Hansen Motorsport explains chassis selection and performance differences for new electric era of World RX.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

It’s been four years in the making, but finally, the electric era of World Rallycross is upon us!

The dawn of a new era, an era that is set to thrill us in more ways than one… not talking about the electrification, but an era that could potentially see the championship thrive. 

Manufacturers could return, and the racing could be a lot closer than before, not forgetting the return of Kristoffersson Motorsport with four-time World Champion Johan Kristoffersson in a Volkswagen Polo R5 (chassis), Guerlain Chicherit in a Lancia Delta Evo-e, and Hansen Motorsport.

Hansen Motorsport is the most decorated team in rallycross, and they have recently announced a multi-year commitment to the championship with the Hansen brothers returning in new-look electric cars, based on the previously used Peugeot 208 platform but re-engineered to adopt a homologated powertrain from Kreisel Electric, which generates 500kW – equivalent to 680bhp and 880Nm of torque. 

Having competed in World Rallycross since the series inception in 2014. The Hansen's have tons of experience in building race-winning cars, having fielded the Peugeot marque since the very start.

14-time European Rallycross Champion and team principal Kenneth Hansen has explained why his team has chosen to stick with the Peugeot 208 platform for the electric era rather than switching to the Rally2 specification chassis, which is permitted by the FIA Regulations. 

"You can choose two different specifications. You could either choose a Rally 2 regulation car or you can retrofit old cars, and Hansen Motorsport have chosen to retrofit our old cars. We think that is the most efficient for our team. It's cost-efficient. We also recycle something, so that's good, but it's also performance-wise. We also think it's good. We think also with the electric coming now, it's such a lot of other things we need to learn. So, if we have the same platform, we don't need to start all over with that at the moment," Kenneth Hansen said.

The possible electric powertrain layout in the Peugeot 208.
PHOTO CREDIT: Hansen Motorsport

With a clear explanation for continuing on with the Peugeot 208. Where does the Swedish outfit see a performance difference coming from when all teams run the same powertrain kits this year? 

Well! 2019 World Champion Timmy Hansen expects the performance differences to come from the installation of the new powertrain kits, development of the chassis, as well as the technology in the car, such as the dampers, etc. 

"I think we are going to have the same power train, and we don't quite know exactly the regulation yet, but I expect there to be performance in finding the set-up of the drive train. But then, as always, as part of what we love Rallycross for, we're still developing our own chassis, and if you knew what was going on behind the scenes, like the technology in the Dampers, for example, with Ohlin’s, it’s mind-blowing, and there is a lot of performance to find," Timmy Hansen said. 

“So, we are going to push as hard as we've always been on the chassis side, it won't be exactly the same car. We are going forward in the best way that we can do together with our partners. There will be a lot of performance in that and also currently in fitting the electric battery and everything. This heavy part into the chassis in the right position is important.” 

Once all the hard work is done building the cars to specification, younger brother Kevin Hansen believes that it will then come down to the drivers putting in a lot of work to get on top of the changes to gain an early advantage, while others adapt to the new technology. 

“In the end, us (drivers) behind the wheel needs to do a really good job to put it together and be on top of these changes when they come out in the early stages before everyone starts to find their way through and looking what others are doing and so on,” he said.

The 2022 FIA World Rallycross Championship is set to get underway at Höljes on 2-3 July, followed by rounds at Germany (Nürburgring), Norway, Rīga in Latvia, Montalegre in Portugal, fan favourite Spa Francorchamps in early October, and Cape Town rounding out the season in November. 

Hansen Motorsport commits to electric rallycross future with "huge investment."

PHOTO CREDIT: Hansen Motorsport

The defending team champions', Hansen Motorsport have announced a ‘multiple-year’ commitment to the FIA World Rallycross Championship, hailing a ‘huge investment’ in the new electric rallycross era.

One of the most decorated teams in rallycross history, Hansen Motorsport has been at the forefront of the dual-surface discipline since founder and Team Principal Kenneth Hansen claimed the first of his record 14 European Rallycross Championship titles in 1989, prior to graduating to the headlining category four years later.

But, this year marks a major leap for the Swedish outfit in its efforts to increase sustainability and environmental awareness, while also continuing to challenge for wins and titles in the top flight as the World Rallycross Championship switches to all-electric cars.

"This a huge investment that we are making to the World Rallycross Championship, with a plan for multiple years – it’s the biggest thing we have ever done. It’s very new and very exciting for all of us," Kenneth Hansen said. 

“It feels a little like when we entered four-wheel-drive rallycross for the first time in 1993. We didn’t know many things then, and with the switch to electric technology there are many things we are learning about from scratch as well. It’s very refreshing to be focusing on something so new, with some people we have worked with for many years and some new faces around inspiring us as well. There really is a lot of fresh energy here to push forwards.

"The group of drivers at the top in World Rallycross are among the best in the world, and that mine and Susann’s sons, Timmy and Kevin, are part of that group and choose to drive with our team is very special."

PHOTO CREDIT: Hansen Motorsport

Three Teams’ World Championships is a testament to the caliber of the team – the most recent of those coming last season when Timmy Hansen waged a hard-fought fight with fellow countryman Johan Kristoffersson that culminated with the pair tied on points at the top of the Drivers’ standings, the 2019 champion ultimately missing out on a second career crown on countback.

"World RX is where I’ve built my career and it’s given me some amazing opportunities. The level of competition in World RX is the very best, but that’s what drives us to push ourselves further. I believe we will have a very strong package going into the new season, which I’m very excited about," Timmy Hansen said.

“It’s second nature to our family to look for solutions to be as competitive as possible, especially in rallycross; it’s just what we do, and we are all extremely motivated for 2022. This is a big step in a new direction that I’m super-happy to be part of, racing extremely fast cars on great circuits against the best drivers and teams in the world. There really isn’t anything better.”

Today's announcement has formally confirmed Timmy and younger brother Kevin Hansen will remain with their family team. The Swedish siblings will pilot new-look electric cars, based on the Peugeot 208 chassis, but re-engineered to adopt the homologated electric powertrain from Austrian firm, Kreisel. 

"It’s a super-exciting time for our company and team to embrace this new electric era. Since 2018 we have spoken about electric rallycross in the World Championship and finally, it’s going to happen," Kevin Hansen said. "The electric powertrain kits will be arriving at Hansen Motorsport soon and for me to be part of this World Championship winning team, with a great philosophy for what the car and everything around us should be, I couldn’t be prouder."

"I think it’s going to be even greater than people can imagine."

