Grönholm fights back to win first round of Riga double-header.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Niclas Grönholm fought back to take a commanding victory at round four of the FIA World Rallycross Championship despite a first-corner collision in Latvia earlier today. 

After a challenging start to the season thus far, Grönholm's season has finally taken a turn for the better. 

The Hyundai driver lined up alongside top qualifier Johan Kristoffersson in the final. With the pressure mounting, lights went out, and on the run into the first corner of the final, Kristoffersson and Grönholm had a door-to-door battle, as the Swede hoped onto the brakes later into the first corner and with some contact, Johan was rotated and slid backward into the outside barrier.

He led from the first corner with second-row start Timo Scheider climbing to second with Krisztian Szabo and the Hansen brothers behind. However, Scheider's second place was short-lived due to an electric issue that switched off his in Seat Ibiza after landing from the big jump. 

Scheider was able to complete a second lap but later retired. 

Fourth through the first corner, Timmy Hansen opted for a first lap joker, which would later gain him track position over Krisztian Szabo and his younger brother Kevin Hansen when they took their respective joker laps. 

Hansen's younger brother, Kevin had a tight battle with Szabo at the joker merge, but with his foot pinned to the gas. He was able to gain third on track, whilst Grönholm pulled out a healthy lead to take his joker rather comfortably and claim his fourth career victory, with the Hansen brothers rounding out the podium, despite a challenging first round in Riga. 

"It was a tough start to the season with two really bad races," Niclas Grönholm said. "France was a step towards something better, and we had good pace just a bit of luck that turned. It was a tough day but in the end quite a good one."

The 25-year-old Finn admits that he was a bit nervous about the first corner collision with Johan Kristoffersson. 

"I was a bit nervous because you always look at things a bit differently. I saw it as a racing incident. We both braked late, he braked a bit later than me and our wheels touched," he said. "I have no reason to take him out on purpose. It was just something that happened. I was a bit nervous coming over the line because I knew there would be an investigation, but now I'm happy."

"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."

The Hansen brothers headline 11-car field for World RX of Riga double-header.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

The FIA has released the official entry list for Ferratum World RX of Rīga on 18-19 September 2021. 

And guess what? The championship is only just heating up after the third round of the season at Lohéac in France last weekend, with a tantalizing title fight in prospect between Hansen brothers Timmy and Kevin and reigning champion Johan Kristoffersson, who has endured a tough start to the campaign due to penalties, punctures, and technical issues, but whose raw speed is certainly not in doubt.

Can three-time World Champion fight back in Latvia? He certainly can! 

In addition to the permanent entrants, Juha Rytkönen, Dan Öberg, and Timo Scheider will also head into battle in Latvia, while ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport has added a second car to its entry for a yet-to-be-named driver.

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. 

Hansen brothers secure 1-2 finish in Höljes as hard work pays off.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

Timmy Hansen won the Swecon World RX of Sweden in Höljes, leading home team-mate Kevin Hansen in a 1-2 finish for the Hansen World RX Team.

It all looked set for a humdinger of a weekend in Sweden, as championship leader Kevin Hansen led the championship with reigning champion Johan Kristoffersson looking to claim his first victory of the season but, the Hansen's had other plans. 

Johan might have won Q1 on Saturday, but Timmy Hansen fought back to level things out on Sunday. 

Having battled through Q3 and Q4, Timmy Hansen led the intermediate rankings ahead of the reigning champion Kristoffersson in second followed by an impressive Kevin Abbring, Krisztián Szabó, Niclas Gronholm, and Kevin Hansen. 

In the first semi-final, Timmy led home a fast charging Abbring and Juha Rytkönen to seal a place in the final, whilst Kristoffersson failed to finish due to a front-right puncture that ended his weekend rather prematurely. 

Round one winner, Kevin Hansen capitalized on Johan's disappointment winning semi-final two ahead of Szabó and Belgian Ide also qualifying for the final.

