EKS Audi Sport prepare for a challenging weekend in Latvia

PHOTO CREDIT: EKS Audi Sport

EKS Audi Sport heads to round nine of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Latvia’s capital city of Riga, Andreas Bakkerud and Mattias Ekström will be supported by DTM star Nico Müller at the wheel of a third Audi S1 EKS RX quattro.

In 2017, Müller a rookie, qualified for the final in his second ever appearance in World RX. “In view of the guys competing there, repeating this will be anything but easy,” says Müller “But, obviously, I’ll give my best and am extremely excited about the event.”

Müller’s Audi S1 EKS RX quattro will sport the pink livery of BWT.

Mattias Ekström and Andreas Bakkerud will be on the grid sporting Red Bull’s colors as usual. In the previous World RX rounds at Riga, both drivers also made it into the finals. Ekström has finished runner-up twice to date and Bakkerud placed fourth on two occasions.

“Riga is one of the best organized events of the year,” says Ekström. “The track is fantastic to race on. I particularly like the big jump and the following hairpin turn – that’s where the stress level for us drivers is especially high. The only negative is that the weather in Riga can be really bad …”

Andreas Bakkerud is traveling to Riga with mixed feelings. “This is definitely one of the most exciting races of the year,” says  Bakkerud. “It’s cool that the track is so close to the center of the city and the fans from Riga are so enthusiastic. However, for me, personally, this race is the biggest challenge of the year. The track, which is really tricky, suited me neither in testing nor in the previous years."

"A participation in the final would already be like a small victory for me. As we’re battling for second place in the World Championship, this is a very important race.”

PREVIEW: Kristofferson leads the charge into Latvia.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Two-thirds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship is complete. The next stop is Latvia this weekend (15/16 September).

Riga’s multi-functional Bikernieki National Sports Base first welcomed World RX in 2016, since when, local fans have thoroughly embraced the series and its superstar drivers. The only Eastern European stop on the World Championship schedule takes place at a state-of-the-art rallycross circuit located just 15 minutes from the Latvian capital.

The 1295-metre track comprises a number of unique features – most notably parallel jumps in the Joker Lap and standard section – and last year, it was PSRX Volkswagen Sweden’s Johan Kristoffersson that mastered the challenge best to grab victory.

The Swede returns to the Baltic nation at the top of the 2018 title standings, having extended his overall advantage with his seventh success of the season in France last time out. Kristoffersson is chasing a second consecutive Drivers’ crown at the pinnacle of the sport – but a number of his rivals have similarly impressive records in Latvia and are determined to halt his championship charge.

Sebastien Loeb won the inaugural Neste World RX of Latvia in 2016, and following a disappointing home event for Team Peugeot Total at Loheac – yielding just fifth and sixth places in the final – the Frenchman is targeting a return to winning ways, having last reached the top step in Belgium earlier this year.

Like Loeb, former World RX Champion Mattias Ekstrom is two times a podium finisher in Riga – taking the chequered flag as runner-up in both editions to-date. EKS Audi Sport’s Audi S1 proved to be a potent package in France, but Andreas Bakkerud missed out on victory by barely a third-of-a-second at the end of a thrilling final, leaving both drivers with even more motivation to break the brand’s duck in 2018.

The remaining two members of the ‘super six’ at the top of the points table are Kristoffersson’s VW team-mate Petter Solberg and Loeb’s Peugeot stablemate Timmy Hansen. Latvia is the only event on the calendar at which 2014 and 2015 title-winner Solberg has yet to reach the final, whereas Hansen, by contrast, finished third there last year and is seeking more silverware 12 months on.

The Swede’s younger brother Kevin Hansen is enjoying a solid season in an independently-entered Team Peugeot Total 208 and is aiming to add to his three final appearances from the opening eight events – while local hero Janis Baumanis (Team STARD) will be hoping the support from the home crowd will spur him on into the last six for the second time in 2018. The former FIA European Rallycross Super1600 Champion placed fifth at Bikernieki last year, and a similar result this time around would doubtless send the partisan fans away happy.