"I gave it everything until the very end" - Timmy Hansen.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Timmy Hansen left satisfied despite coming out second best to title rival Johan Kristoffersson in the tense World RX of Germany final at a snowy Nürburgring on Sunday. 

Having entered the final weekend (double-header) of the season with a 17-point advantage, Timmy Hansen had one target in mind, and that was to limit the gap between himself and countrymen Kristoffersson. 

On Saturday, the gap was brought down to just four points, after Timmy was disqualified from the final for contact with Niclas Gronholm. Had he not been penalized the gap would have been 9 points to Kristoffersson heading into the final day, but that was not to be. 

Sunday saw Timmy Hansen top the one-lap morning warm-up session just fractionally faster than Johan, but the three-time World Champion fought back to win Q1 with Hansen right behind in second. 

With two qualifying sessions remaining (Q2 and 3), Kristoffersson maintained his lead at the front claiming the top qualifiers spot, sealing pole position for the all-important semi-finals. 

Just requiring a handful of points on Sunday, the Hansen World RX Team claimed their third FIA World Rallycross Teams’ Championship with the semi-finals and finals remaining.

World RX of Germany - FINAL
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Johan Kristoffersson won semi-final one sealing pole position for the final, whilst Timmy Hansen had to win semi-final two to line-up alongside his rival and have a chance to win the title. But, after a slow start, Niclas Gronholm had other plans after his very good start immediately bolting over to try and cover off Timmy, but because he was not 100% clear of the Peugeot driver. They made contact sending the Finn sideways... and off at turn one. Hansen won the semi-final but was later handed a 7 second time penalty dropping him to third.

Kristoffersson on pole for the final, with Kevin Hansen alongside on the front row, and Timmy Hansen on the back row of the grid with a 3 point lead in the championship. It was all to play for... 

From pole, Kevin had a very good start from second place immediately blocking Kristoffersson, with Timmy right behind. As the final progressed, the younger Hansen brother slowed down the pace hoping that Timmy would be able to overtake his rival, but due to dirt blocking his windshield the visibility was very low hampering his pace. 

Johan went on to finish third and Timmy fourth, which meant the drivers’ championship ended level on points. A scene last-seen in 2019, where Timmy Hansen came out victorious, but this time around with three wins to his name. It was Johan Kristoffersson who clinched a fourth world title on countback. 

"This has been a fantastic season we've had with plenty of success and some great rallycross action. I gave it everything I had right until the very end but it feels a bit unfair with the size and number of penalties that were handed out this weekend. Opportunities to get the job done were taken away because of that and I don't agree with the outcome of those judgments, of course," Timmy Hansen said.

"We were on the top of our game today, doing everything we could and should have, and were right where we had to be. In the end, we finished equal on points and that explains the story of the season really. Johan was unlucky when we were on form and winning three events back-to-back with one-two finishes; towards the end, we had our own fair share of bad luck.

"It's a hell of a story, one that's great for the sport. I'm proud of this season and proud of my performance this weekend, my team, and my family. I'm looking forward to the future."

Despite coming out second best to Kristoffersson this season, the 2021 runner-up Timmy Hansen congratulates the newly crowned four-time World Champion.

"Johan did a fantastic job this weekend," Hansen said. "He knew he had to come here and win everything. He pulled off a great performance and if you are going to lose, I suppose that is the way for it to happen. It's a great sporting achievement by him."

PREVIEW: The title fight goes down to the wire in German double-header.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

After seven rounds at six different circuits, the 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship fight comes down to the wire - a double-header season finale with a thrilling five-way title battle for the honor of being crowned world champion at the legendary Nürburgring. 

With 60-points up for grabs, there are five possible candidates who could clinch the title at the end of round 8. It will all come down to the execution of the perfect weekend and not making a single error as the smallest of issues could prove to be costly. 

Timmy Hansen is the leading protagonist having not finished lower than fourth so far, the Swede is closing on a second drivers' title, but with 60 points available and just a 17-point advantage, it's all to play for in Germany. 

Timmy's closest pursuer is three-time World Champion Kristoffersson - who hasn't had the best of luck finally had his championship hopes shifted into high gear when he claimed back-to-back wins in Latvia and Belgium. He has also topped more qualifying sessions than anybody else this season. If Swede has another clean weekend without any major dramas, he can overturn Hansen's lead. 

Only 19-points shy of older brother Timmy - Kevin has been fairly consistent this season having won the season-opener in Barcelona, with a fifth-place in Riga as his worst this season.

Like Kristoffersson, Niclas Grönholm had to overcome a few difficult weekends to thrust himself into championship contention with victory in the Latvian double-header, which he then reinforced with another win at Montalegre (Portugal) after his three main rivals tripped over one another in their scrap for the win.

Grönholm's GRX-SET teammate Krisztián Szabó claimed his best result of the season in Belgium last month and is also mathematically in the hunt. 

Having missed the Portuguese round (last month), Kevin Abbring returns with the UNKORRUPTED squad and will aim to continue his strong turn of form this season, whilst two-time FIA European Rallycross Champion Anton Marklund rejoins the fray after his previous World RX outing with Hedströms Motorsport at Spa-Francorchamps. 

Euro RX3 Champion Yuri Belevskiy steps up to the premier class in a Volland Racing Audi S1, whilst former World RX racer Davy Jeanney makes a comeback after more than 3 years in a PGRX Hyundai. 

Having competed in the Catalunya curtain-raiser earlier this year, Tamás Kárai returns, whilst Oliver O'Donovan returns for more action and Stefan Kristensson makes his debut in a team SKAAB prepared Ford Fiesta.

In addition to staging the title decider in Germany, this weekend will mark the final event of the World Championship’s internal combustion era, before the switch to electric power in 2022.

THE TRACK:

Based around the Mullenbachsleife section of the famous Grand Prix circuit, the Nürburgring’s 1,029m rallycross track, which was officially launched in 2020.

The start line – the highest point of the rallycross track – is located at Turn 6 of the Grand Prix circuit, with a 90-degree right-hand corner to begin the lap. The start section is only used once, against the flow of the track, with the Turn 1 right-hander being a left-hander for the racing lap.

The rallycross track drops down steeply after Turn 2, transitioning from unsealed to sealed surfaces using part of the Grand Prix circuit’s asphalt, before a second unsealed section at Turn 3, with the Joker Lap section running around the outside of the Turn 4 left-hander.