The Hansen brothers locked out the front row of the final on used tyres, with those behind bolting on new tyres. 

From pole position, Timmy had a very good start with Kevin holding the outside line into turn one. Opting for an alternate strategy, Kevin Abbring and Enzo Ide took her jokers on lap one. Whilst Timmy led Kevin followed by Rytkönen and Szabó.

As the Hansen brothers' pulled clear of their nearest rivals, Rytkonen and Szabó came under pressure from a charging Abbring. 

The Dutchman ultimately jumped both of them as the race progressed, with Timmy and Kevin taking their joker on the final lap to record another 1-2 and claim an 11th career race win. 

It wasn't all smooth sailing with constant adjustments and tweaking (including a gearbox change for Kevin Hansen) throughout the weekend to unlock more speed. 

Timmy Hansen fully credits the Hansen World RX Team mechanics for victory in Höljes today. 

"Our mechanics are the winners keeping our cars together. Sometimes we take it for granted and it is a reminder of the incredible work they are doing. I am so, so happy. 1-2 again," he said.

The 2019 World Rallycross Champion now holds the lead in the championship after two rounds (on 57 points) six points ahead of Kevin Hansen, with Szabó third followed by Abbring with reigning champion Kristoffersson down to fifth.

Swecon World RX of Sweden - FINAL RESULTS

GRAPHICS CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross

FIA World RX Championship Standings after Round 2. 

O'Donovan and Knapick joins 10-car field for World RX of France.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

The entry lists for the FIA World Rallycross Championship at Lohéac on 3-5 September have been released, setting the stage for a thrilling weekend on French soil.

Following the Barcelona curtain-raiser last month and this weekend’s outing at Höljes, the World Championship title fight will be heating up by the time drivers and teams arrive in France for round three of the 2021 season – and aside from the usual suspects, the return of ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport’s Timo Scheider is sure to mix up the order after the pace the German showed in Catalunya.

Former British Rallycross Champion and Euro RX podium-finisher Ollie O’Donovan will return after almost four years away. He will drive his Ford Fiesta Supercar.

Hansen NRX Team makes Nitro Rallycross return to defend its crown.

PHOTO CREDIT: Hansen RX Team/Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull Hansen NRX Team, the winners of the last two editions of Nitro Rallycross, are back for the newly revamped series with both Kevin and Timmy Hansen to defend their status as reigning champions.

After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, Nitro Rallycross makes a bold return, expanding from a one-off winner-takes-all event to a five-round series.

The Utah Motorsports Campus in Salt Lake City, USA, previously hosted standalone Nitro RX events but will now be joined by four new purpose-built tracks for the expanded 2021 calendar featuring: ERX Motor Park in Minneapolis, MN; Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, AZ; Glen Helen, CA; and The Firm, FL.

Kevin Hansen will defend his status as the reigning champion in NRX with a full campaign to take the top spot.

"Coming back to the US to take on Nitro Rallycross again is going to be mega. Utah Motorsports Campus is a circuit unlike anything I’ve driven elsewhere in the world – and now there’s going to be five of these insane tracks!" Kevin Hansen said. "How could I not come back and try to win it again? Travis Pastrana has done a super job with the original Nitro track, so I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us at the other locations."

"I want to win NRX again this year, of course, but it’ll be more difficult than ever before. There are some quality teams and drivers in this series so it will be a big ask to finish on top."

Due to other racing commitments, Timmy Hansen has only confirmed his entry for the opening round at Salt Lake City.

"I am so happy to be coming back – I have such great memories of Nitro Rallycross from 2018 and 2019. Going over the jump in Utah was unlike anything I’d experienced before; this track is a rollercoaster with its big air and banked turns. And to be in history as the first-ever winner of an NRX event is a really cool achievement. I can’t wait to go back," Timmy Hansen said.

"I’d love to do the whole championship but it’s a bit tricky to know if that is possible – between NRX, World RX and Extreme E I have a lot of driving and travelling to do!"