“Neste World RX Of Latvia will be the most spectacular race weekend in my motorsport career. Ever since last year’s event, I have been looking forward to seeing the massive crowd at the Bikernieki circuit again," said Baumanis. "For me, this round is unquestionably the highlight of the year and I cannot wait to be there!”

Others to have shone in Latvia include Timur Timerzyanov – who reached the final two years ago and led the GRX Taneco Team challenge at Loheac – and wildcard entries Timo Scheider (ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport) and DTM race-winner Nico Muller, who will pilot a third 2018-spec Audi S1 for EKS after finishing sixth in the same event in 2017. Scheider endured a nightmarish weekend in France, failing to finish three of the four qualifying races – so his primary aim for Riga will be a change in fortunes.

Niclas Gronholm in GRX Taneco Team’s other Hyundai i20 has been quietly impressive all year and is currently ‘best-of-the-rest’ outside of the six manufacturer-backed drivers, which bodes well for another competitive showing in Latvia. Olsbergs MSE duo Robin Larsson and Kevin Eriksson, meanwhile, are continuing to make the most of the Ford Fiesta’s improved engine performance in recent rounds, with the latter showcasing a strong turn-of-speed at Loheac on his way to a season-best result of fourth in the semi-final.

The OMSE duo have frequently been locked in battle with GC Kompetition’s brace of Renault Meganes, crewed by owner/driver Guerlain Chicherit and – last time out – Liam Doran, who marked his return to the World RX fold in striking fashion in France as four consistently quick qualifying races earned him sixth spot in the intermediate classification and a semi-final berth. The Briton has yet to race in Latvia, but can be counted upon to produce a crowd-pleasing performance.

The 20-strong entry list is completed by former Formula 1 star Alex Wurz – rejoining the fray after making his World RX debut in Norway three months ago – MJP Racing Team Austria team-mate Toomas Heikkinen, Sebastien Loeb Racing’s Gregoire Demoustier and Oliver Bennett in a BMW MINI Cooper.

IMAGE CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Team Peugeot Total return to winning territory in Lativa

PHOTO CREDIT: Peugeot Sport 

Less than 2 weeks after Team Peugeot Total’s home round in France, the squad heads to the Baltics, in Latvia, hoping for history to repeat itself next weekend at round 9 of the FIA World RX Championship. Specifically, the Riga circuit is where Sebastien Loeb won his 1st rallycross round 2 years ago. Timmy Hansen is also looking to make the next move up to the top step of the podium – after he has been on the final podium twice already this season – in order to confirm the performance of the Peugeot 208 WRX Evo and to reward the relentless efforts of the Peugeot  Sport technical team.

Loheac was another valuable opportunity for the Team Peugeot  Total to assess the latest evolutions to its 208 WRX EVO, introduced only 2 months ago in Sweden, with a number of areas identified for further improvement. Although the squad didn't quite obtain the result it wanted over a very tight final race on home territory, this has only made everyone even more determined to get back on the podium and challenge for wins: the stated objective for this 1st season as a factory team.

The Bikernieki circuit is located only 15 minutes from the very centre of the Latvian capital Riga, which ensures a large crowd, as rallycross is one of the most popular forms of motorsport there. The racing venue takes its name from the Bikernieki pine forest, which the gravel section of the track (that has its origins in 1962) runs through. In total, the circuit is 1.294 kilometres long, with a 60/40% asphalt to gravel split. It’s a challenging layout with a wide variety of corners: the lap record is currently held by America’s Ken Block at 45.831 seconds.

With 4 rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship to go, Team Peugeot  Total is currently 3rd in the Teams’ Championship. In the Drivers’ rankings, Timmy Hansen is 4th and Sebastien Loeb 6th, with only 9 points separating 3rd to 6th places, while Kevin Hansen is 8th.

