"It’s time to start pushing" - Timmy Hansen.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Team Hansen MJP has hit the ground running in 2019, leading with a win for Kevin Hansen in Abu Dhabi and a clean sweep for Timmy Hansen in Barcelona. 

A bold strategy dictated the Swedish outfits weekend in Spa-Francorchamps, in where they opted to use wet tyres on day one, while rivals gambled on the dry tyres, putting the Hansen brothers firmly on the back foot - and a fightback was necessary. Timmy progressed to the final and finished fourth, two seconds off third place.

Team Hansen MJP had high expectations heading into Silverstone but despite a strong start and Timmy Hansen claiming the top qualifiers spot on the opening day of competition. Rival Andreas Bakkerud came out swinging to claim wins in both qualifying heats on Sunday and was the driver to beat... 

Could the Hansen's win in Silverstone? Yes, with a clever early joker strategy they were able to leapfrog Andreas Bakkerud after he took an early lead. 

The FIA World Rallycross Championship is much more competitive than before... Team Hansen MJP has shown early pace, while Gronholm RX was nipping at their hills. After set-up work, Monster Energy RX Cartel have joined the fray. 

Championship leader Timmy Hansen is aware that this season is not going to be easy, with their rivals pushing Team Hansen MJP to the checkered flag in South Africa.

"We had to put everything together to be here and I do think we have to start to work now," said Hansen. "I think at the beginning of the season everything was about being here, and just making sure that we were fast, then we were and everything worked."

"Now I think this weekend [Silverstone] we missed a bit of traction, we need a bit more grip on the gravel and Ohlins are a great partner of ours and we’ll sit down together and see what we can do for Norway because it’s time to start pushing between the events as well.”

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Bakkerud finishing second 'sucks'.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

Andreas Bakkerud was left dejected after finishing in second at the World RX of Great Britain.

The Norweigan found pace overnight to claim wins in both qualifying heats, and his pace continued as he booked a slot on the front row of the final. With a good start, he leapfrogged Timmy Hansen into turn one and held the lead, but with an early joker lap strategy, Hansen made the overtake when Andreas opted to take his joker lap with two laps remaining. The final ended with the top two split by only a car-length.

“This sucks. Obviously, I had a great pace today, it felt very very good," he said. "In the semi-final, we suffered from some issues with the handbrake, so every time I pulled the handbrake the car stalled, and then obviously I was driving without the handbrake in both the semi and the final.”

Despite the handbrake issues, Bakkerud admits to trying everything in the handbook to try an hang onto the race lead.

“I tried to do everything I could, I tried to use every trick I had in the book to be able to go fast, and I think the guys could see that I had some issues, especially in turn seven and going into the joker here is so tight, so you need a handbrake here to make a rotation," said Bakkerud. "Obviously, I didn't have that. Today, it feels like a big bummer because we were very close in Belgium, but Belgium was okay because I didn’t have the speed for Timur [Timerzyanov], this weekend I really do feel we had the speed to win.”

"I felt I had it almost in my pocket today, and then when I saw 'the Timmy' [Hansen] coming around the outside after I exited the joker, I was like argghh..... if you see my onboard, I was actually shaking my head into turn two because he was driving so defensively, I was like ‘oh come on!' This is boring not racing, no rallycross, no push-to-pass." 

The Monster Energy RX Cartel driver finds some positives after missing out on the race win in Silverstone. 

"Great starts. KYB doing a great job with dampers. RX Cartel once again on the podium, four in a row which is really, really cool both cars in the final, so from a team principal perspective once again very happy," he said.

While he showed strong pace, Bakkerud is hoping to continue the run at his home event in Hell, Norway next month.

"That's going to be one hell of a race, that is for sure," he said. "We go to Norway with high expectations as always do and as long as my name is on the entry list I’m there to win and hopefully, we can give the guys a run for their money.”

"The championship is really, really great this year. Obviously, coming from the back from Abu Dhabi, it has been some great events. We have been on the podium. It just sucks to stink like champagne and not be happy. So, I just want more in Norway and we keep on pushing and hopefully, the win is nearby."

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

A seventeen car entry list revealed for World RX of Norway.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

The official seventeen car entry list for the World RX of Norway has been revealed. 

Kevin Abbring who has been responsible for the performance and development of the ESmotorsport-Labas Gas Skoda Fabia will make his debut at round five of the FIA World Rallycross Championship at Hell, Norway. 

While, former ESmotorsport-Labas Gas driver Rokas Baciuska will join the GCK Academy going forward, starting at Norway in a third Renault Megane R.S. RX. 

