Grönholm pens new multi-year extension with CE Dealer Team.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Niclas Grönholm has committed his future to the Construction Equipment Dealer Team after signing a multi-year contract extension. 

The Finn joined the Construction Equipment Dealer Team last year after a lengthy spell with family team GRX Taneco, where he claimed seven podium finishes and six victories.

Grönholm has been a World RX front-runner since 2019 – a year where he could have almost certainly been in the title fight, but unfortunately a bout of appendicitis ruled him out of two events.

Last year, he finished third in the drivers' standings, claiming one victory and a total of four podium finishes, but this year, the Finn is aiming to make further progress. 

“I’m thrilled to get continued trust to move forward in our groundbreaking World RX journey together, which really motivates me ahead of the challenges to come,” Grönholm said.

“While we had a strong first season for the team, I’m never satisfied until we are at the very top – and that’s just what we have worked very hard for throughout the winter. The opposition will no doubt be just as tough this season, but we continue to work in earnest to achieve our goals. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of my PWR RX1e!”

CE Dealer Team debuted in World RX in 2022, placing third in the Teams’ standings. In retaining Niclas, the Swedish squad reinforces its long-term commitment to competing at the international pinnacle of sport and the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

“We reached our initial goals for the first season by winning races, finishing in the top three overall and highlighting a more diverse and sustainable motorsport world,” Team Manager, Jussi Pinomäki said, “but we are far from satisfied.

“We will continue to push the envelope, both on and off-track. The future is electric, inclusive and exciting – something we will continue to work hard for. And our long-term goal of challenging for the FIA World Rallycross Championship titles has not changed.”

Niclas' team-mate will be announced later this week. 

Grönholm claims unexpected win as Kristoffersson is penalized in Portugal.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Four-time World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristofferson crossed the finish line first in a thrilling finale to the fifth round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship at Montalegre today, but it was not to be as a post-race penalty handed victory to Niclas Grönholm.

On the second day of action in Portugal, the Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS drivers' were untouchable in Super Pole, with Kristoffersson leading team-mate Ole Christian Veiby by 0.244 seconds, whilst the pursuing pack were over half a second a drift.

Kristoffersson was peerless throughout the heats topping the intermediate rankings once again, and had a thrilling duel with Kevin Hansen in the progression race. He came out second best to the young Swede. Whilst he's fellow stablemate Gustav Bergstrom failed to make the progression round after arriving too late to the pre-grid area.

In the first semi-final, Niclas Grönholm had a great start from the fifth grid slot, and challenged Kevin Hansen into turn one. Having emerged fractionally ahead of the Finn, who was on the outside. The two made contact, which resulted in damaged rear suspension for Hansen - DNF. 

Semi-final two was not any easier for Timmy Hansen who spun in the joker and finished behind Kristofferson and Veiby. Hansen's pace was enough to secure a place in the finals.

The tension was high in the final, but as we've seen throughout the weekend, the driver starting from the fifth grid spot is always able to carry more speed into turn one, a scene we saw repeated in the final with Timmy Hansen. He fully sent it into turn one and managed to stay ahead of Kristoffersson who slotted in behind (in second). Having shown decent pace on Sunday afternoon, Grönholm opted for an early joker strategy to try and capitalize on the fight ahead.

Timmy Hansen recovering after contact with Kristoffersson into turn one.
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

On the second lap, Johan tried an ambitious overtaking maneuver diving on the inside of Timmy Hansen heading into turn one, the pair collided forcing Hansen to run very deep and nearly into the gravel at turn one. From there, the four-time champion keep he's foot down and crossed the finish line first ahead of Niclas. 

However, after the race had finished, the FIA Stewards deemed that Kristoffersson was guilty of pushing, and thus was handed a 10-second time penalty, as a result Grönholm was promoted to victor ahead of Ole Christian Veiby and Klara Andersson in third, who today has became the first female to reach the podium in top flight international rallycross.

"This obviously isn’t the way I like to win and it’s always slightly bittersweet in situations like this," he said. "We struggled in the first four rounds, but today was a bit better and we finally came away with a result."

"I felt good in the car since the progression round. I had a feeling that we could fight for the podium in the final. Our plan from the start was to go as a wild card unless we became the leader. Unfortunately, I didn't get a clean lap the lap before Johan Kristoffersson made his joker. I could have beaten him on the track as well, but I would have been happy with the second place as well."

The FIA Stewards released there reasoning for penalizing Kristoffersson, saying: "Having reviewed the MVRC evidence, the stewards find that Car #1 pushed in the braking zone prior to T1 to the right side near front wheel of Car #21." 