Sébastien Loeb

“My 1st victory in the FIA World Rallycross Championship was in Riga in 2016. So naturally, it’s a place that I like a lot with plenty of good memories for me. We showed some good performance on this track in the test we had previously this summer, and we saw then that our Peugeot 208 WRX Evo was doing very well there, which is encouraging. But I can’t really say any more than that. At Loheac, we had the speed, but things didn’t turn out too well for us. I didn’t have a single clean race apart from the semi-final. In the final, I again had the speed, with the quickest lap in front of Johan Kristoffersson, but I wasn’t able to get a good start and so I found myself 6th at the first corner. That sums up the whole difficulty of rallycross: you need everything to go smoothly from start to finish. I’m hoping that Riga will work more in our favour, starting right from the initial draw.”

Timmy Hansen

“I’m really looking forward to Riga: you race close to the city and you’re always surrounded by loads of passionate rallycross fans. It's a track that I always enjoy: as a team, we've had some good success in the past on this track, so let’s see how it goes. The main feature of Riga is that there’s really high grip there and it’s a very technical circuit: a proper challenge for the drivers and teams to make the most of it. The setting is very beautiful too, in a park. We’ve had a lot to analyse as a team since Loheac, and we’ll be trying to put the lessons we learned from there into place. I know that we have all the ingredients to succeed.”

Kevin Hansen

“After the craziness of our home race at Loheac, with so many fans and media sessions, I think Riga will be a bit more of a calm and normal race weekend for us. But that doesn’t make it any less special. I feel I’ve been learning and improving all the time at every round with the yellow 208 WRX, and now I am starting to feel very much at home with it. Again at Loheac I was close to the final and I felt that we achieved the maximum we could. We need to continue this upward curve, and that’s the goal here. I was already very close to getting in the final in Riga last year, so I feel we have some very good possibilities next weekend.”

FEATURE: Human Performance in Formula One.

With 21 races, the 2018 season is one of the longest Formula One seasons ever. This year's calendar has also featured the first ever triple-header in F1 history. Such a long season can make it quite challenging for teams to keep energy levels up and fight fatigue. Therefore, teams do a lot to keep their members fit and healthy. 

Why is it challenging to keep people energised? 
Maintaining people's energy levels over the course of a season is not as trivial as it might seem. The season is still in full swing with another seven races to go, but the teams have already worked very hard at 14 races. By this point in the season, many team members will have spent close to 100 days away from home and travelled close to 100,000 kilometres; the pit crew will have performed about 1,000 pit stops (most of them practice stops). Some of the longest journeys, however, are yet to come: Five of the next seven races will take place over 7,500 kilometres away from the team's two factories in Brackley and Brixworth - with Singapore almost 11,000 kilometres away. Over the next two and a half months, team members will spend over 100 hours on planes, travelling to and from races in different time zones and different climate zones. Maintaining energy levels can therefore become quite challenging. 

What are the key components to keep the energy levels up? 
Energy levels depend on a number of different factors and the importance of those factors varies from person to person. However, there are four key components that have a big impact: health, fitness, sleep and nutrition. 

How does the team look after the health of the team members? 
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport travels with a doctor and a physiotherapist to all races. They are at the track every day from Wednesday before the race until late Sunday evening. Many team members spend 150 days or more away from home, so for many of them the team doctor becomes almost like their family doctor. Over the course of a race weekend, the medical team does about 40-60 consultations. The vast majority of those are for common ailments like musculoskeletal issues, a common cold, the flu or gastroenteritis. The medical team keeps records of all the medication distribution and there is a clear trend; towards the end of the season, the medical consumption increases by 20 to 25 percent. The explanation is simple: in autumn and winter, seasonal spikes in common diseases like colds are a typical phenomenon throughout Europe. Add to that the high number of flyaway races, which puts an additional strain on the body, and the fact that the team members have already done 14 races, and the need for medical support increases. However, treating diseases is only one part of the job, preventing ailments is another one. For that reason, a physiotherapist is present during pit stop practice to focus on the individual members of the pit crew and watch their movements. Is everyone moving in a way that is optimal for the musculoskeletal system? Depending on the findings, the physiotherapist will work with the pit-crew members to improve their movements or even suggest rotating people from one position of the car to another to better suit their physique. 