The circuit has an elevation change of more than 15 meters over the course of the lap and gradients of up to 12%, with almost the whole track lined by grandstands to guarantee fans an unrivaled viewing experience.

Track Length: 1,029m

Previous Winner: N/A

Fastest lap: N/A

Asphalt/Dirt: 60%/40%

Joker Lap Loss: N/A

2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship standings (drivers):

Timmy Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 178 pts

Johan Kristoffersson (KYB EKS JC) 161 pts (difference 17 points)

Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 159 pts (difference 19 points)

Niclas Gronholm (GRX-SET) 149 pts (difference 29 points) 

Krizstian Szabo (GRX-SET) 127 pts (difference 51 points) 

Kevin Abbring (UNKORRUPTED) 97 pts

Enzo Ide (KYB EKS JC) 89 pts

Timo Scheider (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 75 pts

Juha Rytkonen 52 pts

Mattias Ekstrom 37 pts

Oliver O'Donovan 29 pts

Hervé Knapick 18 pts

Rene Munnich (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 16 pts

Anton Marklund 14 pts

Attila Mozer 13 pts

Peter Hedstrom 11 pts

Tamas Karai 9 pts

Oliver Bennett (Xite Racing Team) 8 pts

Dan Oberg 7 pts

Mandie August (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 4 pts

Patrick Guillerme 2 pts

Round 8 and 9 World RX of Germany Schedule (CAT Times) - CET is one hour earlier. 

SATURDAY:

PRACTICE: 09:15

Q1: 11:36

Q2: 13:06

Q3: 14:36

Semi-Finals and Final: (from) 16:00

Grid Wrap Up Show: 17:00 [RX+ only]

SUNDAY:

WARM-UP: 09:15

Q1: 10:06

Q2: 12:06

Q3: 14:06

Semi-Finals and Final: (from) 16:00

Grid Wrap Up Show: 17:00 [RX+ only]

FREE LIVESTREAM

Red Bull TV (FINALS) ROUND 8 & 9 [Satuday and Sunday] - at 17:00 UTC+2 - https://www.redbull.com/int-en/events/fia-world-rallycross-championship-germany

"A quick car will be rewarded, whilst mistakes will be punished" in Riga double-header.

PHOTO CREDIT: Hansen Motorsport

The Hansen brothers' are heading to Latvia for rounds four and five of the FIA World Rallycross Championship this weekend, with the drivers' and teams' titles to defend after a trio of one-two finishes.

A strenuous schedule begins this week with the World RX of Latvia. Unlike the first three rounds of the season, this one is a double-header, with a full championship round taking place on each of the two days.

Having claimed two wins in the last two events in Sweden and France, Timmy has some good memories at the Biķernieki trase (track) has taken a victory in 2019 and a few other podium finishes.

"This is a track that I enjoy and has been good to me in the past. It’s another high-grip circuit, so taking what we learned from the last round in Lohéac into this one will be crucial," Timmy Hansen said. "As a double-header, it presents an extra challenge for myself, for the mechanics, and the whole team. That’s especially true of the mechanics, who will be pushing to keep the car in top condition from start to finish."

The 2019 World Champion is thrilled by the prospects of Mattias Ekström's one-off return with All-Inkl Munnich Motorsport this weekend. 

"It’s great to see Mattias Ekström coming back to the championship too, even if it’s only a one-off. We all know how fast he is and it’s great to have another world champion back on the grid to compete against," he said. "We saw in Spain that the car he’s driving is capable of being at the front, so I’m looking forward to competing against another of the strongest rallycross drivers out there this weekend."

His younger brother Kevin is hungry for more wins, having stood on the top step of the podium at the season opener in Spain earlier this season. The 23-year-old Swede still has the world title firmly in his sights, with only a 10-point deficit to Timmy.

"We’ve had three good weekends but with this double-header, a quick car will be rewarded even more than normal, while mistakes will be punished twice as hard. We’ll have to be on our toes as there’s one less qualifying session to make up lost ground," Kevin Hansen said.

"I think this format suits me and I’m looking forward to it. Riga is a really fun track; in terms of the circuit layout, it’s a little bit like Monaco, being a narrow track with lots of walls everywhere. But it’s also a track I want to step up at and do better at. I have some ideas on how to do improve here compared to years past and I hope my new way of working applies well to this style of track."

UNKORRUPTED's Abbring claims fourth at inaugural outing on French soil.

PHOTO CREDIT: UNKORRUPTED

Following on from a podium finish last time out in Sweden, round 3 of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented Kevin Abbring with unknown challenges at the famous Lohéac track, where the Dutchman finished fourth in his inaugural outing on French soil. 

In his inaugural race weekend in Lohéac, Abbring used Saturday’s free practice session to get a feel for the 1,070m long track before lining up against Enzo Ide, Johan Kristofferson, Timmy Hansen, and O’Donovan for race one of the first qualifier.

A fierce battle over 4 race laps, saw Abbring squeeze by Ide in the very last corner to finish the race in third.

On pole for Q2, the Dutchman won the battle through the first few corners with Scheider to come out in the lead, a position he managed to defend even when rejoining the track following the joker in lap 3. He took the chequered flag with the second-fastest time of Q2 putting him in third overnight behind Kristofferson and Gronholm.

Having set the sixth-fastest time in fourth overall in the third qualifier, Kevin started the final qualifier of the race weekend on pole. He had a good launch, racing to the chequered flag and claiming the fourth-fastest time of the qualifying session.

In the semi-final, Abbring was fourth off the line and jokered on lap 2 finishing the race in 4th-place, missing out on third by one-tenth of a second. 

As a substitute for the final, Kevin Abbring was allowed to enter the final in sixth after Kristoffersson failed to make the pre-grid in third. Launching off the line, he jokered straight away and worked his way up, overtaking Szabo and Scheider in the process finishing in fourth-place. 

"It’s been an important race weekend of learning for us - it was the first time on this track for me, so I had to adjust and quickly get a feel for the car on this awesome French circuit," Abbring said. 

"We changed setups a few times on Saturday morning and were able to optimise performance alongside my growing knowledge of the flow of the track. We had great pace yesterday after getting the feel for the track after Q1.

"We just didn’t have the pace for a podium finish, and it's something we have to review as a team. It was great to be driving in front of so many spectators, a fantastic track and atmosphere and I'm ready to push for the podium at the next event in Latvia."

The Hansen brothers race to third consecutive one-two finish at Lohéac.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Timmy and Kevin Hansen delivered another commanding one-two finish at the Bretagne World RX of Lohéac, as the ‘Lion’ roared on home soil, and Johan Kristoffersson was once again out of luck.

