Kouvola wins gives GRX Taneco 'good boost' ahead of Latvian double-header.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

The condensed 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship calendar has seen the first four rounds hosted at two venues, a truly grueling start to the season for all involved, and this is no different for GRX Taneco. 

Whilst the Finnish squad ended the 2019 season on a high note in South Africa. They expected to have a much stronger start to the 2020 season. And despite, the victory in Kouvola two weeks ago for Niclas Grönhom, the team and drivers have had their fair share of bad luck in the first four rounds of the championship, which they hope to turnaround this weekend in Riga.  

The quick turnaround times required for double-headers in 2020, has been a taxing affair for all involved including the drivers. 

"It’s been quite tough these first 4 races of the season," Niclas Grönhom said. "We have had some bad luck and struggled with the car sometimes."

Grönhom clinched his first win of the season on home soil in Kouvola by the slimmest of margins (0.3s) and admits that the race victory will give GRX Taneco a good boost ahead of the third double-header in Latvia.

"The podiums in Finland, of course, gives a good boost that our team needed, and I feel that we are well prepared for Latvia," he said. "The track in Riga is very nice and I enjoy going back there again this year!"

Timur Timerzyanov has had his fair share of misfortunes this season but managed to claim a podium finish at round four in Finland.

"The team has worked very hard over the last few weeks and we have made big steps forward and I feel that we have gotten our mojo back," Timerzyanov said.

Despite competing in World RX since it's inception in 2014, the Russian has found the Bikernieki race track in Latvia to be very challenging and was only able to claim a fifth-place finish last year. 

"Riga has always been a very challenging track for me personally, but I aim to turn my luck around and hopefully we can see another double podium," he said.

Krisztián Szabó will drive the third Hyundai i20 run by Set Promotion this weekend. And, while he did not make either of the finals in Höljes, Sweden. His form throughout the Swedish double-header was first-class. 

The Hungarian claimed a tenth-place finish in Latvia last year, in his EKS Audi S1, but will hope for stronger results this weekend.

"I really can’t wait to race again in Riga," he said "It’s a very long, fast and technical track with big jumps and a beautiful environment. I can say that this is my favorite venue of the season and it will be great to race in front of rallycross fans." 

"I had a chance to test here in the very beginning of the year with the Hyundai i20 Supercar, so I feel confident and I'm hoping for a good result."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Keeping calm key to Grönholm's success in Kouvola.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco.

Niclas Grönholm withstood immense pressure from Johan Kristoffersson and Mattias Ekström to take his first win of the season on World RX’s return to Finland.

Grönholm produced his best qualifying performance of the season in the Intermediate Classification to end up second and take 15 championship points at the Kouvola track. He then won semi-final two in treacherous conditions to earn a front-row start for the final.

Kristoffersson had a clean start in the final with Niclas right behind, and as Johan ran slightly wide into turn one. Grönholm swept around the inside to take the lead. From there on, he held the lead in difficult wet and slippery conditions fending off a quicker Kristoffersson, and then Mattias Ekström, when Johan took his joker (lap) on lap three.

The GRX Taneco driver was able to withstand the pressure from Ekström and Kristoffersson to cross the line first and win at his home round of the championship. 

"We found a bit more speed [on Sunday]. Maybe a little in the car, but mainly in myself – I kept calm the whole day, and that was crucial for winning this event," Grönholm said. 

"The final was a bit stressful because Ekström and Kristoffersson were on my tail, but I kept my racing line as knew that they won’t overtake me on the outside because it was so slippery there."

The 24-year-old Finns win in Kouvola (third win in his career) is an important result for the team, as they expected a stronger performance at the Höljes doubleheader, but within the short gap between the events. The GRX Taneco squad worked on their Hyundai i20 Supercars to find some improvements, which paid-off in Kouvola. 

"This is a very important result for our team. Everyone has been working flat-out for the past week and this win means a lot for the whole team," Niclas said. 