How does the team monitor fitness levels? 
The medical team will pay particular attention to team members whose tasks require them to work physically. Various measurements are taken over the course of the year - from basic clinical measurements like blood pressure to physical tests to assess health and fitness levels. Blood samples are checked for blood markers like haemoglobin, blood counts and electrolytes as well as dietary markers such as lipids, glucose and cholesterol. Physical tests include exercises to measure strength, mobility and flexibility levels. The results of pre-season tests are compared with those taken during the season, to make sure that health and fitness levels have increased and not deteriorated. Individual training plans are set in place to make sure that everyone has a tailor-made programme that fits his or her needs. Fitness coaches at the Performance Centre in Brackley monitor the individual development plans and help team members to achieve their fitness goals. 

What role does nutrition play? 
Nutrition is very important to sustain high energy levels on race weekend. The team is monitoring the quality of the nutrition in hospitality and the garage and have improved it over time. Today, food choices at the track fit the dietary needs of the team - from healthy meals to high-energy snacks. 

What exactly does an ideal diet look like? 
Well, that's not an easy question, as it can vary quite a bit depending on the individual. Someone who wants to lose weight will require a very different diet than someone who tries to build up muscle mass. The individual constitution and metabolism also play a role - as does their job description. Someone with a desk job will need a different diet than someone working physically for the majority of the day. For that reason, nutritionists shy away from giving general guidelines on macronutrient contents and will rather give you a personalised plan on how much proteins, fat and carbohydrates you should take in. 

Singapore is known to be one of the hottest races of the season. What are the specific challenges in this kind of climate? 
Temperatures in the garage in Singapore can easily reach 40 degrees and more. Those conditions bring about certain risks, especially dehydration and heat stress. Consuming liquids is therefore important, although the ideal amount varies from person to person. On a hot day in Singapore, the ideal amounts can range from three to five litres per person. Drinking is also important for the drivers: studies have shown that cognitive performance starts to deteriorate when a person loses 1.5 to 2 percent of his or her bodyweight in liquids. So, when a driver weighs 70 kilos and loses 1.05 to 1.4 kilos due to heavy sweating, his cognitive function is likely to go down - which will in turn have an impact on their ability to hit apexes and braking points precisely. To counteract this potential performance loss, our cars will the fitted with the biggest drinks bottles of the season, which hold 1.3 litres of fluid.

FEATURE BY - Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

Solberg gives insight into his health over the passed 12 months.

PHOTO CREDIT: PSRX Volkswagen Sweden

Two-time FIA World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg has revealed that he was diagnosed with a lung disease "Sarkoidose" 12 months ago.

Solberg's condition was discovered when he was hospitalized following a first-corner collision with Jānis Baumanis in the semi-finals in Latvia, where he broke two ribs and his collarbone. He made an exceptional recovery and was cleared to race 13 days after the crash. 

The Norweigen rose to one of the biggest physical challenges of his career at the World RX of Germany and, after being top qualifier and winning his semi-final, he just missed a podium in the final and finished fourth.

“I think everybody knows I’m somebody who has always had a lot of energy. I know myself that I just can’t keep still, I always have to be busy and doing something," said Solberg.

“A while ago, that changed and I started to feel really tired. Looking back, it was getting worse, but I didn’t really notice it so much. Then I had the accident this time last year in Riga."

"I have a lot to thank that accident for; the x-rays showed there was a problem with one of my lungs. There’s a very long name for the condition, but basically I was producing too much iron." 

After a series of tests Solberg was diagnosed with "Sarkoidose", and he was issued with medication to combat the lung disease. 

"I’ve noticed some changes with my eyes, my face and I started shaking," he said, before explaining that it has been a quite a scary time, but during a race weekend, the adrenalin would lift him up to compete. 

