Dakar 2021: REST DAY - Relax. Rebuild. Rethink.

PHOTO CREDIT: Toyota Gazoo Racing SA.

Relax. Rebuild. Rethink. Three words that racing drivers and teams are rarely associated with, but after 2,289 grueling timed kilometers. Riders, drivers, and navigators have earned some time off. In theory, a rest day is time off, but in the rally raid world teams' will use the time for media purposes. 

Whilst the drivers and navigators (co-drivers) take some time to breathe a bit today. Mechanics are a lot busier as they are rebuilding the cars, lightweight vehicles, bikes, and trucks. The Original By Motul category is a tad bit different though. The riders in this class are required to rebuild and fix the bikes themselves, and if required they can request the advice of racing teams, but the job has to be completed by them. 

Honda large and in charge.

The 2021 Dakar Rally has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons with new rules for the elite riders. Each elite rider will only be allowed to use six tyres. 

Some elite riders have voiced their dissatisfaction with this new rule. However, these new rules were introduced to bring the bike class a touch closer than before.

After seven days of long/ tough stages, KTM's Toby Price came out on top. The Australian leads the overall rankings by two minutes and 16 seconds over Honda's Kevin Benavides. 

Benavides has been nursing a broken nose after an accident on stage five, whilst his teammates are largely in charge of the bike category, with only a handful of riders, namely: Toby Price, Ross Branch (Yamaha), and Daniel Sanders (KTM), etc. being to take the fight to the four Honda riders. 

In the same breath, Honda appears to be in control, but the field has closed up considerably as the rally raid continued. The top six riders are now split by six minutes and 25 seconds, and with six stages to go, we are set for a close fight to the end. 

With three wins to his name, Joan Barreda Bort has had a much better year and is quite confidentially going about his business. A noticeable strategy has emerged from the Spaniard. He wins stages, and with that, you are required to open the road the following day, which has proven to be a mighty challenge for most, but he has gone into them without losing too much time to his rivals. 

Ross Branch has lead the charge for the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team and has been mighty impressive. He came within 13 seconds of clinching Yamaha's first Dakar stage win this year. Oh so close... but his consistency has been key and after an 11-kilometer prologue and six stages. The Kalahari Ferrari is just 3 minutes and 41 seconds off the overall rankings lead. Go, Ross! 

It hasn't been the smoothest of Dakar's for the defending champion Ricky Brabec. The American is nearly 20 minutes off the lead in the overall rankings but has admitted that one of his targets is to make it to the finish line after six days of intense racing. He wasn't quite ready for the rest day but admits there are still six days to attack and this is where he aims to gain some time. 

BAS Dakar KTM's Skyler Howes has been the most impressive non-factory rider this year. He held the lead of the overall rankings briefly but has since slipped to ninth overall just 15:12 off the top of the rankings. Howes as a strong future in the Dakar Rally. 

Laia Sanz (Gas Gas) hasn't had the best road to the Dakar having been diagnosed with Lyme's disease earlier this year but the 'Queen of the Dakar' has been impressive and is currently in 25th overall. A very respectable result. 

Whilst we talk of good performances and potential winners. There have been riders who dropped out of the Dakar for various reasons. Mechanical issues or minor injuries, but we have also had the withdrawal of Hero Motorsport's CS Santosh who was resuscitated by a fellow competitor on a stage and was taken to hospital with a suspected dislocated shoulder and head trauma. His team later issued a statement saying that CT scans have shown "no major issue that could impact his full recovery". The Indian rider remains in hospital on route to a full recovery.

Malle Moto (Original By Motul) 

A clear leader has emerged in the grueling Original By Motul category, Maurizio Gerini. Gerini has taken the lead in the overall rankings by four minutes and 24 seconds over Arunas Gelazninkas, whilst the reigning champion Emanuel Gyenes is over 40 minutes behind. 

Forty minutes might seems like an impossible deficit to overturn, but as we know anything can happen in the Dakar Rally. It's still all to play for! 

The Kalahari Madala "Kalahari old man" James Alexander joined the Original By Motul class this year and has enjoyed every minute. However, the past few days have been a right old challenge for the rider from Botswana. He had suffered from steering issues which saw him finish stage five very late at night. Battling with steering issues again on stage six after having no time to fix his bike a night before, James cracked on and made it to the end of stage six in the cooling evening conditions. He suffered from hypothermia arriving in the night and spent the evening in the sickbay.

After a night in the sickbay, he is feeling a lot better and has started working on his bike repairing the steering issue and servicing the bike ahead of two marathon stages. 

Cavigliasso on top. 

Nicolas Covigliasso has emerged as the favorite for this year's Quad class victory. The Argentine rider has a comfortable 33-minute buffer to his nearest rival and fellow countrymen Manuel Andujar, whilst Frenchman Alexandre Giroud who has won three stages to date finds himself 45 minutes behind. 

PHOTO CREDIT: X-Raid Mini JCW

Mr. Dakar becomes the hunted.

Monsieur Dakar Stéphane Peterhansel has not won a stage, but consistency has seen him move into the lead of the overall rankings. Whilst winning a stage poses the difficulty of opening the road. The Frenchman has played all the cards that he has been dealt and even followed rival Nasser Al-Attiyah all the way to the end of stage five.

Al-Attiyah has won three stages thus far, including the 11-kilometer prologue. Opening the road has been a rather difficult task with those behind able to capitalize on the tracks ahead. But after one week of racing, Al-Attiyah remains in contention for a potential fourth Dakar title. The Qatari driver is five minutes and 53 seconds behind Peterhansel in the overall rankings.

It's been a year to forget for the reigning Dakar Champions, as none are leading their respective categories, and this is no different in the car class. Despite winning two stages thus far, Carlos Sainz hasn't been a happy camper. The Spaniard lost over 48 minutes due to navigational issues. However, after winning stage six, he was able to gain seven minutes on Peterhansel.

El-Matador has rued the new electronic roadbook, which his navigator has struggled with. Whilst Sainz's teammate Peterhansel has had a better time of it with new co-driver (navigator) Edouard Boulanger alongside him.

It's all to play but who will come out on top? 

2009 Dakar Champion Giniel de Villiers won stage five but has suffered from neck issues. His charge was also halted by navigational issues, as were many of his rivals.

The most impressive driver/co-driver pairing thus far is Toyota Gazoo Racing SA's Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings. The #332 Hilux duo claimed a second-place finish on stage three and followed that up with a third-place finish on stage four. But, unfortunately, the South African's Dakar came to an abrupt end on stage five after Henk Lategan sustained a dislocated shoulder 17 kilometers into the stage. We can not wait to see them return in 2022! 

WRC legend Sebastien Loeb made his Dakar return after a one-year hiatus with the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team, and whilst he suffered from navigational issues. His Hunter 1 seemed like a pleasure to drive, however, early into stage six yesterday the Frenchman stopped due to a broken suspension arm and lost hours waiting for his support team to arrive. Overall Loeb is now 11 hours, 42 minutes, and 36 seconds behind the overall leader. When will his luck turn around? We do hope that he returns in 2022. 