After a strong start to the season with one-two finishes in Spain and Sweden – with Kevin and Timmy winning one event each – the team kept its unprecedented winning streak going in France with another formation finish at the third round of the World RX season.

Timmy Hansen entered the weekend holding a six-point advantage at the summit of the championship standings – produced a perfect start and a scintillating turn-of-speed in Q4 to top the timesheets and launch himself onto the front row of the starting grid for the first semi-final alongside rival Kristoffersson.

Two fastest times out of four secured Kristoffersson the Top Qualifier honors, but driveshaft failure while leading the semi-final spelled disaster for the three-time world champion, allowing Hansen and Timo Scheider to sneak past on the final lap.

The KYB EKS JC driver narrowly fended off Kevin Abbring for third place but was then unable to take up his spot in the final as his gearbox was also found to be damaged. Despite a herculean effort by his team to replace it, he, unfortunately, did not make it to the grid within the specified time limit (missed by one minute).

That set up a Hansen front-row lockout after Kevin beat Niclas Grönholm at the start of the second semi-final to assume a lead. 

From there the brothers worked together to maximize the team’s result, running side-by-side through the first two turns at the start of the final before Kevin pulled in behind at the turn three hairpin. The brothers then sped away from their pursuers to extend their winning run, with Kevin shadowing Timmy right the way to the chequered flag for a third consecutive one-two.

"What an amazing season we are having! I think this is a time in my career and our lives that we will always remember, with one-two finishes for the team in each of the first three events – it’s just magic," Timmy Hansen said.

"I must say I was lucky in many ways to get the win – it was a shame that Johan [Kristoffersson] had his technical issue – but that’s the way it goes sometimes and today it went my way. Rallycross is about much more than just being quick, and there have been many races in my career where I have had the speed but not come away with the result."

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

The second win of the season means, Timmy has extended his championship lead over younger brother Kevin to 10 points, who in turn has a 17-point advantage over nearest challenger Krisztián Szabó in third.

The 2019 World Champion credits the Hansen World RX Team for keeping their winning streak alive.

"Even though I am the guy in the driver’s seat, I have to give credit for this victory to my team. The effort, the energy, the knowledge from our mechanics and engineers made all the difference today. The car wasn’t there in the first few qualifying sessions, not only in terms of raw pace but also the feeling it was giving me. A new set of Öhlins dampers and set-up changes before Q4 made the 208 come alive and made a huge difference," Hansen said.

"At this stage of the season we need to get as many points on the board as possible for the team – the Hyundais found more pace this weekend and Johan was as fast as ever, so when opportunities appear for us to take maximum scores, we have to take them. It's a shame Johan had an issue but this is the game."

Round one winner, Kevin Hansen acknowledges that a 1-2 finish is another great result for the team, but he wasn't able to show his pace throughout qualifying despite having a few chances of winning. 

"This is another great result and it shows what my real pace was throughout the weekend. I feel I was a bit unlucky in not being able to show my pace throughout qualifying as I felt fast and the car was great – but we kept working hard and we got the front by the end," Kevin said

"I’d like to go out and win the final but we had an equal chance to be the leader – pole position goes to the winner of the faster semi-final, and this time around that was Timmy. If it had been the other way around then he would be supporting me. It’s our job to get the team the best result possible and we can only achieve that by working together. And in fairness, I had to be on my maximum pace to keep up with Timmy in the final! Maybe there was a chance or two for me to dive down the inside but ensuring the one-two result is more important.

Now, we need to continue working hard to extract more pace, and our car should suit Riga well, so I’m really excited to go there next and try to win."

Behind the Hansen pairing, Q1 pace-setter Grönholm overcame his slow semi-final start to achieve his first podium of the season and a strong points haul following a difficult season-to-date – with Abbring going well again for fourth, despite having to contend with a slipping clutch that hampered his hopes of a rostrum result on UNKORRUPTED’s home turf.

"I’m a bit disappointed, because we had the opportunity to win today. I felt we were up there with the top guys at last, after a difficult first couple of rounds where our pace has been quite up-and-down," Grönholm said. 

"I really thought we could go all the way, but unfortunately the stall at the start of the semi-final ruined the weekend because you really need a good grid position in the final if you want to win. I did what I could and tried to fight back, and I guess third place from the last row is ok, but I’m here to win. We have the pace in the car – we just need a little bit of luck, and then the results will come."

His GRX-SET team-mate Krisztián Szabó maintained his record of progressing through to the final at every event so far in 2021 securing a fifth-place finish, with Scheider completing the top six.

2021 FIA World RX Championship standings after round 3 (drivers):

Timmy Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 85 pts

Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 75 points

Krizstian Szabo (GRX-SET) 58 pts

Johan Kristoffersson (KYB EKS JC) 57 pts

Kevin Abbring (UNKORRUPTED) 55 pts

Niclas Gronholm (GRX-SET) 51 pts

Enzo Ide (KYB EKS JC) 37 pts

Timo Scheider (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 31 pts

Juha Rytkonen 25 pts

Rene Munnich (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 16 pts

[TOP 10 only]

The Hansens aim to keep winning streak alive.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

The Hansen World RX Team looks to continue their winning streak, as the World Championship rolls into northern France this weekend. 

A near-perfect start to the season has seen the Swedish squad become the first team ever to take two consecutive one-two finishes in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. 

Championship leader Timmy Hansen and Kevin Hansen have one win apiece, while the team is already 40 points ahead of its nearest rival in the teams’ standings.

But there’s no time for the team or its drivers to rest on its laurels – less than two weeks since the last round in Sweden, they’re back at the team’s second-home in Lohéac to try and keep the winning streak alive.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Just six points behind older brother Timmy, Kevin Hansen has one goal in mind this weekend, and it's to reclaim the championship. 

"My goal this weekend is clear – I want to get the lead of the championship back. I feel like the circuit suits me and suits the car but as we saw in Sweden, the grid draw makes such a huge difference. It's the main reason I am not tied on points with Timmy right now. And annoyingly this is the one thing I can’t control," Kevin Hansen said. "So I will cross my fingers, my toes, my arms, my eyes if I have to, everything – my grid positions in qualifying last time were terrible and I don’t want to go through that again!

"It’s best to focus on the positives though and we have lots of those. Our speed at Höljes shows that our car seems to be competitive everywhere on all surfaces. And my confidence is really high – not only from the feeling the 208 has given me so far this year".