"But after the races, I was really, really tired. After the official test [in France] where I drove for one day, I flew straight home to hospital – I was pretty sick for a while." 

“We had to start thinking about somebody else coming in to take my place in the team. If this carried on, I knew myself that I couldn’t do it. This was not a good time for me."

Despite the health challenges, Petter continued racing in 2017, but has had a challenging 2018 season and says that after the Swedish round he has begun to feel better.  

“After the race in Sweden, things changed and I started to feel better. And, since then, things have been getting better. I can feel myself that I’m coming back now, the energy is coming again and everything is coming more normal again. We’re on top of this now."

“You know me, you know I have always been straight and honest with everything I have done and that’s why I wanted to talk about this. I understand you can look at me and things don’t look quite right. I haven’t been myself; I haven’t done so much in the media, on the television and with the fans and that hurts me. I have always loved to meet the people and talk to them and not being able to do that has been really hard."

The Norwegian is happy to feels like his normal self. “Believe me, I am coming back now," says Solberg. "There’s another month or so on this medication, then we have some more checks, but the doctors are happy with the way we’re going now and so am I." 

Soberg returns to Riga, having finished on the podium last weekend in Loheac. The Norwegian feels that he has a score to settle following his exit last year. “And now, to Riga and a track where I have a score to settle…”

Kristoffersson returns to the scene of his World RX glory last season.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

Defending FIA World Rallycross Champion, Johan Kristoffersson holds fond memories after claiming his maiden title at the 2017 Neste World RX of Latvia. 

The Swede's incredible ability has seen him claim seven wins from eight rounds of the championship [in 2018], with four remaining. He also holds a healthy 59 point lead to his nearest rival, Andreas Bakkerud. 

Kristoffersson reflects on his first FIA World Championship title, and looks forward to return to the scene of his title victory. 

"It’s not every day you win the FIA World Rallycross Championship and I’ll never forget that Sunday afternoon in Riga last year," said Kristoffersson. "That memory has made me look forward to this race a bit more; it was such a special moment and being back in the same paddock again, it will bring it all back."

Despite his fond memories of Latvia [in 2017], the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver remains focused on the remaining rounds of the championship, and knows that despite the championship lead, his job is not finished yet.

“Once I get in the car and pull the helmet on then thoughts from last year will be forgotten. It’s all about the next corner and the next race," says Kristoffersson. "I have a job to do this weekend; the championship is looking good, but nothing is done yet. And, of course, what’s really important is that Petter and I both run well and score good points for the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team."

Kristoffersson looks forward to the Latvian round of the World RX championship, and admits that the team have an understanding of the ideal set-up for the ninth round of the championship, after the team tested in Riga earlier this year.

“We did our mid-season testing there, so we have some good knowledge of the circuit and the sort of set-up we need for a high-grip track like this one. I think we go with some confidence after a positive result last time out in France.”  

Kristoffersson claims unexpected victory at the World RX of France.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

Johan Kristoffersson equaled his 2017 record for the number of wins in a FIA World Rallycross Championship season. The Swede claimed his seventh win of the season at the World RX of France in Loheac. 

The 2017 World RX champion, may have been the fastest through the qualifying rounds, but did not have it easy heading into the semi-final. The Swede took second place and would have to start the final on the second row of the grid. 

After lap one, in the final it seemed to be pretty much sealed that Kristoffersson would not claim another victory and Andreas Bakkerud, would become the third winner of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, but after the EKS Audi Sport drivers peeled off for their joker laps. Kristoffersson upped his pace and was able to come out ahead of the EKS drivers. 

“This was an incredible result, one we all worked so hard for," said Kristoffersson. "But, I have to be honest, I wasn’t sure it was coming when we went to the last lap in the final – I didn’t know what was going to happen."

Kristoffersson lined up in pole position for the first semi-final, but had a poor start seeing Ekstrὄm [EKS Audi Sport] benefiting with a great start. The Swede saved his tyres for the final.