Former Dakar competitors, Brian Baragwanath and Taye Perry joined forces for the 2021 Dakar Rally. Baragwanath came from the quads category before deciding to switch to the car's class after working with Century Racing since 2018. Whilst, 2020 Dakar finisher Taye Perry hoped to return on a bike in 2021. However, things didn't go according to plan, and after a call from Baragwanath. The two teamed up and the rest is history. 

The South African duo claimed a second-place finish on stage five just 58 seconds behind stage winner and fellow countrymen Giniel de Villiers.

History is made in the LIGHTWEIGHT VEHICLE CLASS.

A category split in two - T3 SSV and T4 Lightweight Prototypes. The T4 lightweight prototype category has made all the headlines after history was made this week. Cristina Gutiérrez Herrero became the first woman to win a stage since Jutta Kleinschmidt in 2005. Whilst her teammate Seth Quintero who was not eligible to compete a year ago, finally made his debut this year. 

Quintero made history yesterday after holding off Khalid Al-Attiyah to become the youngest competitor to win a stage at the tender age of 18. 

In addition to making history, the young American has two fingers on the T4 class win. He is just under 2 hours ahead of teammate Cristina Gutiérrez Herrero in the class. 

In the SSV class after two stages, a clear gap has emerged with Aron Domzala a mere 40 seconds ahead of teammate Auston Jones, whilst those behind the Monster Energy Can-Am duo are over 30 minutes behind in the overall rankings.

Kamaz-Master domination. 

Siarhei Viazovich emerged as a potential challenger for the Dakar title in 2021. However, his challenge came to a premature end due to ongoing mechanical issues. 

As Viazovich's challenge fell by the wayside, 35-year-old Russian Dmitry Sotnikov emerged as the clear favorite for the 2021 title. Sotnikov hasn't put a foot wrong thus far and has been a master in opening the road in the trucks category. 

Should Dmitry clinch the 2021 title, the Kamaz-Master team will claim their second ever five-year brace in the trucks category. The only driver and team capable of taking the fight to Kamaz were Petronas Iveco with Gerard De Rooy at the wheel. De Rooy clinched two Dakar titles in 2012 and 2016. However, the Dutchman has not returned this year. 

Having won four-stages of six, it's pretty clear to say that Dmitry Sotnikov is the favorite to win the 2021 Dakar title with teammates Anton Shibalov and Airat Mardeev over 37 minutes behind. 

A lot can still happen, but it's Sotnikov's title to lose from here on it! 

Written By: Junaid Samodien

Dakar 2021: Stage 6 – Motorbike lead changes yet again as Peterhansel and Al-Attiyah inseparable.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Written By - Franco Theron - NamWheels 

Ahead of the rest day tomorrow, the fight in both the motorbike- and car categories are intensifying. Let’s have a look at what happened today. 

Honda dominating? 

Yesterday was a good day for Honda, with Kevin Benavides claiming stage honours, even with a broken nose. The four Honda riders seem to support one another very well in this edition. Teamwork seems to be the order of the day, where one rider aims to win the stage, with the rest trading positions to open the road on the next day. 

Up to this point, Toby Price seems to be the only KTM rider, realistically being able to fight the top riders, while Ross Branch plays this part for Yamaha. 

Opening the road today, Benavides struggled to keep up with the pace, while teammate, Joan Barreda Bort spearheaded the stage early on, with Toby Price (KTM) and Ross Branch (Yamaha) hot on his back wheel. 

Just over the 200km mark, Price managed to pass the Honda of Barreda Bort, with Branch, Daniel Sanders (KTM), and Ricky Brabec (Honda) very closely behind. 

However, towards the end of the stage, Price started losing time as Branch, Barreda, and Sanders once again edged ahead. 

Barreda and Branch cleared the road, while Sanders kept Brabec and the chasing KTM’s of Price, Sam Sunderland, and Mattias Walkner behind. Yet, Brabec soon made a navigational error and fell towards the latter part of the top 10. 

It was Branch, who crossed the finish line first, but Barreda soon pipped him by a slender 48 seconds. 

This means that as we head into the rest day, Price now moves into the lead, ahead of Kevin Benavides, Cornejo Florimo (Honda), and Branch. The top 6 are, however, separated by a mere 4:23. This will surely cause for a very exciting last half of the race when it resumes on Sunday. 

Sainz on the attack 

An excellent day for South Africa yesterday, saw Giniel de Villiers take Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’S fifth stage triumph of the 2021 edition, while Brian Baragwanath (Century Racing) came in a close second. 

Whilst the battle for stage honors took place, the overall battle between Stephane Peterhansel (X-Raid Mini JCW) and Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing SA) brewing. The latter later admitted that he found the stage very difficult, having lost more time to his French rival. Carlos Sainz (X-Raid Mini JCW) was also quick to follow, suggesting the 2021 edition to be more of a gymkhana race, rather than a navigational marathon. 

Stating that stage 5 and 6 would probably be the most important of the race, would we see Al-Attiyah throw everything at today's’ stage in a bid to regain time? 

Sainz and Peterhansel reached the first checkpoint of the day in the lead, with Al-Attiyah and Yazeed Al Rajhi (Toyota Overdrive) closely following. The latter soon started to trouble the times of Peterhansel, while Sainz cleared ahead. 

Some 48 minutes behind Peterhansel overall before today’s stage, Sainz needed to gain time on the leading two driver if he is to challenge for the win in the last week. 

Yesterday’s winner, de Villiers struggled to keep his pace from yesterday and kept within the higher top 10 places in the stage, while Baragwanath ran in a constant 5th position. 

Sebastien Loeb’s (BRX) 2021 Dakar Rally also went from bad to worse as he broke a suspension arm on the stage and had to await the support truck for repairs. It was not the rally the Frenchman had hoped for. 

Yet, all eyes were locked on the times set by Peterhansel and Al-Attiyah, with the former looking to gain more time on the Qatari. Yet, after 404 km, Al-Attiyah gained on Peterhansel, leading the Frenchman by a barely inseparable 9 seconds.  

Crossing the finish line, Sainz claimed the stage victory as he gained on his overall rivals. Al Rajhi finished second, while Al-Attiyah bested Peterhansel by only 18 seconds. 

This means that Peterhansel goes into the rest day as the leader by 5:53, with Sainz 40:39 behind Peterhansel. 

Dakar 2021: Sweet and sour day for South-Africans

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool. 

Written By: Franco Theron - NamWheels

The 2021 Dakar Rally is now at its midway point and much can already be taken from the first week of racing. In both the motorbike- and car categories, the fight is extremely tight. 

Honda, Yamaha, and KTM seem to be inseparable with the top 5 times overall after every stage, being within seconds from one another. While Yamaha is still to win a stage in this year’s Dakar, it is Ross Branch and Andrien van Beveren, who can be said to be the most consistent of all the current top riders. 

In the car category, the X-Raid Mini’s seemed to play a very strategic game early on, but Toyota fought back with an even better approach. After stage 4, the lead between the Mini of Stephane Peterhansel (Mini) and Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota) was a mere 5 minutes. 

Stating that the marathon stages, leading up to-and continuing after the rest day, would be the stages to attack, Al-Attiyah knew well that these stages were two of the most technical and demanding of the edition. 