"So I’m going to go to Utah aiming to win, and then hoping I can come back and do some more races. It would be awesome to try out the new tracks," he adds.

2019 Nitro World Games Rallycross.
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

The Hansen NRX Team will join the likes of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Olsbergs MSE, the Monster Energy RX Cartel, Loenbro Racing, and the Xite Energy Racing on the 2021 grid. 

Kevin reveals that the team's Peugeot 208 WRX's will be slightly different from their FIA World Rallycross Championship specification cars. 

"We are relishing the challenge; we’ve got a slightly different spec of car for NRX compared to the world championship, so all the hard work the team has been putting in to perfect my US 208 will hopefully put me in a great position to compete at the top," he explains.

Kenneth Hansen, team boss admits that since his team raced in Utah two years ago, they've always wanted to return and are thrilled to be back on the grid in 2021. 

"I would say there are only two premier categories in rallycross right now – the world championship, of course, and Nitro Rallycross. Since we packed up our container in Utah two years ago, we’ve wanted to come back and race here again, so we’re very happy to have made it back onto the grid," he said.

"We are pushing as a team to bring the best package possible to the US. With the drivers we have the best line-up possible; they are currently the top two drivers in the world championship and the only past winners of NRX after all! But also on the technical side, we have been hard at work preparing a car that is perfectly suited to the big jumps and slippery gravel the US circuits have."

"We want to give Kevin and Timmy the best tools to go out and win more races here – hopefully, we’ll achieve that with this version of the 208."

An emotional Kevin Hansen claims closely fought Catalunya win.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Sweden’s Kevin Hansen claimed victory in a closely fought World RX of Catalunya, round one of the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

The Hansen World RX Team driver claimed his first win on track beating his older brother and three-time World RX Championship Johan Kristoffersson. Statistically speaking it's his second ever win in the championship but his first on-track win.

One could argue that the entire weekend revolved around Johan Kristoffersson's disqualification from Q1 on Friday evening after a "data logger" was not connected for the session, which meant Timmy Hansen took the overall lead after day one. 

Whilst Kristoffersson launched a fightback winning both Q3 and Q4, he finished sixth overall in the intermediate rankings meaning he made the semi-finals but would start behind the Hansen brothers on the second row of the grid.

The semi-final(s) was action-packed from start to finish with Timmy leading into turn 2 covering off an attacking Krisztian Szabo and Timo Scheider behind. Unfortunately, Scheider came off worse ending up in the barrier and ripping off a wheel. His dream of making the final was over!

Kevin, hungry for victory in Barcelona lead off the line but behind his Peugeot 208, it was pretty messy as Niclas Gronholm's race ended in the barriers. And, as the semi-final progressed, Kristoffersson was a man on a mission, but the younger Hansen brother hung on and to win semi-final 2 meaning he would line up alongside Timmy for the final. 

All set for the final in the cooling Catalan evening, the Hansen brothers had good launches off the line with Kristoffersson trying with all his might to get through from the second row of the grid. However, with a clever strategy, the Hansen World RX Team duo covered off the drivers behind and hung on to 1-2 on lap one. 

Opting for an alternate strategy Kristoffersson on lap 2, he took the joker lap, and we all know that over the years if you offer the three-time World RX Champion clean air he'd likely close the gap and win. 

But, with a strategic masterstroke played by Hansen brother, Timmy jokered on lap 3 to cover off the KYB EKS JC driver and comfortably come out ahead, but he got stuck behind Krisztian Szabo who jokered a lap later. 

A lap later, Kevin took his joker (on lap four) and came out alongside his elder brother to sweep into the lead from the outside line where he would remain until the checkered flag.

Kevin ended the final 0.141s ahead of his older brother Timmy Hansen and ahead of Johan Kristoffersson to claim an emotional victory in Catalunya. 