Written By - Junaid Samodien

GRX Taneco face challenging weekend in Holjes.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media

The highly anticipated 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship finally got underway in Höljes-Sweden over the weekend. An event that was 8 months in the making after a delay due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

After a strong 2019 campaign, GRX Taneco were the team to beat on paper, but the season opener(s) in Sweden proved to be a real challenge for the GRX Taneco drivers Niclas Grönholm, Timur Timerzyanov, and Krisztián Szabó (GRX SET).

The first round at Höljes proved to be a real challenge for every team and driver in the paddock with weather conditions constantly changing. Grönholm progressed to the finals, whilst teammate Timerzyanov failed to make the cut. Krisztián Szabó in his GRX SET Hyundai also failed to get beyond the semi-finals. 

Just ahead of the final, the heavens opened above the Höljes track, which meant that team mechanics were rushing to make the neccessary tyre and set-up changes. Unfortunately, the GRX were unable to change the set-up on Grönholm's car. 

The Finn stalled at the start of the final, meaning he was unable to reach the podium and would finish in fourth-place on the day. 

As wished by most of the Championship drivers, Sunday at Höljes stayed dry and partly cloudly, making the racing conditions stable and equal for everyone. Unfortunately, the weather conditions didn’t bring any luck to the GRX Taneco drivers.

Throughout the three Qualifying heats and the Semi-final, Niclas was stuck in traffic and unable to show his true pace.

“We just couldn’t get the starts right, even though I had a decent reaction time and that impacted the overall result on track," Grönholm said. "It’s not clear yet, why it was like this, but we have just a few days to sort it out before the next round."

"Above all that we were just unlucky at times. We have made a step forward with the car overnight and it feels much better than yesterday, but there are still some things I would like to work on."

"Next week we will race in Finland and I want to perform there, as that will be my home race," he adds.

Timur Timerzyanov had decent pace in the first two Qualifying sessions, but struggled to climb up the standings and set eighth fastest time in both sessions. In Q3, the Russian suffered a driveshaft issue and finished last. Despite that, he was able to secure a spot in the Semi-final, where he was fighting for the place in the Final, but was not able to make it and finished in P4.

"The Semi-final was one of the most action-packed in my career with door-to-door racing and “elbows out” attitude. Unfortunately, it was not enough and I was still unable to make it to the Final," he said. 

"I am happy that finally this season has started, but obviously, we also have some things that we need to analyze and improve for the oncoming race at Kouvola – a track that has been out of the Championship for several years."

Racing under the banner GRX SET, Krisztián Szabó steadily improved from Q1 to Q3  finishing in P10, P7, and P6 that allowed him to score the highest intermediate result amongst the Hyundai drivers. 

The Hungarian shared the semi-final with Timerzyanov and crossed the finish line ahead of him, but was served a 5-second penalty for breaching the track limits, he dropped to fifth-place.

"I feel very satisfied with my weekend at Holjes," Szabó said. "I did my best to adapt to the car, I was able to keep a steady pace and fight for positions. For sure a Final would have been nice, but I take it step by step, I learn from Timur and Niclas and the experienced team around me."

Whlie FIA World Rallycross Championship heads to Finland for round 3 and 4 of the season, GRX Taneco have confirmed that Szabó will return for the third doubleheader in Riga, Latvia in September.

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Could GRX Taneco be 2020's dark horse?

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco.

Seen by many as not only the strongest team in 2019, but also the potential 2019 World Rallycross Champions, the GRX Taneco took the paddock by storm as they took 3 of the 10 victories throughout the season. The team also fought hard with Team Hansen RX, only to finish second in team standings after the World RX of South Africa. 

This year, however, GRX Taneco will again compete with its two-star drivers, namely Niclas Grönholm and Timur Timerzyanov, with an added third car entered for selected rounds. These will include Krisztián Szabó and Juha Rytkönen. 

Earmarked by many as the driver, who should have taken the 2019 title, Niclas took two victories in Norway (a career first) as well as South Africa. The Finn crossed the line first in Abu Dhabi, only to be stripped from the victory after he made a pass on Kevin Hansen. 

The Finn did well to keep his tabs on the championship, only to lose out to Kevin Hansen, Timmy Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud when he sat out of the Belgian and United Kingdom rounds due to an appendix operation. 

