in Finland.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX.

    2. GRX Taneco with immense start-line power 

For some, Niclas Grönholm stands as the 2019 champion, who never took the title. Missing two rounds due to an appendicitis operation, the Finn entered the last Cape Town round with a mathematical chance of still claiming the title. While this was never to be the case, he took the win at the Killarney International Raceway. 

Ending the Höljes weekend, the odds were stacked against the GRX Taneco team as they seemed to struggle with pace and set-ups, compared to the Volkswagen Polo and the Audi S1 Quattro’s.

The next weekend, however, saw different circumstances as Juha Rytkönen finished the first day in the second-place. The taste of champagne became even sweeter on day 2 as Grönholm silenced critics by fending off immense pressure from Kristoffersson and Ekström to win his home round, with teammate, Timur Timerzyanov with him on the podium. 

Showcasing that this was not just a once-off, Grönholm took TQ on day 1 at Riga, however, a difficult first corner propelled Kristoffersson to the win. 

Joining the GRX SET squad from EKS machinery, Krisztián Szabó showcased his true form this year by finishing inside the top-10 consistently and winning his race heats. All this basically comes down to immense starts with all three of the Hyundai’s having great starts in almost every race. 

Will these good launches (starts) give the team extra armor in the fight for the championship?

Andreas Bakkerud leading rival Timmy Hansen and Mattias Ekström.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX.

    3. Where are the 2019 contenders? 

Timmy Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud finished the 2019 season behind a controversial curtain, which will be disputed for many years to come. Finishing the season on equal points, many regarded them as the two fiercest competitors for 2020. 

Unfortunately, this is yet to be proven, with Hansen only claiming a season-best third place on the first day in Finland followed up by third in Riga. While this might not seem that bad,  Hansen Motorsport is yet to prove its consistency, compared to GRX Taneco, KYB Team JC, and Kristoffersson Motorsport. 

With even more bad luck, the Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel combination started off much worse than anticipated. Following GCK’s progress during the past few years, it was thought that the Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel's connection would propel them to the front. 

Andreas Bakkerud is yet to reach a podium position in 2020, with the Norwegian seemingly struggling to find his same form with the Megane as he showcased with the EKS run Audi in 2019. 

A sparkle of hope came through as Bakkerud started to show some form on the final day in Riga as he slotted into the second row of the second semi-finals. Fighting it out with Timo Scheider for P3 in the second semi-finals during race 6, the Megane of Bakkerud came second best, hitting a grass bank pretty hard. 

A broken driveshaft sees the wheel come off Doran's Renault Megane.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX.

    4. British bomb not igniting

Liam Doran, the package deal for the Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel link-up, is finding the best of bad luck in 2020. The British driver seems to have a combination of bad luck and problems with the car during every round this year. 

With this, he is certainly the most inconsistent driver thus far, with no necessary fault of his own. 

Only one top-10 position thus far proves this. 

Is it due to Doran’s vigorous driving style or might it just be the GCK machinery not working as well? 

In 2018, it might have been easy to place money on Johan Kristoffersson as the likely champion, yet, the 2020 season is promised to be far less predictable, with the double World Champion yet to win a Sunday event. Having won 50% of the 2020 events thus far, he is not as dominant as he once was with PSRX Volkswagen Sweden. 

Will Kristoffersson take his third championship, Ekström his second, or Grönholm his first? 

Written By - Franco Theron (Galimoto Media)

"We still have some work to do" - Niclas Grönholm.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX.

The 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship has been filled with ups-and-downs for early championship favourites, GRX Taneco. 

And, despite a win in Kouvola-Finland, the Finnish squad still has a long way to go to beat the likes of Johan Kristoffersson and Mattias Ekström [KYB Team JC]. After six rounds, there have been glimpses of pace, while GRX SET's Juha Rytkonen showed the true pace of the Hyundai i20 after a magnificent performance in Kouvola. 

The fifth round of the championship, also held in Riga, Latvia, saw Niclas Grönholm claim the top qualifiers spot. Lining up alongside, Ekström in the semi-final, the 2016 Champion had a much better launch with Niclas making it into turn two in second-place where he would finish the race. 

While teammate Timur Timerzyanov did not have a good start in semi-final two and got through turn two in fourth-place. However, it went from bad to worse when the Russian got a knock on the rear, which damaged his rear suspension and meant he was crabbing around the track fighting to keep his Hyundai going in a straight line. He  finished the semi-final in fifth-place. 

The round five final was a heated affair with six drivers jostling for position, while the 24-year-old Finn came out of turn two in fourth-place. And, later on in the final, Niclas was faster than Kevin Hansen and tried an alternative line to get past the young Swede. But luck was not on his side and he hit a barrier. Grönholm crossed the finish line 6.275 seconds behind Kevin in fifth-place. 

Sunday (round six) was slightly more challenging for GRX Taneco, with both drivers in fifth and ninth after three qualifying sessions. Niclas progressed to the semi-finals, while Timur could only manage a fifth-place finish. In the final, the Finn claimed a fifth-place finish. 

"Quali runs were up-and-down again and starting from the outside didn’t help. I had a quite good start in the Final and came out of the first turn as fourth," Grönholm said. "I managed to keep up with the frontrunners for a couple of laps, but eventually my tires overheated and I lost the pace."

"We came here well prepared and with high expectations, but couldn’t capitalize on that. The car was better than in first races of the season, but we still have some work to do."

Despite some good clean runs in qualifying, Timur wasn't able to achieve his plan of making it into the Semi-fiinal, and ended round six in eighth-place. 

"P5 in the Semi-final was not the result I was hoping for, especially after the good and clean run in Q2, where I finished 4th," Timerzyanov said. "We had a plan for the Semi-final, but it didn’t play out as we anticipated and even though I was driving as fast as possible, it was not enough to proceed to the Final."

Jussi Pinomäki, GRX Taneco Team Manager adds that it has been a frustrating weekend in Latvia, but admits that his team needs to keep working and improving throughout the season to reach the level of their rivals. 

"This weekend in Riga was a difficult and sometimes even a frustrating one, but I know that everyone in the team did their best and I am proud of them," Pinomäki said. "For sure we would have wanted a better result, but races in Riga prove the level of the sport and that we have to keep working and improving throughout the whole season."

Krisztian Szabo in the third Hyundai i20 run by GRX SET had a topsy turvy weekend, and while Saturday (round 5) was much smoother. Sunday (round six) saw the Hungarian's car catch alight in Q2 due to a broken manifold. The GRX team was able repair the car and got him out for the remainder of the weekend where he was able to finish in sixth-place in the semi-finals. 

"I was missing a couple of tenths here and there comparing to yesterday and I can’t really explain why it was like that. Still, I reached the Semi-final and I am satisfied with this result, especially after the thrilling Q2 session," Szabo said. "In Q2 I noticed smoke inside of the car, but I kept going until, on the last lap, when an actual fire came into cockpit and I was forced to stop. Mechanics did an unbelievable job, getting the car ready for Q3, where I set the 5thfastest time."

Written By - Junaid Samodien