GRX-SET endures 'another difficult weekend' at Höljes.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX-SET World RX Team

Finnish Squad GRX-SET has had yet another difficult weekend at round two of the FIA World Rallycross Championship despite displaying pace worthy of challenging for top results in Höljes (Sweden).

Fastest overall in Free Practice to start the weekend, then third and fourth fastest times in Q1 and Q2 placed Niclas Grönholm third at the end of day one, but traffic in Q3 on Sunday morning, followed by a penalty for missing the joker lap in Q4 left the Finn fifth in the Intermediate Classification. 

The three-time World RX winner had a great launch from the second row of the grid in the semi-final and immediately took the joker lap, but contact from Peter Hedstrom pushed him into the track markers on the edge of the circuit. And, although he finished in a place good enough to qualify for the final, the Finn was handed a time penalty for hitting the track marker and didn’t make the final.

"On pace, we were a bit better on Sunday than Saturday and made some better launches, we improved quite a lot in that area actually, but unfortunately in Q4 we didn’t take the joker lap and got a penalty. That’s something that can happen quite easily – it was just an honest mistake from us," Grönholm said.

"We had quite a good starting position with good grip for the semi-final so I had a good launch, decided to joker on the first lap because I really didn’t have the chance to go on the normal lap with two cars inside me. It was really slippery in the joker where the track had been watered so I took it carefully, then took a hit from behind and couldn’t really do anything. I couldn’t take the normal route so I had to go across where the track marker was and got a penalty for hitting it and didn’t make the final. I don’t agree with the decision as I had no chance to take the normal line, so I’m a bit upset about that, a lot of points have been lost in the two first race weekends."

 

Team-mate Krisztián Szabó impressed yet again with solid pace, following a fourth-place finish in the opening round of the season. 

Sixth and third on day one put the Hungarian in the fight, before a pair of fourth fastest times on Sunday gave him a front-row start for the semi-finals. Battling throughout both the semi and final he ran as high as third in the final but didn’t have the pace to close out a podium finish and he finished fifth.

"It was a good weekend," he said. "I beat Johan Kristoffersson in our race in Q3 and I was very happy with that performance, that meant a lot to me, but compared to Saturday, Sunday wasn’t so good in general."

"I was hoping for better results on track, even if I was P4 in both Q3 and Q4. I started on the front row for the semi-finals which is something I’ve never achieved before, but for sure I missed something in the semi and final, I don’t know yet what that was but I will sleep on it."

 

Jussi Pinomäki (team principal) admits that it was yet another difficult weekend for the team, despite new recruit Szabó showing a good turn of speed. 

 

"It was another difficult weekend for us. I’m again pleased with the progress Krisztian is making. With more work he can really challenge in this championship," the Finn said.

The GRX-SET team principal leaves Sweden with a sour taste in his mouth, as he believes Niclas should not have received a penalty for hitting a track marker in the semi-final. 

"We totally disagree with the stewards’ decision for Niclas in the semi-final, which put an end to a hard weekend for him that started already in Q1. We fully understand that hitting track markers gets penalized, but when you are pushed there by another car then it is out of your hands," he said. "But, we have had difficult weekends before, and we have already put Holjes to the back of our minds. We have to do a lot better next time in France, and we will!"

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."

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. 

Grönholm joins Kristoffersson, McConnell for Höljes doubleheader.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic.

RallyX Nordic returns this weekend at the iconic Höljes circuit, with the Swedish double-header, that is set to serve up another dose of top-class action.

Missed the season opener in Denmark? Don't worry! Here's a quick round-up of events. Fraser McConnell grabbed the headlines in round one in the Supercar class in Nysum, with the Jamaican putting in a stellar display to get the better of Johan Kristoffersson and secure his maiden RallyX Nordic victory.

The 22-year-old started the final on the back row of the grid but a lightning launch in his Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta saw him go door-to-door with his established rivals before he claimed an advantage that he would not relinquish.

However, the three-time World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson fought back on Sunday with an unrivaled display having overcome a number of technical issues. He even at one point he entered Turn One backward - and finishing the weekend on top of the championship classification.

The Super Swede will return to the RallyX Nordic Championship this weekend. 

"It will be exciting to continue working with the development of our own car," Kristoffersson said. "And Höljes is one of the coolest tracks in the world, so of course, you want to be part of it."

Kristoffersson currently leads the Supercar class with 56 points, five ahead of former teammate Sondre Evjen, with Fraser McConnell in third on 47 points.

PHOTO CREDIT: RallyX Nordic.

Among the well-known names returning for rounds 3 and 4, Niclas Grönholm returns in 2021 along with Krisztián Szabó, and Anton Marklund.

The Finn expects to have a pretty competitive weekend in his Hyundai i20 Supercar.  

"I’m looking forward to the RallyX Nordic race at Höljes, it’s a track I enjoy driving on. We did that race last year and it was pretty competitive – I expect it to be the same this year too," Grönholm said. 

"We have some small things on the car we would like to test, and what better way to do that than in a race against some good drivers and cars. It’s going to be interesting to get racing again after a long break, so it’s going to be very exciting." 

In a first for rallycross, the Höljes doubleheader will see electric rallycross cars compete alongside internal combustion-engined Supercars, with Manfred Stohl's team joining the line-up in a Ford Fiesta ERX [Projekt E Supercar]. 

But, wait there is more! Extreme E racer Catie Munnings is linking with 2019 World RX champions Team Hansen and LifeLive Nordic to compete in the CrossCar/Crosskart category and gain more wheel-to-wheel experience. 

Don't miss the live free-to-air broadcasts on tv.rallyx.se this weekend.

"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