Jani Paasonen will also compete in the event in the second Team STARD Ford Fiesta, alongside regular driver Janis Baumanis.

World RX of Norway - Entry List

"Big, big relief" as Marklund claims podium finish for GC Kompetition.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

Anton Marklund is relieved after claiming a podium finish for GC Kompetition in the 2019 World Rallycross Championship in Silverstone.

The Swede started on the second row of the grid and made it through turn one unscattered slotting into fourth. Opting for an early joker lap strategy, he would emerge in fifth place, but his strategy would pay off after gaining time on his rivals who opted for a later joker lap strategy. 

On the penultimate lap, Marklund merged just ahead of Timo Scheider and crossed the line in third to claim a spot on the podium.

"I would say it’s a big, big relief for everybody in the team because I think since Abu Dhabi we’ve been showing great pace," said Marklund. "Spa especially we were running the top lap time in the rain and we were really top three in the dry as well but we have always been struggling a bit with the starts and running in traffic."

“It was just really nice to actually get the starts working perfectly fine in the semi-final and finals, take early jokers so we had clear air in front of us, and then just trying to hunt these guys [Hansen and Bakkerud] down but obviously they were just a bit too far ahead.”

“I’m very satisfied with a P3, and very happy for the team and happy for Bilstein because all of these guys have been working very hard.”

Marklund thinks that with improved starts the GCK squad could be a race-winning contender. 

“I think if we keep doing the starts like we did in the semi-finals and finals we should be very, very quick," he said.

The Swede feels that his long-wheelbase GC Kompetition Megane R.S.RX Supercar should suit the Hell track in Norway.

"I actually told Andreas [Bakkerud] that I’ve been dreaming about Norway for the last couple of rounds because I feel the with hairpins that we had in Spa and what we have here (at Silverstone) obviously is not an advantage to have a long wheelbase, we come to Norway with the fast sweeping corners and hard braking (zones), for sure the car will suit perfectly fine.”

“But it’s not all about the wheelbase, which suits fine, you also need a good setup, you need to have a good driver," he adds. "I’m coming there with a lot of self-confidence and hopefully we can do a great event there as well.”

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Timmy Hansen "I definitely had to work hard" to win in Silverstone.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Timmy Hansen won the World RX of Great Britain to become the first repeat winner of the 2019 season.

The Swede started on pole position for the final, with rival Andreas Bakkerud alongside. Bakkerud had a better start and squeezed into the lead. Timmy's race nearly at the first turn when the Norwegian squeezed him into the inside tyre barrier. He made it through turn one with minor damage to his car and dropped to second place.

"It was definitely hard today; Bakkerud found some good pace and won Q3 and Q4, as well as his Semi-Final, so for sure it was tough to line up next to him," said Timmy Hansen. "He squeezed me into the tyres at the first corner, so I was happy to be able to continue."

Hansen was determined to close the gap to Bakkerud in an attempt to win the final. 

Kenneth Hansen, Team Principal and Timmy's spotter opted for a clever strategy instructing his son to take the joker lap earlier.

Bakkerud squeezes Hansen into tyre barrier at Turn One
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

“We had a big fight in the Final with a big push to try to overtake Bakkerud with a joker gamble, which we managed to do. This time the joker decision was very late," said Kenneth Hansen. "Timmy normally can feel when he wants to take the joker but won’t know what it looks like behind him."

"It’s my decision as I am the spotter for Timmy and I didn’t have time to see the time gap, but suddenly there was a big gap," he adds. "In turn seven, before the split with the joker, I just had a feeling that we needed to call it and Timmy took the joker. We knew that Bakkerud had some hot tyres and was losing performance and it went very well for us.”

In his pursuit to overturn Bakkerud's lead, Timmy set the fastest lap of the weekend and would gain 0.472 milliseconds on Bakkerud between their respective joker laps in the Final, which put Timmy in first place on the final lap.

"When I took my joker I did a great lap, so once he took his I emerged in the lead. I definitely had to work hard to get it, but it tastes even sweeter when that happens," said Timmy. 

With victory in Silverstone, Hansen claimed the World RX drivers’ championship lead from his younger brother Kevin who is only four points behind in the standings.

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Kevin Hansen looses championship lead to older brother Timmy.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Team Hansen MJP's Kevin Hansen lost the FIA World Rallycross championship lead on Sunday, after making a costly error in Semi-Final 1, which meant he could not progress to the final in Silverstone.