“My semi-final was OK, but the launch off the line wasn’t so super-good. I had saved my tyres for the final, but then I was a little bit worried because if you are in the middle of the pack then you can’t always use that advantage with the tyre," said Kristoffersson. 

The Swede took his joker lap after teammate Petter Solberg, and emerged ahead. Then the two PSRX Volkswagen drivers played a waiting game. 

“Then me and Petter we just waited. Will they go this time? I didn’t know, I just didn’t know who was going when. I was behind Timmy [Hansen] and thinking: “Will he go? Is he going?” And, you know, you are trying to be ready for him to turn sharp to the right to take the joker," Kristoffersson explains. "A couple of times he made the car in the position that he’s going to turn, but then didn’t. You can’t really commit to the corner completely in case he turns to joker and you will hit him. So many laps, I was losing time like this."

“But then they went. My spotter (father Tommy Kristoffersson) was shouting at me: “Go, go, go!” I went like crazy, pushed so hard and we did it."

The Swede leaves Loheac with a 59 points lead to move well clear of nearest rival Andreas Bakkerud in the drivers' standings.

“Incredible. Like I said, I want to thank the team and Petter, at times I didn’t think this one was possible and that makes this result more special."

Despite his commanding lead in the championship, the Swede remains focused on the job at hand. “For the seven wins in a season and equaling the record, sure that’s nice – but the job isn’t finished yet.”

On the limit Solberg happy with podium finish in France.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

The 2018 World RX of France started off well for PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver Petter Solberg, who had finished third fastest in the opening qualifying round and ended the first day in fourth place overall.

Solberg did not have the easiest of Sunday's where he ended Q3 in nine place overall, but fought back in Q4 to claim the second fastest time behind his teammate. The Norwegian went on to claim a podium finish after starting on the last row of the grid (in the final). 

“I am very happy for this result. I really wanted to win here, but this was a tough race weekend. The other cars had a lot of pace and it wasn’t easy for us out there," said Solberg. "Some of the qualifying was not so nice, a bit of traffic coming and it was a bit frustrating at times, but you have to stay calm, stick with the plan and come to the semi-finals and the final."

The PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver started on the front row of the grid alongside Bakkerud [EKS Audi Sport] and ended semi-final 2 in third place, securing a position in the final. “The semi wasn’t so good, but everything is possible in the last race," the Norwegian said.

"There was lot of movement from the cars ahead of me in the second corner of the final, I was looking to find a chance, but in the end the joker was the right decision," Solberg explained. "I got in there and pushed like hell, when Johan came out of his joker, we were so close."

It was only a matter of time until the three cars ahead, would move off to take the joker lap, and this would be Solberg's only opportunity to gain ground. 

"We were just waiting to see what would they do. When the chance came, we were ready," says Solberg. "I was absolutely on the limit in those last four corners when the top three went to the joker." 

"To make two cars to the podium is a fantastic result for PSRX Volkswagen Sweden and the Polo R Supercar."

Gumtree to title sponsor the World RX of SA for the second year running.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

Gumtree, South Africa’s most popular classified site, is pleased to announce that for the second year running it will title sponsor the FIA World Rallycross Championship event to be held in Cape Town on 24-25 November at the Killarney International Raceway, and tickets are now officially open to the public and can be purchased at TicketPro.

Following a hugely successful inaugural event in 2017 that attracted more than 27,000 people, the 2018 Gumtree World RX of South Africa again has the honour of concluding the World RX season in what promises to be another action-packed, adrenaline-fuelled weekend of high octane world championship motor sport.

“We are incredibly proud to once again be the headline sponsor for this energetic event,” enthuses Claire Cobbledick, General Manager of Gumtree. “Last year’s event was nothing short of thrilling for everyone involved. The electric vibe on the day and the excellent feedback we received post-event meant we didn’t have to think twice about getting involved again. Gumtree is passionate about all things auto. As one of the largest automotive classifieds sites in the country, this sponsorship is a natural fit for us.”