Despite extending the championship lead, Johan made it clear that he disagrees with the FIA's decision: "I don't agree with this decision. If you misjudge a situation and get penalised, that's ok. But I can't understand how they can find me guilty in a situation where he turns in on me."

Lusorecursos World RX of Portugal: FINAL RESULT.

1. Niclas Grönholm (CE Dealer Team) 

2. Ole Christian Veiby (Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS) +2.853s

3. Klara Andersson (CE Dealer Team) +4.412s

4. Timmy Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) +4.821s 

5. Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS) +9.241s (due to time penalty)

CE Dealer Team makes history with gender-equal driver line-up.

PHOTO CREDIT: CE Dealer Team

History made, as rising star Klara Andersson and multiple race winner Niclas Grönholm join forces at Construction Equipment Dealer Team (CE Dealer Team) with first-ever full-season gender driver line-up for the 2022 FIA World Rallycross Championship.  

New on the grid in 2022, the CE Dealer Team confirmed its participation last week, with a multi-year commitment to the championship and a pledge to prioritize sustainability, diversity and inclusivity alongside sporting success.

This morning, the Swedish squad formally confirmed driver line-up for the season, Andersson and Grönholm – with the former becoming the first permanent female competitor since the World Championship’s inception eight years ago.

Klara, the younger sister of Euro RX TouringCar event-winner Magda Andersson, made her rallycross debut in 2018 and defeated no fewer than 55 male rivals to clinch the 2021 Swedish Rallycross Championship, in the 2150 class. 

The Sweden Junior National Team member went on to contest two rounds of the inaugural FIA RX2e Championship, impressing with a fourth-place finish first time out at Spa-Francorchamps.

"I am very proud to become the first female full-season World RX driver – this is by far the most inspiring thing I have done in my life. I have a lot to learn, but my long-term goal is to become the first female World Rallycross Champion," Andersson said.

"I have an unconditional love for rallycross; it’s so intense and unpredictable, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel for pre-season testing. While I have rallycross experience, World RX and the awesome 500kW (680bhp) electric beasts that we will race are new to me and none of us are expecting to get anything for free – we have plenty of hard work ahead of us to establish ourselves at the top."

Grönholm is one of the most accomplished drivers in World RX, with multiple race wins to his name, three of which came last year. 

In 2019, the Finn fell just 25 points shy of the title despite missing two rounds due to appendicitis, as he achieved the highest points-per-event tally in the field. He concluded the 2021 season in a career-best third.

"I am honoured and extremely inspired by getting this opportunity with CE Dealer Team, and I think we have strong conditions to fight for the very top. We need to work very hard for each round and while the team is a new set-up, we have a lot of combined experience and I think we can spring some surprises this year," Grönholm said.

Operated by PWR RX and headed up by experienced Team Manager Jussi Pinomäki, CE Dealer Team will join defending title-holders Hansen Motorsport, Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS, ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport, GCK Motorsport and ESmotorsport in the fray in 2022. All teams are currently finalising the development of the ultra-powerful, fully electric cars that will do battle for glory over the coming months.

"CE Dealer Team and its partners strive for gender equality, and our programme is a key part in driving this shift via Klara and Niclas. They complement each other well in terms of raw talent and experience, and we are confident we have a robust set-up that will enable our long-term goal of fighting for the FIA World Rallycross Championship titles," Jussi Pinomäki, Team Manager, CE Dealer Team, said.

"With that said, the competition in World RX is extremely tough and we are humble to the task ahead of us with this new challenge, so we will work calmly and methodically towards our goals."

Grönholm claims unexpected win in thrilling Portugal final.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX-SET World RX Team.

'Cometh the hour, cometh the man' as Niclas Grönholm claims victory in a pulsating FIA World Rallycross Championship final in Portugal.

The flying Finn was there-or-thereabout throughout round seven in Montalegre – and after placing fourth in the intermediate classification, a lightning-quick start in the second semi-final propelled him into contention for victory.

Having led five of the six laps, he had to sustain the pressure of a hard-charging Johan Kristoffersson. With a semi-final victory within sight... Johan sent it up the inside of the Hyundai driver at the long right-hander forcing his way through to claim the semi-final win.

The FIA Stewards investigated the incident after the semi-final and deemed both Niclas and Johan were responsible for different infringements, and therefore both would be reprimanded. 

World RX of Portugal Final - Turn One. 
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

The scene was set for a humdinger of an FIA World Rallycross final in Portugal, with Timmy Hansen and Johan Kristoffersson on the front row. Both title contenders had good starts and tried to out-brake each other into turn one. 