Leading up to the rest day, this is how the motorbike and car categories got on. 

Honda going strong 

Stage 4 winner, Joan Barreda Bort (Honda) started the stage first and evidently did not hold back. Having taken his 27th Dakar victory, the Spaniard was keen on climbing his way back into the overall contention. So to was his teammates, Kevin Benavides and Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo. Yet, by the second checkpoint, Barreda Bort seemed to have lost a chunk of time to the stage leaders’ duo to a navigational error. Similarly, the Yamaha of Van Beveren fell into the same error. 

For most of the stage, the Honda’s of Cornejo Florimo and Benavides led the stage, with overall contender, Xavier de Soultrait (Husqvarna) threatening the leading times. 

Benavides did, however, take the stage lead from his teammate during the end of the stage, with Barreda Bort seemingly losing more time as the stage progressed. In the end, Benavides won the stage ahead of Cornejo Florimo to make it another Honda 1-2 stage win. 

Ultimately, this also propelled Benavides into the overall lead, ahead of de Soultrait. 

Branch ever-consistent 

Signing for the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally team after two highly successful first years in the race, Ross Branch proves to once again be the ever consistent, smiling rider. 

Even more importantly, the Botswanian has remained within or close to the top 5 overall positions, even though the leaders around him are trading positions constantly. Whilst Yamaha has already seen one retirement early on, Branch proves to be the leading Yamaha rider: besting even his highly experienced teammate, van Beveren. 

This can mainly be attributed to a cautious approach and one without too many navigational errors. 

Branch is also now positioned as the sole Yamaha in the top 10 and with a shot at overall victory. A mere 8:24 behind de Soultrait and 6:18 behind Cornejo Florimo, Branch is perfectly positioned to attack on Saturday. However, Kevin Benavides on the Honda seems to have found his rhythm and is now almost 11 minutes ahead. 

Toyota vs Mini 

Just before the start of stage 5, Peterhansel was handed a one-minute penalty for unknown reasons. This would bring the leading two competitors of Peterhansel and Nasser Al-Attiyah to within four minutes. 

Opening the stage for a third time in succession, Al-Attiyah lost time to Peterhansel at the start, but quickly gained on the Frenchman to trail him by a mere 23 seconds at the 155km mark. However, by the next 197km mark, this gap grew by two minutes.  

Peterhansel reached the finish to put almost 3 more minutes into his lead over Al-Attiyah. Yet, this was not quick enough to win the stage, meaning that he will not open the road on Saturday, but rather the Toyota of de Villiers. 

Will Toyota play a tactical game with Peterhansel, come Saturday?  

South-Africans flying the flag high

It was a win-lose situation for Toyota and South-Africa. While bad news came through for Lategan, Giniel de Villiers managed to take stage honours today, recording the fastest time at every checkpoint. 

Erik van Loon (Overdrive Toyota) was hot on his heels, until Brian Baragwanath (Century Racing) and Martin Prokop (Benzina Orlen) took over the contention for second on stage. 

Baragwanath looked set to make it a first stage win, until de Villiers once again bested his finishing time by a full 5:45 minutes, with Prokop finishing in third. 

It would therefore be a good day for South Africans as it would record a 1-2 stage finish. 

Sainz unable to defend his 2020 title? 

As of 2020, a three-time Dakar winner, the multiple World Rally Champion, Carlos Sainz, seems to be unable to repeat success at this years’ edition. The Spaniard lost half an hour to the leading pair of Peterhansel and Al-Attiyah on stage 3, when he made a navigational error and again lost considerable time on the fifth stage. 

Racing through the first checkpoint at 43km, he already lost 28:40 minutes to the stage leader, Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Gazoo Racing) and more importantly, around 20 minutes to his two overall contenders. 

Magical rookie Lategan

Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing) already proved his worth in only his first year of Dakar racing. The two-time South-African cross-country driver and former rally-ace not only challenged his much more experienced teammates in the third and fourth stage, but managed to finish stage 3 in second position, whilst just being pipped by Peterhansel in the following stage to end in third. 

Starting third on stage 5, the same navigational headache as for Sainz and Sebastien Loeb (BRX) seemed to haunt the young South-African. Soon thereafter, news came through that the Lategan and his co-driver were taken to the start of the stage again for medical treatment as they rolled their Hilux in the stage. 

This is a huge blow to the race as Lategan’s form started to rival stage winning times. Would he have raced on, the South African would have certainly ended the race as the top rookie? 

Certainly, a big learning curve, may this be a future Dakar winner in the making? 

Dakar2021: Stage 4 Analysis - Nail bitingly close in both the motorbike and car categories.

Ross Branch #18 on his way to fourth on stage four.
PHOTO CREDIT: Yamaha Racing.

After the drama from yesterday as well as the extremely close racing in the motorbike category, we were certainly very eager to kick of the stage today. This is what occurred: 

Honda back at it 

Winning yesterday’s stage, Toby Price (KTM) once again had the duty of opening the special today. It was therefore inevitable that the Australian would lose some time. However, the KTM rider lost just under 15 minutes today as he lost the lead early in the stage by means of navigational errors. 

It was then Joan Barreda Bort (Honda) who took over the lead, ready for a second 2021 stage win. After two difficult days, the Spaniard crossed the line, 6 minutes ahead of Yamaha rider, Ross Branch. 

Yesterday’s overall leader, Howes (BAS KTM) struggled with the conditions and would eventually lose the overall lead, thanks to a 13 minute deficit to Barreda. 

Overall, this means that the lead swaps once more, with Barreda now slotting into second; 15 seconds shy from the lead, which Xavier De Soultrait (Husqvarna) now holds. This is an extremely close margin. 

A further three minutes and 9 seconds sees Kevin Benavides (Honda) in third, followed by the consistent Yamaha of Branch, 1 minute further. 

Less than 5 minutes separate the top 5 

With Howes slotting into fifth place overall after today’s stage, the top 5 are separated by a mere 4:26 minutes. With key stages still remaining, it is anyone’s win to take, with KTM not far behind. 

Toyota powering ahead 

With a one-two position on yesterday’s stage, Toyota Gazoo Racing looked to have a tough day as Nasser Al-Attiyah and Henk Lategan would open the road for the others. 

Yet, this did not deter the leading Toyota’s as they once again dominated the stage, with Al-Attiyah and Lategan trading fastest times throughout the stage. Separated by a mere 44 seconds at 298km, everyone held their breath to see which Toyota would cross the finish line first. 

Yesterday, Al-Attiyah made it clear that he would attack Peterhansel on the 5th and 6th stage. With only five minutes between the leading duo, anything could happen. 

Yet, today, Al Attiyah already punched hard by winning his third consecutive stage and the fourth of the 2021 edition. The two X-Raid Mini’s of Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz fought back hard but just missed out on a stage win by a mere 11 seconds. This moved Lategan to third on the stage, with Sainz almost 3 minutes behind. 

Sainz did, however, threaten Al-Attiyah’s stage lead at seven points, but seemed to have backed off towards the finish. Is this perhaps a strategic plan to allow the Toyota’s to open the road tomorrow? 