Niclas Grönholm and Timur Timerzyanov celebrating at 2019 Cape Town season finale.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

Teammate, Timur Timerzyanov broke his 6-year streak of bad luck to claim his first-ever World RX event win at Spa-Francorchamps. 

Grönholm jumped back onto the scene in Hell (Norway), with a win after Anton Marklund was disqualified for a technical infringement. 

As the season progressed, the fight between Timmy Hansen and Bakkerud grew more fierce, while Grönholm still managed to set up a consistent points haul. 

Heading for the last round in South Africa, Grönholm still had a mathematical chance of taking the title, yet would have needed to win all his heats and finals, with his three competitors not taking a single point from the weekend. 

From the start, this was a difficult task and although Grönholm evidently knew that this was not possible, he still raced for the win. The Finn raced extremely hard, while Timerzyanov helped the team to a double podium in the end. 

Unfortunately, the Hansen brothers also raced extremely hard, with both brothers also seen in the final. This meant that Team Hansen RX took the teams-championship by a slender 43 points. Grönholm in turn won the event, but his victory was strongly overshadowed as Timmy Hansen and Bakkerud ended the season equal on points and had to debate the end-result in the stewards' room, post-race. 

Although Timerzyanov is yet to be seen in his race car this year, Grönholm already showcased a strong form at Hell during the RallyX Nordic "All-Star Magic Weekend" event. 

A new season will see more progress, but also more competition as Bakkerud will join a very strong GCK team, the Hansen brothers are promised to be more competitive, and Johan Kristoffersson rejoins the grid after a one-year hiatus. 

2020 will certainly be one of the most anticipated seasons in FIA World Rallycross history and the GRX Taneco team promises to be at the head of the field. 

2020 GRX Taneco pre-season testing. 

VIDEO CREDIT: GRX Taneco

Written By: Franco Theron

Szabó to compete at selected WorldRX rounds with GRX SET.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco.

Krisztián Szabó will compete in selected World Rallycross events this season, driving a third Hyundai i20 for GRX SET.

The Hungarian will line-up alongside GRX Taneco's permanent drivers, Niclas Grönholm and Timur Timerzyanov, in an identical Hyundai i20 Supercar, prepared and serviced by SET Promotion.

The five-time European Champion has experience on his side. Three of the five titles he claimed was in autocross, and two in the European Rallycross Championship (2016 and 2017 in the Super1600 category). 

Szabó made his Supercar debut in 2018 with several FIA Euro RX rounds and completed a full FIA World Rallycross Championship season last year, taking his best result of the season, a fourth-place on debut in Abu Dhabi and finished 10th in the Drivers’ standings. 

For 2020 Szabó plans to compete at the season opener at Höljes next month, with the rest of his schedule yet to be announced.

 

"2020 has come with its own challenges and I am really happy that despite everything I can be a part of the FIA World RX grid for multiple events this year," he said. "Even more so – I will be driving one of the best and most advanced cars in the championship, supported by a very experienced and professional team."

"My main focus will be to have a consistent and competitive pace from race to race and to prove myself as a driver, who can challenge the main “players” of the sport."

 

Jussi Pinomäki, the team manager for GRX Taneco believes that his team can help Krisztián take the next step in the championship.

 

"Krisztián is a very perspective and a talented young driver who has worked hard and achieved a lot throughout his career. He has vast Super1600 class experience not only on-track, but also the humble and family-like life in the paddock, and I really see him fitting right in at our team," said SET Promotion co-founder and GRX Taneco Team Manager Jussi Pinomäki.

"We are here to help him to take his performance to the next step, and hopefully, we’ll see him fighting with the top drivers in the championship."

 

Written By - Junaid Samodien

A weekend of ups and downs for Grönholm-duo at Rally X Nordic

PHOTO CREDIT: Gronholm RX

It was a weekend of ups and downs for father-son duo at the Rally X Nordic ‘All Star’ Magic Weekend.