"If I look to the left or I look to the right. There are four world championships on either side of me and I beat both of them," Hansen said. "I worked so hard for this when I put a lot of effort during this winter to make changes."

"We had an opportunity when Johan did a mistake with their car (Q1 DSQ) and we took that opportunity. We had to fight for it for sure, but we had the advantage of track position. And it's so important to get the points."

"I'm super happy how I came back and, you know, took revenge on myself and just head down and worked for it. So I mean, to get a win in the championship like this. And I think leading the world championship to you know, it's been three years since I did last time," he concluded.

Kevin Hansen leading the World RX of Catalunya final.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX/Red Bull Content Pool.

The 2019 World Champion admits that he is super proud of his younger brother winning in Barcelona today, despite finishing second and holding off a fast-charging Kristoffersson. 

"I'm super proud of Kevin," Hansen said. "He did a fantastic job, of course. And I think both of us keeping it cool through qualifying and the first quarter through the final."

"We had a plan of how to exit the first few corners in first and second place and we executed that. After that, of course, Johan was incredibly fast. So to kept track of position, we had to copy his strategy."

The 29-year-old Swede admits that he lost time behind Szabo and could have won, but it wasn't to be.

"Because I covered Johan I was held up, although I wouldn't have needed more than a few hundredths coming out of that last corner," he said. "So I mean, could have been mine today, but it wasn't in the end. But still, this feels like a win for four for our team and for our family."

After the disappointment of being disqualified from Q1, Kristoffersson can be proud of his fight back! He admits that he was hoping for more this weekend after the pace he had shown. 

"We're on the podium. So, you said that to me on Friday morning. I will definitely take it. But after the pace we've shown, of course, we would like to have more. But at the same time, you know, like in semi-final and final, I don't want to be to risk it too much and be on the wrong side to pick up the penalties or try to to be aggressive but still driving fair. So there was no real way around," Kristoffersson said. "The pace of the car is fantastic and the team has done a great job. So that's that's bright for the future."

The action returns next month with round two of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Holjes, Sweden (20-22 August).

'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! 

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.

17-strong grid confirmed for Catalunya curtain-raiser

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

The entry lists for the 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship curtain-raiser in Catalunya next month (23/24 July) have today been revealed, with a 17-car grid for World RX setting the scene for a sensational weekend’s racing in Spain.

The World RX line-up is headlined by defending champion Johan Kristoffersson, who is chasing a fourth World Championship crown this year after switching to Audi machinery for the first time with KYB EKS JC.

Kristoffersson will face a stiff challenge, as 2019 champion Timmy Hansen and younger brother Kevin return armed with their updated Peugeot 208 and Niclas Grönholm hungrier than ever in his Hyundai. 

Kevin Abbring should also not be discounted in the UNKORRUPTED Renault Mégane, particularly after his scene-stealing World RX debut in Norway two years ago.

A number of interesting ‘wild cards’, have the potential to spring a surprise, including two-time Euro RX Supercar Champion Timur Timerzyanov – an 11th-hour addition to the field with GRX-SET – Juha Rytkönen, who made such an impression on home soil at Kouvola last year returns behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta, whilst double DTM champion Timo Scheider, will spearhead a three-strong ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport assault.

The release of today's entry list marks the beginning of a new era under the stewardship of Rallycross Promoter GmbH, and also the end of the era, as Andreas Bakkerud will not return as a permanent entrant in 2021. The Norweigan has been a permanent entrant since the championship's inception back in 2014. 

Timmy Hansen determined to 'write a new story' in World RX

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Former World Champion Timmy Hansen has confirmed his return to World RX in 2021 with the family-run Hansen World RX Team and is determined to 'write a new story this year.'  

The 29-year-old has had a successful career having competed in World RX since its inception in 2014, and he is one of only three drivers' to have entered every round, achieving ten wins and 32 podium finishes at the wheel of a Peugeot 208. 