Both Brian Baragwanath (Century Racing) and Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Gazoo Racing) also drove at a steady pace, with both losing over 12 minutes to Al-Attiyah on the stage.

This means that Al-Attiyah would once again open the road tomorrow, a recipe that proved to work over the past three days. Just under 5 minutes now separate the Toyota and the Mini. It is anyone’s guess.

Dakar 2021: Wadi Ad-Dawasir loop - STAGE 3 ANALYSIS.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

Written By: Franco Theron - NamWheels

The 630 km stage 3 today again saw drama unfold. With 9 stages remaining, a likely winner is far from being declared. Anything can still happen, with the general classifications in both the car and motorbike categories, changing on a daily basis. 

Stage 2 recap

Yesterday saw drama in the motorbike category as Yamaha’s Andrew Shorts retired. This, however, comes as a controversial matter as it quickly became clear that his and early leader, Toby Price’s KTM suffered problems after refuelling their bikes in the stage. 

Losing 32 minutes in the stage, Price discovered water in his fuel pump, a problem that sent Shorts into retirement.

Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team has issued a statement following Andrew Short's withdrawal from the 2021 Dakar Rally.

"Subsequent inspection of the bike on its return to the bivouac identified the problem as contaminated fuel, with a significant amount of water found to be present in both the fuel tank and the fuel pump on Short's bike," the statement read.

"Water was also found in the fuel of Short's Monster Energy Yamaha teammate Franco Caimi when his fuel tank was drained after the stage. Fortunately for the Argentinian, the fuel contamination wasn't as severe as that of his teammate and he was able to complete the day's stage."

In order to ensure none of their other riders a similar fate, they opted to drain the fuel from the four remaining bikes and replace the fuel pumps. 

The team has also stated that they had lodged an official request to the FIA to freeze the results of stage 2 at Checkpoint 2. As it would allow Short to start the race today. However, the request was requested. 

Honda continues to impress, but KTM stamps its authority 

While Honda finished a strong first and second on stage yesterday, Kevin Benavides again took the lead for the manufacturer early on today. Losing 29 minutes to his winning team mate yesterday, Benavides had a point to prove. 

He was followed shortly by Price and Mattias Walkner (KTM). It would, however, be a bad day for the overall leading Honda’s of Joan Barreda Bort and Ricky Brabec as the two lost considerable time to the Husqvarna of Pablo Quintanilla and Ross Branch (Yamaha Monster Energy). Skyler Howes would take over the lead of the race. 

At 354km, Price took the lead from Benavides. A lead he would hold onto to win the stage by 1 minute and 16 seconds from Benavides. 

Branch holding a steady pace 

Ross Branch showcased a steady, yet consistent approach towards today’s stage. Losing about 13 minutes at every point, the Kalahari Ferrari kept his times in front of the overall leading trio of Quintanilla, Brabec, and Barreda Bort. Even more importantly, Branch came in ahead of his vastly experienced Yamaha teammate, Adrian van Beveren by a mere two seconds. 

However, a good showing by Skyler Howes (BAS Dakar KTM), Xavier de Soultrait (Rally Raid Husqvarna), Sam Sunderland (KTM Red Bull), Price and Benavides, would propel these five riders ahead of Branch in the overall standings. 

Toyota Gazoo Racing fighting back 

Winning stage 2, the South-African built Toyota Hiluxes were again charging through the special. 

It was South-African Dakar rookie, Henk Lategan, setting the timing sheets alight early on, followed shortly by Yazeed Al Rajhi (Toyota Overdrive), Sheikh Al Qassimi (Abu Dhabi Racing), Mathieu Serradori (Century Racing), Giniel De Villiers (Toyota Gazoo Racing). 

The tables, however, quickly turned as Carlos Sainz regained the lead at the 88km from Al Rajhi and Al-Attiyah, however, soon made a navigational error. Both Sainz and Al Rajhi then lost valuable time, with the former losing almost 32 minutes at the 183km mark; prompting Al-Attiyah and Sebastien Loeb (BRX) into the lead of the stage. 

Midway throughout the stage, Lategan fought back to slot in between Al-Attiyah and Stephane Peterhansel, while both De Villiers and Brian Baragwanath (Century Racing) were starting to lose quite a bit of time. 

Crossing the finish line, Al-Attiyah managed to take just over 4 minutes out of Peterhansel’s lead and a massive 31 minutes. Lategan, meanwhile finished the stage in second position, 2:27 behind his Gazoo Racing teammate. 

All this means that Peterhansel now leads the race, albeit by only five minutes from Al-Attiyah. With two back-to-back stage wins, might we see the Qatari close in even more in the coming days? Or will Sainz find a way to claw back his almost 34-minute deficit?

Dakar 2021: Stage 1 and Stage 2 analysis.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

Written By: Franco Theron - NamWheels

Has Mini already won? 

Whilst the start of the rally saw a curb in top speed regulations, the X-raid Mini’s of Stephane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz seemed t play the same tactics as their Red Bull motorbike counterparts, during the prologue. 

While Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) took the lead on the prologue, the Mini’s quickly doused Toyota’s early celebratory mood. With the two mates almost in sync, the reigning champion (Sainz) took the lead, a mere 5 seconds ahead of Peterhansel. 

On today’s second stage, Peterhansel punched back, finishing just under 7 minutes ahead of Sainz. 

Yet, it was the Toyota of Al-Attiyah, who reigned supreme on the stage; taking 2:35 minutes out of Peterhansel’s overall lead and 9:17 from Sainz. 

All this means that the three favourites are now just less than 10 minutes away from one another, with Sainz trailing Peterhansel by 6:37 and Al-Attiyah trailing the leader by 9:14. 

While Mini started strongly, Toyota quickly punched back today. It will be anyone’s win. 

What about the other South-African Toyota Gazoo Racing Hiluxes? 

Henk Lategan, in his first-ever Dakar, seems to do well. The two-time SACCS champion is now in 16th position overall, trailing Peterhansel by 49 minutes. He is positioned just ahead of his more experienced, yet ever-cautious Dakar Legend teammate, Giniel De Villiers. The latter is now 18th, just over 52 minutes behind. Yet, as we know, De Villiers is never a quick starter; climbing up the leaderboard, stage by stage. 

Shameer Variawa did well on stage 1, finishing just ahead of Lategan in 12th. At the time of editing, Variawa does seem to struggle in the second stage, trailing the leaders by more than two hours. 

KTM stronger than ever? 

Having won 13 consecutive Dakar titles before Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda) bested the KTM trio in 2020, the KTM squad seems to be back at the 2021 edition with new ambition. The 2016 and 2019 winner, Toby Price, was quick to state the obvious; being that KTM held back on the prologue stage so as to not open the tracks on the first stage of the rally. 

It certainly proved to pay off as the initial Honda pace setters of Brabec and Joan Barreda Bort got lost, earning Price the lead of the rally. 

The second stage of the rally would, unfortunately, swing the favour back in the hands of the Honda’s as Barreda Bort seized the opportunity of a later start to retake the lead for the manufacturer. Brabec finished second and now sits just under 7 minutes behind. 