The Hansen's have exclusively used French cars at the top level of rallycross – both in World RX and Euro RX before it – since the 1993 season. The team’s 17 World RX victories and three world titles have all been achieved with a Peugeot 208 WRX.

Timmy Hansen currently holds the lap record around Lohéac, having set a 35.843s (laptime) on World RX’s last visit to France in 2019. 

"This is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar – maybe it helps that our car has always performed well here but it’s a nice circuit regardless. It’s really old-school but also quite a fast track – there are not many technical corners on the lap aside from a final couple of turns, where lacking precision with your inputs costs a lot of lap time," Timmy Hansen said.

The 2019 World Champion admits that the real difference this year is reliability and consistency. 

"It is easy to focus on how fast each team and driver is but what has really made a difference so far this year is reliability and consistency. It’s important we don’t lose sight of that," he said. "Getting to the finish line is not always a guarantee but everyone in the team has done a superb job of making sure we’ve finished every race without problems so far this season. I believe that will end up being a key factor when we get to the end of the season.

"I am the reigning winner here so of course, the target has to be to go out and do the same thing again. Let’s wait and see what happens but I’m optimistic that I will be competitive this weekend."

Timmy Hansen takes first home soil victory to snatch World Championship lead.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

Timmy Hansen led home younger brother Kevin to claim the teams' first one-two finish on home soil at the Swecon World RX of Sweden in Höljes (yesterday).

Wins for both drivers' in their respective semi-finals set up an all-Hansen front-row for the final, with the 2019 World Champion leading away from pole position, and holding the top spot all the way to the chequered flag.

Only 1.049s behind across the line was Kevin (Hansen), who briefly went side-by-side with his older brother through turn one in the final before ceding track position into the tight second turn.

Timmy’s run to victory had been confident, finishing as the top qualifier for the second consecutive race weekend ahead of Johan Kristoffersson. His performance in the first semi-final was well controlled, putting in an assured lights-to-flag win to bag a maximum 30-point haul from his home race.

"I am so happy, so excited, maybe even a little bit relieved, to finally have my first home win in World RX – one that’s mine to keep this time! This has been the one race more than any I’ve wanted to win. I think every racing driver gets a special feeling to win in front of their home crowd and even though Höljes wasn’t quite as packed as it normally is with the restricted number of spectators, it’s still an amazing feeling," Timmy Hansen said.

"It’s hard to believe we even managed this result – scoring a 1-2 is an amazing feat. To pull it off two rounds in a row seems impossible. And to do it here in Sweden is magical. But the real magicians in our team are the engineers and mechanics – I’ve never felt so good in a car around this track as I did on Sunday. The reliability we have is all thanks to them – it’s sad that we didn’t get to race against Johan in the final but it also shows how critical every member of the team is to our success on the track."

Hansen admits the 2021 season has been the best start to the season he has ever had. 

"It’s my best start to the season ever – 57 points from a possible 60 – and before I get back in the 208 at Lohéac in two weeks," he said.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Kevin Hansen found himself starting on the far side of the grid throughout qualifying sessions (outside line) and, finding himself stuck in traffic in every race, struggled to show his true pace and could only manage a sixth place in the final intermediate standings.

Starting third in the second semi-final, the 23-year-old followed up a strong start with an early joker strategy, as he leapfrogged Krisztián Szabó for the win. His progress up the order was also aided by Johan Kristoffersson retiring with double punctures, sealing a front-row grid slow alongside Timmy for the final.

"Today we showed everyone why we are the leading team in the championship. We have a strong car, great engineers and mechanics, and fast drivers – but when myself and Timmy are together on the track, we can score amazing results like these. We have waited so long to take a first-place trophy home from Höljes and it’s a great feeling to have finally pulled it off, especially in this style and even though it wasn’t myself scoring the win today," Kevin Hansen said. 

"I had two great starts in the finals but in the end, Timmy had just enough to stay ahead in the last race. If it had been any other driver I would have sent it up the inside at turn two, as there was maybe enough space to try and squeeze through. But if I’d done that here, it would have compromised Timmy and, as we showed in Barcelona, the priority is always to score the best-combined result for the team."

"It’s a shame I lost some points with qualifying but with my grid positions, there wasn’t much more I could do."

Timmy's win ends an eight-year wait for Hansen World RX Team to secure its first home win at world championship level. The Swede had previously won on the road in 2015 before a post-race penalty demoted him to second – but this time around no last-lap pass was needed to cross the line in first place.

"I feel really pleased for Timmy – he has worked hard for many years to get a home victory and now he finally has it. Kevin’s development over the course of the weekend was also great to see; he struggled a lot with his positions in qualifying but he rebounded in excellent style with his semi-final performance," Kenneth Hansen, Hansen World RX team principal said.

"Our second one-two finish in a row really shows the strength of our team and how much we are focused on the details. Our strategy was executed perfectly by Timmy and Kevin, while the car performance at this circuit was much improved on last year’s two rounds in Höljes."

"We didn’t necessarily have the rawest pace – Kevin Abbring was showing some great speed in the Mégane, and Johan was quick like always – but everyone in our team used their experience and knowledge to bring the maximum out of what we have."

The Hansen World RX Team further strengthened its championship lead, building its advantage over GRX-SET to 40 points. 

Reading the race was key for Barcelona 1-2 finish.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has proven to be a happy hunting ground for the Hansen World RX Team in years past, with Kevin Hansen leading home team-mate Timmy Hansen in a 1-2 finish in the 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship season-opener.

Having finished second and third behind Johan Kristoffersson on Friday (day one) in the first and second qualifiers, news soon came that Johan was disqualified from Q1 due to a disconnected FIA data logger, which meant the Hansen brothers were promoted to 1-2 overnight. 

Whilst Kristoffersson launched a fightback on day 2 in the Catalunya heat, Timmy Hansen was right behind the defending World Champion in the third and fourth qualifiers, with the older Hansen brother coming out as the top qualifier with younger brother Kevin in second in the intermediate rankings sealing a front row start in their respective semi-finals. 

Timmy Hansen explaining the movement of his car, whilst Kenneth Hansen listens behind.
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

14-time European Rallycross Champion and team principal, Kenneth Hansen admits that his team did not quite have the ultimate place over the weekend, but they focussed on tyre saving hoping to gain maximum performance. 

"We didn't quite have the ultimate pace during the whole weekend – Kristoffersson was extremely quick in the Saturday qualifying sessions," Kenneth Hansen said. "But we had good tyres for the semi-finals and very good tyres for the finals – we had decided to put our eggs in a single basket strategy-wise early on, taking a gamble aimed squarely at winning the later races."