Whilst Grönholm had an incredible launch and immediately darted to the joker on the opening lap - it was a tactic that would pay off handsomely as the race progressed. 

Timmy Hansen led the way with Kristoffersson hot on his heels, and younger brother Kevin following in third. As the leading trio dueled ferociously at the front of the field, they were also holding each other up – allowing Grönholm to close the gap.

Approaching the mid-way point, Kristoffersson tried to prise the door open for the lead but drifted wide. That enabled Kevin Hansen to edge alongside for second place, with the KYB EKS JC driver sliding across the gravel trap and plowing through the track markers as Kristoffersson kept his foot planted firmly to the floor coming out in second.

With Grönholm closing the gap, all three left their jokers to the very last lap in a bid to put some clean air between themselves and the flying Finn, but he undercut them to assume the lead he would not relinquish, in so doing cementing a fifth career win in World RX.

"It feels great – I didn’t expect this after qualifying. I  didn’t have much choice but to take the joker at the start of the final, and I was actually a bit surprised that Timmy, Johan, and Kevin all chose the standard lap," Grönholm said.

"We had slightly better pace than in the qualifiers and when they began battling, that allowed me to catch up and I just tried to stick as close as possible to the back of them. I really didn’t know if we had enough, but thankfully it turned out that we did."

Championship leader Timmy Hansen claimed second at the end of a weekend he had largely dominated, claiming three fastest times in qualifying and a semi-final triumph. 

Despite missing out on victory, the Swede has nonetheless extended his advantage at the top of the title table to 17 points, with 60 remaining to play for in the season finale (double-header).

"This weekend has been fantastic for me. We scored lots of good results throughout qualifying and that battle with Kevin in the semi-final was so close, decided purely on pace. While the results say I won plenty of sessions this weekend, every one of those sessions was hard-fought and very close," Timmy Hansen said.

"The final was super tough – Johan kept the pressure on and it's impossible to close the door at this track given how sideways you need to be on corner entry.

"The moment I had some space to Johan behind I did everything I could, both to stay clear of him and also try to build a gap to Niclas further behind. I couldn't quite manage to find enough to stop Niclas from coming out ahead but regardless, it was a brilliant race. That's why we love this sport."

His younger brother Kevin Hansen was classified third after Kristoffersson was handed a five-second time penalty for his track marker transgression, which dropped the three-time world champion to sixth.

"There was a possibility to do more in the final but the first turn didn't quite go right. I locked up the brakes and stalled, so I didn't have any turbo pressure for exiting the turn and Johan zipped away after I'd nearly got him for second place. That changed the story of the final. But I'm happy with my weekend overall," Kevin Hansen said.

Grönholm’s GRX-SET team-mate Krisztián Szabó claimed a fourth, in what he calls "a quite okay weekend" in Montalegre. 

"We missed a little bit overall through the weekend, but I managed to find some speed in myself for the final. I changed my driving style but I was also at the back of the pack from the start. From there I had to fight for some positions, which I could gain in the last lap," Szabó said.

Belgian Enzo Ide in the second KYB EKS JC entry claimed fifth ahead of his team-mate Johan Kristoffersson (in sixth).

A few hours after the final, the FIA Stewards received a protest in relation to the five-second time penalty handed to Johan Kristoffersson, but they deemed that the protest was admissible but unfounded, and therefore no further action would be taken. 

The 2021 World RX season will conclude at the Nürburgring on 27/28 November, with an eagerly anticipated doubleheader set to crown the World Champion. 

World RX of Portugal - FINAL RESULT:

1. Niclas Grönholm (FIN) GRX-SET World RX Team 6 laps

2. Timmy Hansen (SWE) Hansen World RX Team + 0.537s

3. Kevin Hansen (SWE) Hansen World RX Team + 1.977s

4. Krisztián Szabó (HUN) GRX-SET World RX Team + 2.270s

5. Enzo ide (BEL) KYB EKS JC + 3.762s

6. Johan Kristoffersson (SWE) KYB EKS JC + 5.754s

FIA World Rallycross Championship - Drivers' Standings (top 5):

1. Timmy Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 178 pts

2. Johan Kristoffersson (KYB EKS JC) 161 pts

3. Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 159 pts

4. Niclas Grönholm (GRX-SET) 149 pts 

5. Krisztián Szabó (GRX-SET) 127 pts

FIA World Rallycross Championship - Teams' Standings: 

1. Hansen World RX Team 336 pts 

2. GRX-SET World RX Team 275 pts

3. KYB EKS JC 252 pts