The KTM of Mattias Walkner came to a halt early in the stage, with the Austrian eventually losing almost two hours and a half. Sam Sunderland lost exactly 23 minutes today, while Price lost even more at 32 minutes. 

KTM might have won 13 consecutive titles, yet the last few years proved to be more of a daunting task in keeping up with appearances. With Yamaha and Husqvarna also being in the mix, will we again see a game of cat and mouse right up until the end? 

We certainly think so… 

The “Kalahari Ferrari” had us worried, but not for long 

Ross Branch (Monster Energy Yamaha) showed us his capabilities during the prologue; taking into account that this is only his third ever Dakar. The Botswanian then seemed to struggle during the first stage, losing valuable time and eventually finishing 12th. 

But, with the ever-present smile on his face, Branch raced ahead during the second stage, threatening the leaders of the stage. 

He would eventually finish today’s stage in fourth (at the time of typing this article), moving up to third overall as the leading Yamaha rider, 6:37 shy of the lead. 

With 10 stages remaining, anything can still happen. Yet, Branch has already showcased his performance in 2020. A stage victory might well be in reach, but can we expect even more? 

We might only be in the second stage of this years’ Dakar, but both the car and motorbike categories are already lighting up and our Southern-African competitors are doing us proud. 

Al-Attiyah/Baumel to head field for DAKAR 2021 STAGE 1.

PHOTO CREDIT: Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa.

Toyota GAZOO Racing's Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel topped the short, sharp 2021 Dakar Rally prologue in their South African-built Toyota Hilux. Their time was matched by Brian Baragwanath and Taye Perry, in a Century Racing CR-6 buggy, which is also built in South Africa. 

“We are very pleased with Nasser and Mathieu setting the fastest time. They’ve proven before that they are happy to attack from the front,” TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Team Principal, Glyn Hall, said after the 11 km prologue. 

“Henk and Brett did exactly what we had hoped they’d do – a solid performance that places them in a good position for Stage 1.”

Dakar debutants Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings, posted a time just 15 seconds slower than that of the leaders, placing them in 7th place for the start of Stage 1 tomorrow.

Whilst teammates Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Alex Haro Bravo suffered a throttle response problem at the start of the prologue stage and lost some time resetting the system. They managed to restrict their time loss to 20 seconds despite the problem but will be starting Stage 1 in 19th place – which means De Villiers will have to deal with more dust and scattered tracks than he would have liked.

The final car in the Toyota GAZOO Racing SA team is that of Shameer Variawa and co-driver Dennis Murphy. The pair’s prologue time was 33 seconds off the pace. They’ll be starting as the 26th car on the road.

Stage 1 is a 622 km special that comprises a 345 km liaison, and a timed section of 277 km. The route will see the crews tackle sandy tracks, strewn with rocks in places. Protecting the tyres will be key in these conditions.

Dakar 2021: Tactical warfare?

PHOTO CREDIT: Giniel de Villiers/Toyota GAZOO Racing South Africa.

Written By: Franco Theron - NamWheels

Motorsport enthusiasts could again sigh in relief as the 2021- and second Saudi-based Dakar Rally got underway today with the Prologue. Not relevant to the end result itself, the prologue saw competitors test themselves against one another as well as position themselves for the road order of the first official stage on 3 January 2021. 

With the 2021 edition seeing multiple regulation changes in both the motorbike and car categories, competitors and teams are already hinting towards tactical warfare. 

Yet, Southern-Africans already have reason to smile…

Motorbike category: 

With tyre regulations being changed and limited in a bid to ensure safer and slower riding, the motorbike competitors will now be more hesitant to go full-throttle throughout the whole of every stage. 

Neither the less,  2020 Dakar victor and the first person to break the dominance of the Red Bull KTM team, Ricky Brabec held nothing back. Storming into the Jeddah-based prologue, the American recorded the fastest time; six seconds faster than his Monster Energy Honda teammate, Joan Barreda Bort. 

Ross Branch, also known as the Kalahari Ferrari, who joined the Monster Energy Yamaha squad for 2021, recorded the fourth-fastest time, some 14 seconds behind Brabec. The Botswanian is highly pipped to take at least one stage victory, if not challenging for overall victory. 

Car category: 

The car category flamed up with news that new FIA Cross Country regulations have imposed speed restrictions on the T1 and T2 classes in a bid to cater for a more level playing field. Toyota, X-Raid and Prodrive competitors will therefore be allowed to race at 180km/h, while T3, T4, and T5 competitors will be allowed to race at 130km/h. 

While three-time and 2020 winner, Carlos Sainz Snr (X-Raid Mini) hinted the overall fight to be between the X-raid Mini’s and the Toyota’s. Glyn Hall, Team Principal of Toyota GAZOO Racing South Africa welcomed these terms; stating that his team will now have a better opportunity to keep the Mini’s within their reach. 

While the buggies of the Prodrive BRX’s and X-Raid Mini’s may only be two-wheel-drive, compared to the four-wheel-drive Toyota’s, the buggies do tend to have a speed and power advantage. 

Accordingly, one of the 2021 favourites, Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota) took to the prologue today, recording the fastest time. However, the time was soon matched by the new South-African pairing of Brian Baragwanath and Taye Perry (Century Racing). 

While this means that Al-Attiyah will open the tracks, the X-Raid Mini’s of Stephane Peterhansel crossed the finish line in 14th place, while Sainz recorded the 28th fastest time. Yet, the latter stated to have had a puncture. 

Was this strategic or does Toyota’s new-found trust in their tyre capabilities prove to be the determining factor for 2021? Or are the X-Raid team playing tactical motorsport chess, knowing that Al-Attiyah would now have to open the road? 

At the time of typing, the stage times were so extremely close, that all of the top 42 competitors, crossed the finish line within one minute from another. 

Henk Lategan, in his first Dakar, recorded the seventh fastest time, while Giniel de Villiers came in 20th. 

Sebastien Loeb, in the new Prodrive, built BRX Hunter also recorded the 11th fastest time, with team-mate, Nani Roma coming in 15th. 

While it is still early days, tactics already seem to be the order of the day. Not much could be said about performance, as all teams are still cautiously finding their… wheels, whilst not giving away too much to their competitors. 

However, with the 277km stage from Jeddah to Bisha now within reach, we can be certain of a highly competitive 12 stages.

Brian Baragwanath targets "a top ten result" in 2021 Dakar Rally.

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Baragwanath Racing

We're just days away from the 2021 Dakar Rally getting underway in Saudi Arabia, and things are beginning to heat up for Team Century Racing, as two seasoned South African athletes, Brian Baragwanath and Calheine "Taye" Perry are gearing up for the start of a thrilling new adventure. 

Brian will be driving the South African engineered and built Century Racing CR6 buggy, with Taye Perry alongside as his female co-pilot. 

The duo, in the Team Century Racing #339 entry, consists of Brian Baragwanath, a multiple Quad, Off-road Champion and 3rd overall in the Quad Category Dakar 2016, and Taye Perry, a multiple Off-road Champion, and Dakar Rally 2020 Finisher.