"We had to take additional risks to win those races too, especially with the joker lap. We did a really good job in that area, it couldn't have gone better."

Pulling out all the stops in the final, with a front-row lockout for Hansen brothers. With a clear strategy in mind, they covered off the immediate challenge behind, but the race for victory was not over from there. 

Kristoffersson kept them very honest, as he opted for clean air and took his joker on lap two posting the fastest time of the weekend - 43.536s. The fight was on! Fending off the chasing Kristoffersson, Timmy took the joker a lap later and cleared the three-time World Champion, but unfortunately got held up by Krisztian Szabo handing Kevin Hansen a few tenths to play with, and ultimately coming out alongside his older brother and sweeping into the lead where he would remain to claim his first-ever win on the road.

"The situation we faced in the opening laps of the final was Kevin potentially dropping to third, but we were able to read the race and ensure we took a 1-2 and maximum points for the championship," Hansen explains.

Kenneth Hansen credits his technical team, and engine partner ORECA for the work they have done not only in Barcelona but in preparation for the 2021 campaign.

"Our technical team has done a fantastic job all weekend, and we especially need to thank ORECA for their hard work on engine upgrades," he said. "Our starts were consistently strong this week, which is a great reward for all the work that's been put in since last year's season finale."

'We should have good pace straight out of the box' - Timmy Hansen.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has proven to be a happy hunting ground for Timmy Hansen having taken wins for the last two years running.

Timmy’s 2019 performance was especially dominant, winning every session on his way to victory ahead of younger brother Kevin, who secured a historic 1-2 finish for the team. 

Having ended the curtailed 2020 season at the same circuit with a victory, the 2019 World Champion is confident he will be similarly competitive at the beginning of the 2021 season.

"It's been a really long break leading up to this round of the championship, so I hope I can get up to speed quickly now that we're back! But our preparations for this season have gone really well and I'm confident we should have some good pace straight out of the box," Hansen said.

The Barcelona rallycross track is 1,125m in length with competitors tackling a sweeping left-hand Turn One (which saw tons of action in 2020 involving Johan Kristoffersson). Before a quick run uphill to the transition to dirt/gravel at turn 2 before a quick right into turn 3 followed by a left, which marks the entrance to the Joker lap, followed by a long, sweeping left-hand turn incorporating the back straight. The second of the two gravel sections then has an intricate entry before running through a fast downhill right kink, with a tight left-handed turn leading to the finish line.

"Barcelona is a high-grip circuit, which has always worked well for us and our car," he said. "There's one exception to that though – the last corner, which is my favorite. It's usually super slippery on entry and all the grip is on the exit, so the driving style through there is really different." 

"You end up almost backing the car into the final corner and wait for the grip to arrive on the exit. Anyone who's played DiRT Rally will know this style very well!"

"The joker lap on this track – where the exit speed is so high – introduces some unusual strategy and makes it very open, so while our car is fast, we will need to be clever and make sure we are getting everything right to perform well."

Whilst its yet to be determined who wins at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona this weekend, but there is no doubt that the Hansen brothers will be ready to fight for glory! 

'My goal.... is simple – to win!' - Kevin Hansen

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

The long wait is nearly over. After 287 days since the FIA World Rallycross Championship last raced at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona, there is one man-hungry for victory, and it's none other than Kevin Hansen. 

Throughout his career, Hansen has shown rapid progression, which is key in the world of motorsport. He won almost every championship entered on course to a full-time seat in the World Championship in 2017. 

In 2019, Hansen won the World RX of Abu Dhabi on course to third overall in the championship standings, behind his older brother Timmy who won the championship on countback. 

The 2020 season was ultra-competitive with the return of Johan Kristoffersson and Mattias Ekstrom, with the Hansen's battling for race wins and podium finishes. Kevin claimed two podium finishes - a second place in Sweden (round 2), and a third place in Barcelona (round 7). 

2021 will mark the end of the combustion-engine(d) era, with Kevin hungrier than ever to start the season with a victory that the World RX of Catalunya this weekend.

"My goal at the first round is simple – to win! We have had a very positive off-season and I've been counting down the days to this event," Hansen said. "Our car has been improved over the winter in these types of corners so we're really proud of our effort and excited to show what it can do."

The Catalunya circuit is highly familiar to all the top drivers in the championship, as Barcelona has been a permanent fixture on the calendar since 2015. Utilizing the final sector of the Formula 1 circuit, sections of high-grip asphalt are punctuated by two dirt sections, the first of which features a spectacular jump. 

"Most of the corners are pretty much medium to low-speed corners, and it's very much about hitting your marks around the tyre barriers," the Swede explains. "There are no kerbs anywhere, so you have to be really precise and get your lines right. Generally, it's quite slippery but the grip builds up over the weekend, which should suit our [Peugeot] 208 well."

“Barcelona has historically been a track that suits our car really well. It's a track that changes character during the weekend – it always beings quite green and slippery, then builds up during the weekend, so you need to be on your toes constantly with car set-up."

The Hansen brothers aim high in final combustion-engined season.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Heading into the final season in the combustion-engine era, Timmy and Kevin Hansen are aiming high in 2021, after unveiling a striking new livery on their Peugeot 208 WRX Supercars. 

The closely-knit family team has achieved a lot of success in rallycross, with the most successful driver in rallycross history, Kenneth Hansen leading the team (father), having clinched 14 European RX titles. Whilst, Susann Hansen (their mother) is the only female driver to have won a European title in rallycross. 

Their eldest son, Timmy clinched the World Championship crown in dramatic fashion in 2019 with younger brother Kevin racing to glory in FIA Euro RX, RX Lites, and the Junior Rallycross Cup.

This season, the Hansen brothers are hoping to continue their momentum into 2021, targeting more victories and competing for both the drivers’ and teams’ world championship titles.

"I’m super excited to start this season. I hope now the work we are putting in will pay off, that in the beginning we can be there and fight for wins right from the start, and if we keep doing that through the season hopefully, we’re thereabouts to fight for the championship," Timmy Hansen said. 

"We’ve got a short season again. It’s very different from 2020 because then it was all very unexpected. Now for 2021, we know we’re coming into this very compact calendar, with a lot of races in a short time."

The 2019 Champion is under no illusions that the 2021 season will be smooth sailing, and admits they need to be at their best to beat their rivals. 