Kevin and his older brother Timmy lead the way on Saturday, with Timmy and Kevin going fastest and second fastest respectively in Qualifying 1. There was another formation finish in Qualifying 2, where both Timmy and Kevin were in the same heat once again, Timmy claimed the Q2 victory and the Kevin going third fastest in the overall standings overnight.

“Saturday was really good, I think I had a really good pace," he said. "The starts were amazing, I really felt at home and that I have upped my level quite a lot on Saturdays."

The rain had fallen at Silverstone overnight, and the Hansen brothers would start in the first race of qualifying 3, which would put them at a disadvantage due to an improving track. Timmy lead home a 1-2 finish ahead of Kevin. Kevin switched things around in Q4 leading home another 1-2 finish, which put both on the front row for Semi-Final 1.

"Then on Sunday I was having good pace in qualifying but was struggling a bit with the reverse grid, it didn’t feel in our favour as in the end I was P3," said Kevin Hansen. 

All appeared well in the Semi-Final, with the Hansen brothers in 1-2 yet again. Timmy lead the way from Kevin and both took their jokers on the last lap but a small mistake from the young Swede when entering the hairpin put him into the tyre barrier and cost him 10 seconds. A second place had become sixth at the penultimate corner of the race.

"The Semi-Final was going really well and I had good speed behind Timmy, he was on fresh rubber and I wasn’t. I think it was a good Semi but just a small mistake, in the end, cost me a lot," the Swede said. 

The 21-year-old lost the championship lead to older brother Timmy who is four points ahead in the standings heading to Hell, Norway.

"It’s been a long time since I led a championship so it was nice to have it for four races, but now I want to take it back!" said Hansen. "Now I have led once, I know how it works so let’s take that lead back and keep it.” 

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Piquet Jr. makes rallycross return with TitansRX

PHOTO CREDIT: Titans RX

Former Formula E champion Nelson Piquet Jr. will make a return to rallycross with the TitansRX this year.

The Brazilian will compete in four rounds, sharing his car with Alexander Wurz.

Piquet Jr. previously competed in the Global Rallycross series, where he was twice a championship contender and took an overall event win at the 2015 Washington DC round.

Outside of rallycross, Piquet has a varied CV. After battling Lewis Hamilton for the 2006 GP2 crown, he raced in Formula 1 for Renault in 2008 and 2009.


Since then he has raced in NASCAR – where he is a multiple race winner; sports cars, and Stock Car Brasil. He has also raced in Formula E, where he was the all-electric series’ maiden champion in 2014/15.

“I’m very happy to be joining TitansRX," said Piquet Jr. "I love all forms of motorsport and I really enjoyed competing in rallycross in America a few years ago, so it will be great to get back behind the wheel of a rallycross car. We’re going to have a lot of fun!”

The TitansRX series will feature some of the biggest names in motorsport: Toomas ”Topi” Heikkinen, Timmy and Kevin Hansen, Stephane Sarrazin, Craig Breen, and Hayden Paddon.

The six-race TitansRX series calendar:
 Round 1 & 2 ─ Essay, JUN 29 - 30
 Round 3 & 4 ─ Lydden Hill, JUL 27 - 28
 Round 5 & 6 ─ Montalegre, AUG 10 – 11
 Round 7 & 8 ─ MJP Arena, SEP 7 - 8
 Round 9 & 10 ─ Nyirad, OCT 5 - 6

 Grand Final ─ Estering, OCT 19 - 20

TitansRX driver line-up:
Timmy Hansen
Kevin Hansen 
Toomas Heikkinnen 
Reinhold Sampl 
Hayden Paddon 
Stephane Sarrazin 
Lukacs ”CsuCsu” Kornel
Andrew Jordan
Craig Breen 
Tamara Molinaro
Ronny Wechselberger 

Wildcards entries:
Alex Wurz 
Nelson Piquet Jr.
Andreas Steffen

GRX Taneco take Silverstone performance 'on the chin'

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco.

Gronholm RX Taneco had a difficult outing at the World RX of Great Britain this weekend. Joni Wiman finishing 8th and Timur Timerzyanov 11th at the purpose-built Silverstone World RX track.

After a dominant outing at Spa-Francorchamps, with a win and a third-place finish. The Finnish squad did not have the weekend that they had expected in Silverstone.

“Rallycross weekends are always full of emotions. Sometimes it’s joy, sometimes it’s disappointment," said GRX Taneco Team Manager Jussi Pinomäki. This is one weekend where we experienced both. We know we are in a position to fight for the lead, but this weekend we were not able to fully capitalize on that." 