Baragwanath lived his first Dakar rallies on a quad bike in South America. And, despite retiring from his first Dakar in 2015, he impressed a year later when he finished on the podium in the quad's category. Unfortunately, a severe elbow injury forced him to stop riding and turn to four wheels. 

"After my appearances on the Dakar which was great, I suffered a big crash in 2016, injuring my elbow. That, and the fact that I started a family (married, with two children) pulled me away from bikes. I was looking for a new challenge," Baragwanath said (in an interview with A.S.O)

The lady behind the road-book in charge of navigation (this year) successfully completed her first Dakar Rally just a year ago in Saudi Arabia, on a bike. 

The 2020 Dakar wasn't the easiest for her after coming off her KTM bike on the penultimate day at km240, but her grid and determination helped her make it to the end of the stage. A fellow competitor from the car category towed her in, and under the new regulations, she was required to push her bike for the final few hundred meters to complete the stage. Perry then set-off to work on fixing her bike for the final stage of the Dakar the next day.

This year, she will trade two wheels for the navigator's seat alongside Brian. 

"I immediately accepted when offered the chance to go racing in both the South African Cross Country series and the 2021 Dakar. I think it all came together remarkably quickly in the car because both bike and quad off-road racers are instinctive navigators, used to reacting immediately at high speeds," she said (in an interview with A.S.O). "Having the luxuries of an air-conditioned cabin, a seat, a safety harness and a roll-cage around one feels like a sheer indulgence. So, the least we can do is give it our all."

Both Brian and Taye have high expectations, as they will compete in a Century Racing CR6 that has already proven to be competitive last year. 

"We have spent months preparing for the Dakar Rally, and we are aiming for a top ten result," Brian Baragwanath said. 

"It’s been a challenging journey, to say the least, but fortunately we received massive support from our supporters and sponsors. These include trusted South African brands, such as Century Racing, CompCare Medical Scheme, Caltex Havoline SA, Dozer Earthmoving, and Trollope Mining Services."

The 2021 Dakar Rally will ease all participants into a competitive mindset with a short 11km Prologue on Saturday, 2 January 2020, setting up a safe starting order for the first 277 km stage on 3 January 2021. With unadulterated desert, extreme endurance conditions, tough terrains, navigational hazards, marathon stages, and 100km up-and-down-racing, it is bound to push the competitors to their limits. Spanning 14 days, the Dakar 2021 route will require skillful driving and navigation, as well as careful management of mechanical aspects. 

"Only the toughest competitors are expected to cross the finish line in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah. We look forward to representing our sponsors and our Country!" Brian concluded. 

Written By: Junaid Samodien.

Photo Credit: Century Racing. 

Additional Information: Dakar Interview.

Kristoffersson "working on it" to secure 2021 World RX return.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX

Three-time Champion Johan Kristoffersson is working on all avenues to return to the World Rallycross Championship in 2021. 

After a one-year hiatus from the championship following Volkswagen Motorsport's withdrawal. Kristoffersson announced his return to the highly competitive championship, in a hired 2018 specification Volkswagen Polo R Supercar. 

Whilst the stage was set for a thrilling 2020 season. The World RX championship along with many other motorsport categories were put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, and with a later start to the season (in August) than usual. The calendar was altered to consist of 10-rounds with three doubleheaders and four stand-alone events, but that soon changed as things worsened globally. 

The final adjusted calendar saw the season consist of four doubleheaders at four different European venues equalling eight rounds in total. 

Johan Kristoffersson leading Robin Larsson (KYB Team JC)
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX

Betting odds would suggest that Johan would dominate the season from start to finish. However, that was not to be. Why? Because the master tactician returned. 

Mattias Ekstrom returned to the championship with KYB Team JC and proved to be a championship contender from the get-go. While Kristoffersson failed to win round two of the championship (on Sunday in Sweden), it was pretty clear that he thrilled by the prospects of a close and competitive season. 

Johan went on to claim four wins, two second-place finishes, a third-place finish, and his worst result of the season, a fourth-place finish in Finland (round four). It was quite evident that his rivals found performance over the off-season and in 2019, whilst Kristoffersson's hired VW Polo R Supercar had a few updates, including a WRC specification rear wing. 

The 32-year-old Swede had a flawless season in terms of reliability and staying away from trouble (punctures and bad car damage) which helped shape his championship fight. Those around him ran into trouble, but he only had a minor scare in Kouvola which was solved almost immediately.

Leading the championship by 27-points with one round remaining at the Nurburgring, news filtered through that the final round(s) of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship would be canceled due to the second wave of coronavirus in Germany. Following the announcement, Johan was declared the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Champions and later received the official FIA trophy at the FIA Virtual Prize Giving. 

Johan Kristoffersson is officially the most successful World Rallycross Championship driver of all time, and despite being announced as an official Rosberg Xtreme Racing driver for the 2021 Extreme E series. The Swede is also working on a potential return to the World RX in 2021. However, his hopes hit a stumbling block after Volkswagen Motorsport announced their withdrawal from all forms of motorsport at the end of 2020, but he admits that he is "working on it".

"We are working on that at the moment. The last two rounds of the rallycross championship got canceled, so the season ran pretty short anyway, and we were not really prepared for the season to end so fast. So, we didn't really have time to think about 2021 yet, and then the news came from Volkswagen that they are going to stop competing in motorsport," Kristoffersson said.  

"[Right now] we are working on a solution to see what we can do, and what we can find out. The biggest support for our team in 2020 came from the local dealers, Volkswagen Sweden together with BAUHAUS."

"We will try to continue that work and let's see what's going to happen with the car that I used in 2020. At the moment I don't know but we are working on it," he concludes.

Speaking at the FIA Prize Giving Virtual Press Conference, Johan said teams can begin to prepare for the season ahead following the release of the 2021 calendar.

"We have the 2021 calendar now, so in terms of that I think the teams can prepare, and for 2021 there isn't a huge difference in the regulations compared to '20. So, I think in terms of that there are no worries," he said.

Kristoffersson says the new promoters of the World Rallycross Championship should immediately start working towards the electric future of the sport, as he believes it's more crucial. 

"I also think as soon as we get a new promoter. They should start to work towards the electric future and make a decision quite soon on what's going to happen. So, that teams can prepare for 2022, I think is more crucial."

Can Johan Kristoffersson go for a fourth championship title in 2021? Time will tell! 

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Team RX Racing to debut Proton Iriz RX Supercar in 2021

PHOTO CREDIT: Team RX Racing.

In a brand-new venture to bring a new Supercar into top-flight rallycross, Team RX Racing has announced a collaboration with Tony Bardy Motorsport and Proton Motorsport rally specialists Mellors Elliot Motorsport to build and race a Proton Iriz RX Supercar in 2021.

The car will be based on the Iriz R5 rally car, which was built and developed by Mellors Elliot Motorsport's [MEM] and has undergone extensive testing by the likes of double-World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm and Pontus Tidemand. The Iriz RX is being developed to suit the requirements of top-level rallycross competition and will be entered into the British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy, European Rallycross Championship, and selected World Rallycross Championship events from 2021. 