 

The 'All-Star' Magic Weekend kicked-off on Wednesday afternoon with a free practice session and a full first round on Thursday. Niclas Grönholm was on the pace straight from the first start and won all three of the Qualifying rounds and his Semi-Final, but a small mistake at the start of the Final cost him a perfect race score, and he would eventually finish in third.

 

Round two started on a similar note for Niclas who topped the timesheet in free practice and the first two Qualifying runs. Rain arrived for Q3 which was a disadvantage as he would start on a semi-wet track and lost time to those who had raced in dry condition. Another top 3 finish in Q4 saw him retain the lead in the Intermediate classification. 

The Finn had a bad start in the Semi-Final which saw him stall the Hyundai i20 RX, but he eventually fought back to fourth-place, but it was not enough to secure a place in the final.

 

"It was an up-and-down week for us here at Höljes. For sure it would have been nice to win or at least to fight for the win, but it was not to be," he said.

Despite not achieving the desired results in Holjes, GRX Taneco's main aim was to gather as much information on the updated Hyundai i20 RX Supercar. 

"Our main goal here was to get as much mileage in our updated car as possible and to learn how the new updates work in this challenging track and in various weather conditions," Niclas  said. "From this aspect we had a quite good race and we have a lot of positive to take with us from this to be better prepared for the FIA World RX opening round here."

 

Niclas' shared a car with his father who took part in the Legends Race. Marcus Grönholm (his father) topped the leaderboard of the flying lap shootout race as well as first Qualifying race. In Sunday’s Final, he went on to take a commanding lead straight from the start and finished ahead of his rivals.

 

"It was nice to have a fun race with some old friends and check out our new car," Marcus Grönholm said.

"But this race wasn’t about me - at the end, it was more about working on the car and helping Niclas and the team to be ready for our main goal at World RX."

 

Jussi Pinomäki, GRX Taneco Team Manager adds that the team were able to answer many questions over the course of the weekend, which they will use to improve the Hyundai i20 RX ahead of the FIA World Rallycross Championship season opener in August. 

"It was a very valuable race week for us, as we had a lot of unknows regarding our potential performance," Pinomäki said. "We were able to answer many of the questions on our list, but we will still have a big homework to do when we get back to the base."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Father-son duo takes on RallyX Nordic 'All-Star' Magic Weekend.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco. 

Father-son duo takes on this week’s RallyX Nordic 'All-Star' Magic Weekend at Höljes, Sweden. Niclas Grönholm will enter the Supercar class, while his father, double FIA World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm will compete in the Legends Race on the same event.

 

GRX Taneco will field one car for the Rally X Nordic ‘All Star’ Magic Weekend event that will be shared by both Grönholm family members.

 

“It’s going to be awesome to finally get back to racing and rallycross!," Niclas said. "It’s been a long break for the sport’s world and way too long time out of the Hyundai for me personally. But that’s behind us and now I’m very much looking forward to get out on the track and face many of my racing friends again. I expect the racing to be very tough in Höljes so it will be a great chance for us to get ready for the upcoming World RX season, shake off the “rust” and test our updated car."

 

The Legends Race will feature greats and champions of the yesteryear. Amongst them is GRX Taneco Team Principal Marcus Grönholm. “This is not a comeback – I promised my family to stop permanent racing already some time ago," said Marcus Grönholm. "But as an one-off event, with fast cars and many great drivers, Höljes will be great fun and I’m looking forward to enjoy every bit of it in our GRX Hyundai i20 Supercar. Also, I’ll get to compare my lap-times with Niclas and I am sure he will give me a hard time chasing him.”

 

The Finnish squad intends to use this event as a part of the pre-season testing, in order to prepare themselves and the car for the World RX season that will start at Höljes in late August.

 

“Niclas and Marcus will push the car to its limits in a very real racing environment, giving us a real data to work with and allowing us to be better prepared for the World RX season,” said GRX Taneco Team Manager Jussi Pinomäki.

 

Rally X Nordic ‘All Star’ Magic Weekend event will start on Thursday, July 2nd and will last throughout the weekend, featuring two RallyX Nordic rounds and one Legends Race competition.