Joni Wiman struggled with the setup on the first day but found pace on Sunday. Timur Timerzyanov also had some mixed results in the qualifying heats getting tangled in several close on-track battles.

Wiman received a late call-up to replace Niclas Gronholm who is still recovering from an appendicitis operation. “It was a late call for me to step in for Niclas and I tried to do my best but struggled with rhythm and set-up for this track," he said.

"Eventually, I must say that the front row for the Semi-final was a satisfying result.”  

The Finn had a reasonably good start in the semi-final but got pushed to the outside on the run to turn two, where Baumanis and Doran where fighting for position. Baumanis lead into the corner after the jump but pushed Doran wide. Wiman tried to slip on the inside of the RX Cartel driver, but he shut the door and Wiman hit the tyre barrier causing him to roll the i20 Supercar bringing out the red flag and damaging the front right suspension. 

“In the Semi-final it all got very messy, very fast. Baumanis and Doran were fighting hard for the position and after the big jump, I saw an opportunity and went for it. Unfortunately got squeezed on to the tyre barrier and rolled the car,” he concluded.

After the superb performance at Spa-Francorchamps, Timur Timerzyanov expected to have another strong performance in Silverstone but he was caught up in racing battles that cost him valuable time. 

“I was concentrating on my own race, but this weekend my result was not entirely decided by me," said Timerzyanov. 

"Next-up is race in Hell, Norway, and that is one of my favorite tracks in the championship so we need to focus on that now."

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Permanent entrant ESmotorsport could face hefty fine should they fail to compete in Norway

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media

ESmotorsport-Labas GAS could face a 50,000 euro fine should they fail to participate at the World RX of Norway, after the team failed to compete at round four of the championship in Silverstone, UK.

The FIA Stewards received communication from the ESmotorsport-Labas GAS team manager Robertas Maneikis explaining that the team would not be present at R4 Silverstone. 

However, failing to compete is a Breach of Article 8.4 of the FIA Sporting Regulations World Rallycross: "A permanent individual Competitor is a body or person entering a car for the whole Championship. A permanent individual Competitor is permitted to change its car (make and model) during the season. The permanent individual Competitor has a responsibility vis-à-vis the FIA to ensure that the car entered takes to the grid for each Competition of the Championship. Any failure to participate will result in a penalty, except in cases of Force Majeure." - FIA Sporting Regulation World Rallycross.

It remains unclear if ESmotorsport-Labas GAS will be on the grid for round five of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Norway on 15-16 June 2019. However, the team took to social media with the following statement pictured below:

TEXT - Junaid Samodien

Baciuska signs long-term deal with GC Kompetition

PHOTO CREDIT: GC KOMPETITION

Former Super1600 European Rallycross champion Rokas Baciuska has signed a long-term contract with GC Kompetition.

Baciuska parted ways with ESmotorsport after the World RX of Barcelona due to contractual disagreements. 

The 19-year-old will join the GCK squad from the World RX of Norway (June 15-16) onwards and will drive the third GCK Renault Megane R.S.RX Supercar.

“I’m really excited that I’m able to continue my progression in World Rallycross and that I’ve found such an incredible team to be part of," said Baciuska. "I’ve been spending a lot of time with the guys at GCK and I’m super impressed with the way they work, the performance and promise of the car and I cannot wait to race alongside the GC Kompetition and GCK Academy drivers in Norway.”

The Lithuanian has not set any targets for his first outing with GC Kompetition, but has said: "I hope to be doing my best." 

GCK entered the 2019 season with two GCK Megane R.S. RX Supercars driven by Anton Marklund and Guerlain Chicherit as well as the newly launched GCK Academy, featuring two GCK Renault Clio R.S. RX Supercars driven by Guillaume de Ridder and Cyril Raymond.

Rokas Baciuska started his racing career in karting, having won the 2011 Lithuanian Karting Championship, the 2014 Baltic Karting Championship and several rounds of the 2017 European Karting Championship before entering the 2018 FIA European Super1600 Rallycross Championship, which he dominated throughout the season ultimately being crowned Champion. 

Baciuska is still finishing his last year of school and will sit his final exams just ahead of making his GCK debut in Hell, Norway, on June 15th.

“We’re super happy to have such a talented young driver join our GCK squad," said team owner Guerlain Chicherit. "Rokas has already shown big promise, dedication and results behind the wheel and I can’t wait for him to line up on the grid in our 3rd GCK Megane R.S. RX.”

TEXT - Junaid Samodien