2007 British Rallycross Champion Ollie O’Donovan is set to race the new Supercar in its maiden campaign and will be operated for Team RX Racing by TBM, a firm that has run O'Donovan's rallycross Supercars for almost 15 years. 

"This is a very exciting day for the whole team," a thrilled O'Donovan said. 

"The cars we have been racing in the British and European Rallycross Championships for the last few years are getting a little long in the tooth, and for some time now we have been looking at where to go next."

"The easy option would have been to buy a car from the World Championship, but we wanted to do something different, to stand out from the crowd."

"I’ve worked with Tony for a very long time now and he is one of the best in the business. Linking his experience of rallycross with the expertise of MEM in the cooperation we’ve put together is a hugely exciting prospect," he adds.

PHOTO CREDIT: Team RX Racing.

Team RX Racing Chief Engineer and Tony Bardy Motorsport Owner Tony Bardy admits that they had a different car planned, but decided "to do something different".

"We did have a different car planned to move us forward, but Ollie didn’t want to be like everybody else, he wanted to do something different. I pondered over that, but to start from scratch it would take years to build and develop something brand new," Bardy said.

"Then it occurred to me, I’ve known the guys at MEM a very long time, and the Iriz is something very different. It didn’t take us long to decide that this is the way to go, to create the first Proton rallycross Supercar."

"The Iriz has already done lots of rallies and proved the concept, so as long as we can get comparable power from the engine to what we have now, which I’m sure we can, I see no reason why we can’t be right where we want to be. The quality of the Iriz R5 is high, and to be involved in this new project with the Iriz RX is a breath of fresh air."

Mellors Elliot Motorsport and Proton Motorsport's Team Principal Chris Mellors adds that when developing the Iriz R5, his team over-engineered the car in some areas as they have had the intention to do some rallycross at some point. 

 

"When we built the Iriz R5 originally, we had in the back of our mind that we might like to do some rallycross, so it was a bit over-engineered in some areas from the start," Mellor said.

"We’re very excited, both Ollie and Tony have vast rallycross experience and it’s great to have a collaboration for this project to see what we can achieve together."

"Although the Iriz is very short, it has one of the longest wheelbases of the R5 cars, with very good suspension travel and fabulous front geometry, from Proton’s original design. We’ve got a lot of adjustments available and we’re going to need to make some specialist components to best suit a rallycross setup, but we’re not far away already."

"We’ve had some very positive rally tests recently, and we’re getting stuck into the build of the new car now."

"We like winning and that’s what we want to be doing with this project too," he adds.

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Ekström rules out return to World RX in 2021.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX.

2016 FIA World Rallycross Champion Mattias Ekström has ruled out a return to the championship in 2021. 

Ekström made an unexpected return to the championship this year, as a replacement for Jānis Baumanis who could not compete due to budgetary issues linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

Immediately following the 2018 World RX finale in Cape Town, South Africa, the Swede announced that he will no longer compete as a full-time entrant. However, you can not keep a champion away from the highly competitive World RX championship. He returned for a one-off appearance with JC Raceteknik at the World RX of Benelux where he claimed a tenth-place finish. 

In the latter half of the 2019 season, the Swede took up an advisory role assisting the Monster Energy RX Cartel, as Andreas Bakkerud was in championship contention. However, it was not to be for the Norweigan who ended the season as vice-champion having finished the season on equal points to rival Timmy Hansen. 

A few months later, EKS announced that they would be selling a few Audi S1 Quattro's to Joel Christoffersson's JC Raceteknik. 

After a thrilling and captivating 2019 season. Could anything really top that? The answer was rather simple, YES! 

JC Raceteknik made their World RX debut under the banner KYB Team JC with Robin Larsson and Baumanis at the wheel. However, those plans soon changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which meant the 2020 calendar would need to be altered. 

World RX in 2020 was originally set for an 11-round calendar, but due to a later start than usual and the COVID-19 pandemic, the calendar was watered down to 8-rounds at four venues.

Four venues, four doubleheaders, eight rounds, and thrilling action from start to finish. Any mistakes or errors would be costly. And, to spice things up even further, double World RX champion Johan Kristoffersson returned in a VW Motorsport Polo. 

Could anyone stop, Johan? Yes! 

Ekström would be a strong candidate as he returned as a super-sub in the second Audi S1 Quattro with KYB Team JC. 

No-one would have expected to see Mattias return, a return that would ultimately be a blessing in disguise for the championship, as he took the fight to his fellow countrymen.

The pair were closely matched throughout the season, but it was Johan Kristoffersson who came out on top with four event wins, with Ekström claiming two wins and a few second-place finishes seeing him end the season as vice-champion for the third time.

"I got into this season without having a thought of driving rallycross again, and we sit here with the title in the Teams’ Championship and second in the Drivers’ Championship. The only other goal was of course to also win the Drivers' title, but we were simply not fast enough," Mattias Ekström said. 

KYB Team JC led the teams' championship from start to finish with Team Hansen only coming on strong at the tail end of the season. 

The 2016 World Champion admits that he had more fun driving as a hobby instead of as a factory team, and pinpoints his wins in Holjes and Riga as the best races of the season. 

"It has meant a lot to me to compete and have fun again together with JC Raceteknik, driving as a hobby instead of as a factory driver is a huge difference," he said. "In Holjes for example I had the coolest rallycross race of my career on Sunday, and then another fantastic Sunday in Riga."

Despite finishing second in the championship, Ekström believes that the season went better than expected, and he is very proud to see how KYB developed shock absorbers that are capable of winning races and potentially championships. 

"I think it [the season] went better than expected to complete the season despite Coronavirus. We had a little trouble with some things, but that's also part of the rules of the game. It's fun that there are sponsors and companies who are willing to invest even in tougher times, especially since a lot of things have been quite last minute," he said. "I am also very proud to see how KYB has developed shock absorbers that can win the World Championship."

A return to top-flight rallycross was never on Mattias Ekström agenda in 2020, as he became a test driver for the CUPRA e-racer programme, in addition to competing in the full 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship. It was also announced that the Swede will be the male driver for the ABT CUPRA XE team in the 2021 Extreme E series. 

Having fully committed to the Extreme E series, Ekström has ruled out a return to the World Rallycross Championship in 2021. 

"A year ago I said that the chance was zero that I would return to rallycross, but I had to jump in and it was full push again. So if I said no a year ago, I must say no again. In 2021, my priority will be Extreme E,” he said.

Can we really rule out Mattias Ekström from a return to World RX? It's quite simple... No! Mattias has a competitive fire burning within him, and if he is given an opportunity in a top-flight car or team. He will undoubtedly grab the opportunity with both hands. So, it's not the end just yet! 

Written By - Junaid Samodien.

"An amazing feeling" to win Teams' Championship in first year as KYB Team JC - Joel Christoffersson.

PHOTO CREDIT: JC Raceteknik

In a shortened but challenging season, KYB Team JC has come out on top in their maiden season in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. 

Winning a  championship in a maiden season is something very hard to come by for any motorsport team, but this season KYB Team JC was leading from start to finish, and come out on top with their nearest rival only 16 points behind in the 2020 World RX Teams' Championship standings. 