"It’s going to be a very tough season; everyone’s working very hard and no one is leaving anything to chance. Kevin is strong, he’s growing year by year. Johan Kristoffersson is strong – he was the champion last year. I know Niclas Grönholm is super fast and his car is a weapon," he said. "I really hope this car will be competitive against both of them – they have really strong cars, and we need to be at our best to beat them."

Like his older brother, Kevin has increasingly established himself as a key player in recent years, claiming his first World RX win in Abu Dhabi in 2019 and collecting seven podium finishes.

The 23-year-old makes it clear that he has more silverware in his sights over the following months.

"We're coming into the last season of the petrol era and I really want to take the world championship title," he said. "Going into this season we didn't want to repeat any of our mistakes from last year. We want to enter the season well prepared, and I think that's what we're doing this year. We're testing a lot more and we're thinking about small details all the time, leaving no stone unturned. With this team behind us, we can aim for 1-2 in the championship."

"We've been the most successful team in rallycross history so far and we plan to close this chapter by winning both titles."

With the new electric RX1e era on the horizon, the Swedish siblings are excited about the electric future. 

"In 2022 we’re moving to electric rallycross, going to faster cars, more technically advanced cars, and stepping into the future," Timmy Hansen said. "It’s massively exciting to be part of something new like that." 

Kevin Hansen admits that there will be challenges incorporating the Kreisel electric kit, but his sure the team can solve any issue quickly.

"To incorporate this kit into the current cars will be a challenge for everybody, but I believe Hansen World RX Team is not an inexperienced company. We know what we need to do, we'll get our heads down and figure it out quickly," Hansen said.

The 2021 World RX season will get underway with a Friday/Saturday evening showdown at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next weekend (23-24 July), before rounds in Germany, Sweden, France, Latvia, Belgium, and Portugal completing an eight-round schedule.

‘JB’ and Andréa Dubourg to contest World RX Nürburgring double-header.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

DA Racing will enter the full FIA European Rallycross Championship and selected FIA World Rallycross Championship rounds in 2021 with two Peugeot 208 WRX Supercars for brothers Jean-Baptiste and Andréa Dubourg, as the team ramps up its preparations for the sport’s new electric era.

Jean-Baptiste ‘JB’ Dubourg joined Euro RX’s headlining Supercar (now RX1) category in 2015 in a Citroën C4, with a rostrum finish in the Italian season finale propelling the Frenchman to fifth in the points table at the end of his maiden campaign in the series. He dovetailed that with sporadic starts in World RX, notably taking the chequered flag third in France.

After focussing his efforts on the World Championship in 2017 – scoring points in half of the events he contested – Dubourg returned to Euro RX in 2018, piloting a G-FORS Renault Clio to the podium in Barcelona and fifth place in the championship again.

Another switch – to Peugeot machinery this time – yielded five rostrum results from six rounds in 2019, including his breakthrough victory in Latvia, as well as another podium finish in 2020 as the five-time Andros Trophy ice-racing champion, scooped the runner-up spoils in the Euro RX standings in both seasons.

Dubourg has unfinished business in the European Rallycross Championship after coming out second best for the past two years. The Frenchman will return in 2021 with hopes to finally become the European Champion. 

“We are excited to be able to contest another full season in Euro RX1, as we aim to complete the job that we have begun in recent years with the clear objective of becoming European Champions. We have made good use of the long off-season caused by the global pandemic to take a big step forward with the 208 WRX, introducing a number of technical updates to ensure we are 100 per cent ready to tackle the different types of terrain we will encounter in Euro RX," Dubourg said. “DA Racing will also participate in the World Championship rounds at the Nürburgring."

The 33-year-old’s younger brother, Andréa, first appeared in Euro RX in 2014, ascending the podium on his debut on home soil at Lohéac in the Super1600 (now RX3) category. A full campaign the following year yielded four further rostrum visits – amongst which was a maiden triumph in Barcelona – and fifth in the overall rankings.

In 2017, the Frenchman stepped up to Supercar level in a DA Racing Citroën DS3, scoring points in three of his five starts. Moving to his current Peugeot 208 in 2018 vaulted him from 22nd up to 12th in the Drivers’ classification, before he improved again to finish fourth in 2019, advancing to the final on four occasions and reaching the rostrum in Latvia. Another podium finish in 2020 secured a fifth in the championship.

“I’ve always enjoyed competing in the FIA European Rallycross Championship. The circuits on the calendar and the high calibre of competition mean drivers need to be absolutely on top of their game and teams must fine-tune their cars to the nth degree. In 2020, we were able to race consistently at the sharp end, and it was great to finish on the podium at Höljes," Andréa Dubourg said.

“We are simultaneously planning to join the grid for the World RX rounds at the Nürburgring, which will allow us to settle back into the groove before the Euro RX1 season begins and work through a range of race and start strategies. All of the drivers will be learning this track for the first time, which makes it the ideal place to try out the various evolutions we have brought to the 208 WRX over the winter. My goal is to become European Champion this year, and our appearances in World RX will enable us to prepare for that challenge in the best way possible."

This year, the two drivers – whose father is 1992 European Autocross Champion Dominique Dubourg – returns with a dual focus and high expectations, targeting the Euro RX1 crown while doing their homework ahead of a planned World Championship assault in the new RX1e category in 2022.

"Being a new event [In Germany], will allow us to gauge the relative performance of our 208 WRX while continuing to prepare for the future as we work seriously on a World Championship entry for 2022. The team already has experience of electric technology having won the Andros E-Trophy with the support of Renault last winter, and we strongly believe this is the future for the sport,” Jean-Baptiste Dubourg said

“It's my time to shine!” - Kevin Hansen.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Nitro Rallycross and European Rallycross champion Kevin Hansen has confirmed that he will participate in the 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship, with the Hansen World RX Team in the final internal combustion-engined season, which kicks off next month in Barcelona. 

The 23-year-old Swede is already an established force in World Rallycross and has won in almost every series that he has entered to date. 

This season, he will enter his sixth consecutive season with the 2019 World RX Teams' Champions, Hansen World RX Team.

Yes, a new team name, but the same old fire to succeed in top-level rallycross!

Kevin challenged for the world championship up until the last race in 2019 coming out in third place behind his older brother Timmy (2019 champion) and Andreas Bakkerud. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

The shortened 2020 season, was a challenging one for the Swedish outfit, but despite all of that Kevin went on to claim two podiums, and he is now ready to compete for the ultimate prize in rallycross once more. 

