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| 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."