His 2019 campaign was his most accomplished to-date having claimed four wins from ten starts on course to secure both the drivers' and teams' titles for Team Hansen MJP alongside younger brother and team-mate Kevin Hansen, in a dramatic finale in South Africa, which saw Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud end the season on level points.  

A year later, it was a bit more challenging for Team Hansen, but after some thorough testing, they were able to find some improvements which resulted in a win and three podium finishes.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media

After Kevin's [Hansen] return was announced earlier this week, it was just a matter of time before we'd find out about Timmy's future, and his return to the World Championship is truly great news.

The Swede acknowledges all the challenges that his family-run team has had making it to the grid each season, and is very grateful to once have the opportunity to compete in 2021. 

"In the last few years since we've become a fully independent family team, being on the grid has never been a given each season. I'm very grateful I have the opportunity to come back and compete again this year," Timmy Hansen said.

"I love rallycross and it's always been part of my life, and it still is in a very big way. We run the family team every day and our involvement with rallycross goes back decades. It's in my blood since I was born so I'll always want to compete here."

Having recorded ten World Rallycross career victories, the Swede is more motivated to write another successful championship story in 2021. 

"Even though this will be my eighth consecutive season in World RX now, I'm as motivated as ever to write a new story this year: will we compete for the title, who will be fast this year, and how will we stack up?" Hansen adds. 

Could the Hansen's clinch the World RX title in the final season of the internal combustion engine? They certainly could, and Timmy believes that his team is better prepared this season than they were last year. 

"We've been working really hard ourselves and the car feels much better starting in 2021 than it did in 2020. All the great ideas and talented people working with us have made a big difference, even as a small team that's improving step-by-step," he said. "We might have a good shot at competing for the title this year, but let's see how it goes!"

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

Kristoffersson comes out on top in Barcelona despite a first corner incident

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX

Johan Kristoffersson claimed his fourth win of the 2020 World Rallycross season in Barcelona, after an action-packed final.

It was a challenging day for the double world champion who was stuck in traffic all day, while his championship rival capitalized in clean air to claim the top qualifiers spot. 

Could Kristoffersson fight back?

The heat was on.. In the semi-finals, Kristoffersson started on the second row of the grid but made quick work of Kevin Hansen and Robin Larsson to claim second-place behind Ekström, he then leap-frogged his championship rival with an earlier joker lap to secure a front-row start for the final. 

Having struggled in the first half of the season, Andreas Bakkerud showed some great pace, and actually won Q3 ahead Mattias Ekstrom, and that was not all folks. Andreas also won semi-final two ahead of Timmy Hansen and Anton Marklund to claim pole position for the final. 

Lining up for the final, Andreas and Johan used two new front tyres, while Timmy Hansen behind had a set new tyres on his Peugeot 208 and Ekström behind with one new right front tyre. 

At the start, Kristoffersson got away well and briefly pulled a cars length clear of Bakkerud who was on the inside. On the turn into the first corner, Johan took a tighter line squeezing Andreas who hit his rear and bounced up. Seconds later, Bakkerud caught the wall on the inside as a direct result of that pitching him into the tyre barrier and ricocheting into the path of Robin Larsson who had nowhere to go. 

The collision instantly took Bakkerud and Larsson out of the race, while Mattias Ekström who had a bad start and had to steer around the stranded car.

Kristoffersson made it through turn one with a missing front wing (fender), while Timmy Hansen and Anton Marklund sneaked through the turn one melee, and the pair began to there race. 

Marklund jokered on lap one promoting Ekström to third, while Timmy Hansen closed the gap and was glued to Kristoffersson's rear bumper. The Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS driver opted for an early joker on lap 3 and was immediately on the rear of Ekström who was running in third at the time. 

On the next lap around, the two-time champion posted the fastest lap of the race, a 44.113-second lap. 

While Mattias Ekstrom made a rare mistake going into the final corner and running off the track. Stalled for a few seconds, and later got going well behind Marklund. 