"I’ve been looking at all areas of my development in order to put myself in a better position ahead of the season," Kevin Hansen said. "I know where I’ve been weak, and where I’ve been strong, and it’s time to put it all together in the final year of the petrol era."

"I’m capable of winning championships – I think my junior career showed that! This is no different and I hope the changes around me will showcase the progress we've made together."

Whilst last season provided to be a Kristoffersson vs. Ekstrom show. The Hansen's weren't too far away, and as the season progressed, the team slowly began to find some improvements with their Peugeot 208 WRX supercars to an extent that they claimed five podiums and one victory. 

Car development is key to finding improvements, hence why, testing is always a useful tool. This season (2021), Kevin feels that his family team has taken a step in the right direction.

"Our car development has moved towards a direction I feel more comfortable with, and the car did fit me much better last season than in 2019," the Swede says. "I believe since then we've progressed even more in that direction and I can’t wait to extract all of it on track."

The 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship will mark the end of internal combustion-engined Supercars, an era that Kevin hopes to end on top. 

"To close World RX's petrol chapter with the Hansen name on top would be a beautiful story, given the team's rich history and the upcoming shift to full electric rallycross," he said.

“It's my time to shine!”

Hansen World RX Team has indicated that the second driver will be announced at a later date.

Team Hansen hails 'big step' after win and double podium in Catalunya.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull/Hansen Motorsport

Reigning team champions Team Hansen has taken a big step in Barcelona having claimed their first win and first double podium of the season. 

The 2020 season has ebbed and flowed for the Swedish team, and in the early stages of the season they struggled to find traction on low grip circuits, but despite that their drivers claimed three podium finishes before heading to the World RX of Barcelona (double-header). 

With no wins to there record after a strong championship winning 2019 season, returning to winning ways was there ultimate objective, and following extensive testing prior to the final double-header of the season. The Team Hansen brought some valuable knowledge and updates with them, which provided to work on the 1.133 km track

The Hansen brothers were in the mix all weekend, and on Saturday afternoon reigning champion Timmy Hansen "beat the unbeatable" to register his first win of the season ahead of Johan Kristoffersson and Kevin Hansen. The 'brodium' was on!

Whilst some cynics might have thought it would be a one-off for the Hansen's on Saturday. They were wrong, the Hansen's were back and just as strong on Sunday for round 8 of the World RX championship, but this time with Kevin Hansen ahead of Timmy in the intermediate rankings in third and fourth respectively. 

Sunday saw Timmy claim his second piece of silverware, having finished second in round eight of the World RX season finishing behind Johan Kristoffersson this time around after beating him a day before. 

"It's been a fantastic weekend with a massive step-up in performance for both me and Kevin. We are fighting for wins now which feels great. Yesterday [Saturday] we got it, today [Sunday] not quite, but it's still been a great weekend and I'm happy that the work that we've done in the lead-up to this weekend has paid off," Timmy Hansen said.

"We had great pace today but the race didn't quite go in our favour. I wasn't lucky enough to have any pole position starts today which wasn't ideal so qualified fourth, though I was hoping to beat Bakkerud in the semi-final, even with older tyres, to get myself that all-important front row grid slot."

"The final was carnage. I came up behind Johan and it was the same battle again from Saturday but this time around I couldn't quite manage it," he adds. "The only way to win was to put in a perfect run and I didn't quite put together a string of perfect laps in the final; I wasn't quite able to find that perfect rhythm from the day before."

After a third-place finish a day before, Kevin continued his strong form edging older brother in the intermediate rankings having claimed two second-place finish in Q2 and 3. Whilst his pace was quite promising all weekend, his day would end in the semi-finals. 

The semi-finals saw a very crowded first corner which meant Kevin was shuffled back to fifth place at the start, though he quickly recovered to fourth at turn three, sneaking past Timo Scheider on the inside of the long right-hander.

An early joker to find clear air didn't quite pan out as he caught Tamás Kárai a lap later and, while a brilliant overtake exiting turn six put him into fourth place, too much time was lost to Robin Larsson who held the last spot for the final.

"Today was a very promising day. The car performance was amazing in all three qualifying sessions and I was feeling really comfortable with the adjustments the team had made overnight. My speed was much better today so I was very happy with everything in that respect," Kevin Hansen said.

"We had a bit of a bad start in the semi-final but I felt we were in a good position by jokering first. That's a good place to be, first into the joker, so it was looking promising. Unfortunately, Karai had gone for the complete opposite strategy to us so getting past him lost us the time we needed to make the final."

"Overall this was a very strong weekend, a great return to form, and I feel like I'm getting better every weekend," he adds. "For the first time this year, I was within sight of a victory, and I don't plan to let it out of my sight again for the rest of the year. I'm even more excited to be heading to Spa now with the momentum we've built here, with the team back to winning ways."

With a win and two podium finishes in two days, Team Hansen's quest to retain the teams' championship is back on track. Heading to Barcelona with a 43-point deficit to KYB Team JC, Timmy and Kevin's efforts has narrowed that gap to only 16 points, with two rounds in Belgium and Germany still to go.

Timmy has also leap-frogged Niclas Grönholm to third in the drivers' championship having been six points behind heading into Barcelona. The Swede now has a 16 point advantage over Niclas with two rounds to go, meanwhile Kevin has inched closer to Grönholm and is just 12 points behind sitting fifth in the championship standings. 

"What was most impressive on Sunday was Kevin's level of performance increasing further," Kenneth Hansen, team boss said. "In past years he was slightly behind Timmy's pace but now he's at exactly the same level; sometimes even quicker. So we have two really quick drivers and cars. Today he found the level he's normally capable of delivering."

"Our win yesterday seems to have made Johan even hungrier to make sure he didn't get beaten to victory! He was clearly very determined to make sure Timmy didn't win in the final again today. But having one race like yesterday's final, where Timmy put in an absolutely perfect drive, is still a fantastic performance. My voice is almost gone from pushing Timmy so much on the radio!"

After a challenging start to the season, Kenneth Hansen says his team is back in the game to defend their teams' title, and they will continue to push with an aim to leap-frog KYB Team JC in the standings.

"We're back in the game for the teams' world championship now and we'll be doing everything we can to catch the Audis in the title race," Kenneth warns. "I believe with the direction we're going in and what we've learned this weekend will also help us in Spa. Now we've made a big step for this weekend, finding the next bit of pace will be even harder, as the rate of return on testing gets smaller and we're also quite late into the season now. Plus we need good weather! But we'll do some more testing and see what we find. We never stop pushing!"

Written By - Junaid Samodien