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

Gumtree has more than 1.9 million visitors browsing for cars every single month, with over 80 000 vehicles listed at any given moment. It’s the go-to platform for thousands of dealerships, brokers and private sellers, and the first site customers think of when they want to be spoilt for choice. The company continues to prove its commitment to the automotive industry by investing in events like the Gumtree Pre-Owned Car Awards, a series of Digital Dealer Road Shows and the Gumtree Women in Autos Conference. The Gumtree World RX of South Africa event is especially relevant because the City of Cape Town is the company’s home base.

With excitement building ahead of the much-anticipated event, World RX Managing Director for IMG Paul Bellamy, says the extended partnership is a vital one. “Because South Africa is such an important territory for us, it’s essential that our sponsor buys into and shares our vision,” he explains. “Gumtree is committed to making this event a roaring success. We saw it last year, we’ve seen it in their everyday auto business, and we’ll undoubtedly witness it many more times as we take this spectacular motorsport into the future.”

Once more World RX’s superstars will be hunting victory in Cape Town with defending champion Johan Kristoffersson and motor sport legends Sebastien Loeb, Petter Solberg and Mattias Ekstrom headlining an entry list brimming with rallycross talent.

It’s quite understandable why this event is so keenly awaited. Cape Town in the summer, a weekend packed with racing thrills and spills, a wealth of entertainment options and a world-class rallycross venue combines to ensure the Gumtree World RX of South Africa will be off the charts!

So don’t miss out! Tickets can be purchased for R750.00 for the weekend at TicketPro (www.ticketpros.co.za).

World Rallycross SA – Gumtree World RX of South Africa

Killarney International Raceway

Saturday, 24th November 2018 – Sunday 25th November 2018

Tickets: R220 – R750

Hospitality tickets from R2500

Tickets: www.ticketpros.co.za

For more information go to: www.fiaworldrallycross.com/capetownrx

#WRXSA2018

#RXSA2018

Peugeot Total faced a challenging outing at home round in France.

PHOTO CREDIT: Peugeot Sport

Team Peugeot Total were unable to secure their desired result on home territory in France, with a 5th and 6th place finish for Timmy Hansen and Sébastien Loeb respectively in the final at Loheac, but nonetheless all 3 drivers showed considerable fighting spirit and pace through the weekend. 

Only a series of racing incidents compromised their opportunities to achieve a better result – but this is all part of the fast paced and closely-matched sport of rallycross. 

Timmy Hansen is currently fourth in the drivers' standings, and believes that the team have all the pieces, but its just a matter of putting it together: "The start procedure, chassis and engine of the Peugeot 208 WRX are already great.”

The Swede expected a stronger result in Loheac, but in the end he was the best placed Team Peugeot Total driver. "I hoped to get a better result for everyone than 5th: it’s not bad but we were definitely aiming higher. I think we did everything we could in the final, but 5th was the most we could achieve," said Hansen. "We have to be happy because we did our job the best we could under the circumstances, but we also have to go back and do our homework to improve for the future."

Timmy Hansen's teammate, Sébastien Loeb rues his start line positions at the French round of the World RX championship. "With the position that I had on the start line in each race this weekend, it was always going to be difficult and that proved to be the case," said Loeb. 

"We ended up with 6th in the end, which is actually not too bad all things considered because at one point we were 12th after qualifying," he adds. "It’s not the result we wanted but we have to accept it for what it is and move on."

The team’s Junior, Kevin Hansen, also showed plenty of speed, going as far as the semi-final.

“It was a strong weekend: we struggled a little bit during practice, but we came back really well," Hansen explained. "We had some great races and showed really good pace, but I couldn’t quite keep it all the way to the end."

The young Swede believes that he achieved the maximum on Sunday at the World RX of France. "I think to be just outside the final though, with all the factory cars there, was the maximum we could do," said Hansen. "So I was happy with my performance for that reason but of course we still wanted to be in the final! I know I’m still young and we still have plenty to learn."