Timmy could not capitalize on the clean air upfront, while Kristoffersson inched closer lap after lap. The gap fell as Kristoffersson upped his pace. Hanging on upfront, Hansen jokered on the final lap and come out in second 2.737-seconds behind Kristoffersson who claimed his 24th career win. 

After the race, Kristoffersson was asked what happened at turn one, to which he replied: "I didn't see anything because I was in front."

"I had a very good start, there was a lot of grip on the start line. I saw Andreas bog on the start in pre-launch and I bogged in pre-launch, and then I turned everything on, and then I had a great start. I saw Andreas drop back. So, I didn't expect him to be there. I thought that he was further back then he was... I almost had a car length and when I braked into the first corner he came like a rocket. I couldn't do anything differently to be honest."

Kristoffersson joked after the race that he jokered ahead of Timmy Hansen this time, after losing out yesterday (round 7). 

"I saw that Timmy had four new tyres and I had two new tyres. But today I gave it absolutely everything to manage to get him and I am just so happy," he said. "We had the pace all day, but we couldn't really show it because we have been in traffic every session. First of all the semi-final was very nice and then the final. So, I feel a bit relieved."

Heading into Barcelona, Team Hansen conducted an extensive testing programme and found some much-needed performance after lacking traction at earlier events. 

Timmy is quite pleased with his weekend overall at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona. "As a whole, it's a fantastic result. We have been putting in all that work and it paid off this weekend," he said. "The win yesterday will definitely be the highlight. That is something that I will carry with me and to share the podium with Kevin yesterday." 

"Today, it didn't quite go our way in the race. I think our pace was actually maybe better for us today and the car is going definitely progressing. I was lucky in the final with the carnage and came out quite well and in a good position. After that, I tried to take the battle to Johan, but today it went to him. So, congratz to him!" 

Anton Marklund, who also escaped the first corner carnage opted for a first lap joker, and after Ekström's mistake, he followed Hansen across the finish line in third place to claim his first podium of the season, while Ekström eventually finished the final 19.397 behind the race winner. 

"It's a big relief because we had that podium in Holjes in the first race and we finished P3, and unfortunately we got a penalty and moved down and after that, we didn't have the pace and the team has been working so hard and Bilstein have been working there arses off, and now it starts to pay off," Marklund said. "The car is starting to behave very well and we started to have the pace."

The FIA investigated the first corner incident between Kristoffersson and Bakkerud, and deemed that Bakkerud was at fault:

"After reviewing all of the video evidence MVRC from several angles car #3 (Kristoffersson) and #13 (Bakkerud) were in front row. #3 had a better start with a full car length ahead leaving enough space on his left side. Then #13 drove full speed without braking before T1, he then collided with #3. #13's right front wheel touched the left hand rear wheel of #3 and crashed into the wall. #13 was then pushed by #4 who could not avoid the collision. Based on the above facts the stewards decided to take NO FURTHER ACTION."

After a strong start on Sunday, Kevin Hansen started on the front row for semi-final one but was covered off by Ekström with Larsson attacking around the outside and Kristoffersson on the inside. With a first lap joker, Kevin attempted to undercut the field, but unfortunately, he got stuck behind Tamas Karai and was unable close the gap enough to Larsson in the closing stages of the semis and would go no further. 

While Timo Scheider also had good pace today but also missed out on a spot in the semi-finals along with Tamas Karai.

Niclas Gronholm and Timur Timerzyanov had a day to forget, as they both failed to progress past the semi-finals. It was no different for Enzo Ide (JC Raceteknik) whose day also ended after the semi-finals.

With two rounds of the championship remaining, Johan Kristoffersson now has a 27-point lead at the top of championship standings, meaning should he score four more points than Ekström in Belgium, he would be crowned a three-time World RX champion. 

While Timmy Hansen is still in with a mathematic chance just 56 points behind Kristoffersson with two rounds remaining. 

Written By - Junaid Samodien