Whilst Johan Kristoffersson led the way in the drivers' championship standings from the get-go, his direct rival Mattias Ekström did not make it easy for him. Winning two events of eight on his way to second in the championship for the third time in his career.

After eight rounds in four different countries, despite the challenges surrounding the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the ninth and final round of the World RX set to take place at the Nurburgring in Germany was officially cancelled yesterday handing KYB Team JC the teams' championship. 

JC Raceteknik under the stewardship of Joel Christoffersson enjoyed great success in rallycross through the years having won the European Rallycross Championship last year with Robin Larsson, and four titles in the RallyX Nordic series. However, after acquiring two 2019 specification Audi S1 Quattro's from EKS. The Varmland-based team took a leap to World RX as KYB Team JC in pursuit of the ultimate prize - the drivers' and teams' championships. Whilst they failed to achieve the drivers' title, the teams' title in their first year is an incredible achievement. 

"I started JC Raceteknik in 2014 with a dream to race in the World Championship at some stage, so to already win the Teams’ Championship in the first year of World RX as KYB Team JC is difficult to top," Joel Christoffersson, JC Raceteknik & KYB Team JC, Team Principal, said.

"To be World Champions is an amazing feeling. Before the season this was my goal, and to have led from the start only makes it better! Due to Covid-19, the season started late, and although it is, of course, a shame not to be able to finish and celebrate on-site at the Nurburgring, it feels good to be able to tie the knot."

Robin Larsson returned to World RX after a one-year hiatus with KYB Team JC, and was initially set to be joined by Jānis Baumanis. However, due to budgetary issues linked to the pandemic, the Latvian season would be over before it even started.

Surprise!! It was quite a surprise, as Mattias Ekström returned to the championship after retiring from a full-time drive at the end of the 2018 season. 

But was it a full-time drive in 2020, initially the Swede was signed up for the first double-header of the season, which grew to the second double-header and the rest is history after he negotiated with sponsors and clients to remain racing for the remainder of the season. 

It was quite a season, seeing Mattias closer to Johan Kristoffersson than ever before finishing just 27 points behind the three-time World Champion. 

"Mattias and Robin have done a fantastic job. I think we have given Johan and Kristoffersson Motorsport a good fight this year – we are the team that challenged them the most," Christoffersson said. "Mattias has done what he can throughout the season and we are really happy with his second place in the Drivers’ Championship. This is the first and probably only time he will race in a full season with us and it has been an honour to have him on the team."

"Robin has stepped up and shown that the pace he had in the European Championship last year has continued. Unfortunately, he was both unlucky and made a couple of mistakes of his own, otherwise, I think he would have had a great chance to get top three in the Drivers’ Championship."

The 2020 FIA World Rallycross season has not been easy by any stretch of the imagination. With eight rounds condensed into four weekends, and the slightest mistake not only costing time to repair but it forces teams to put in additional hours. 

This season has also seen KYB Team JC taking the biggest step in performance overnight during the double-header weekends, and despite Kristoffersson getting out of the blocks the quickest, he finished behind Mattias at two events this year, in Sweden (round 2) and Latvia (round 2).

"I’m very grateful for all of the hard work by everyone in KYB Team JC and JC Raceteknik this season. It has not been an easy year for anyone, and everyone has fought really hard," he said. 

"Also a big thank you to all our partners who lined up despite these tough times, without them we would not have been able to take the World Championship title. Now the whole team will reload and work on trying to find a plan for 2021."

Ekström's KYB Team JC Audi Supercar with the Teams' Championship trophy and Vice-Champion trophy.
PHOTO CREDIT: JC Raceteknik.

One could say without Mattias' guidance and experience, the team might not have won the championship this season. As he is not only a master tactician but is also well versed in set-up and improving a race car. Whilst the Swede might not be happy with a second-place finish for the third time, he was a lot closer to the Kristoffersson (the 2020 champion) this year. 

"I got into this season without having a thought of driving rallycross again, and we sit here with the title in the Teams’ Championship and second in the Drivers’ Championship. The only other goal was of course to also win the Drivers' title, but we were simply not fast enough," Ekström said. "Everyone knows Johan's capacity and at the same time as his car is very good, but I think we gave both him and the team a good fight. Then Robin has, in my eyes, taken the biggest step and it has been fun to see his maximum level rise."

The 2016 champion labels the season-opening weekend in Sweden (double-header) and the World RX of Latvia double-header, as the coolest rallycross races of his career having claimed a second-place finish and a win at both events. 

"It has meant a lot to me to compete and have fun again together with JC Raceteknik, driving as a hobby instead of as a factory driver is a huge difference. In Holjes for example I had the coolest rallycross race of my career on Saturday, and then another fantastic Sunday in Riga," he said.

"I think it went better than expected to complete the season despite Coronavirus. We had a little trouble with some things, but that's also part of the rules of the game. It's fun that there are sponsors and companies who are willing to invest even in tougher times, especially since a lot of things have been quite last minute. I am also very proud to see how KYB has developed shock absorbers that can win the World Championship."

The 2019 EuroRX champion Robin Larsson admits that Ekström was very important to the team this season, and he was able to learn from the 2016 champion. 

"Mattias has been very important to the team and to me too. Being able to race in a full World Championship season with him has made me learn things all the time - with setup, driving on the track, and to recharge between races," he said.

The 2020 season has not been the smoothest for Larsson who only brought home a podium finish in Latvia (Riga) despite making the finals at four rounds this year. 

"My season has gone a bit up and down. In Riga, I had very good speed and finished on the podium together with Mattias," Larsson said. "Otherwise, I struggled with small errors and problems that cost a lot, while I also made some mistakes."

"The double-header events have also been difficult and costly if something goes wrong, but it is the same for everyone."

Larsson hoped that the teams' championship would be decided in Germany with a good old fight with the Hansen brothers.

"I would have liked to have decided the season on-site in Germany from a team perspective, where we would have had a battle between us and the Hansen brothers for the title," he said.

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Kristoffersson left emotional after clinching third title "with our own team".

PHOTO CREDIT: Morgan Carlsson

Johan Kristoffersson has been crowned a three-time FIA World Rallycross Champion following the cancellation of the season finale at the Nurburgring. 

With a healthy 27-point lead to Mattias Ekström with one round to go (in Germany). Johan has been declared the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Champion following the cancellation of the World RX of Germany earlier today. 

Kristoffersson aimed to end the season on a high in Germany, but due to the surge in coronavirus cases in Germany, the season has unfortunately come to a premature conclusion. The 2020 season was set to get underway in April earlier this year but was delayed due to the pandemic, and eventually got underway in August in Höljes, Sweden. 

As the condensed season progressed, it was clear that there would be more double-headers than standalone events, but something that was clear from the get-go was that Johan was hungry for success. He claimed a win at each event and only missed out on a podium in Finland (round 4). 

With news that the planned season was canceled, it meant the season ended with a bang in Barcelona where Johan came out on top with a win. There were four double-headers this season, with the Swede ending on top, just like 2017 and 2018. 

"The first time is obviously something special, and the second title is memorable as I won eleven of twelve rounds. Now, it is emotional because we did it with our own team, where everything started some years ago," Johan Kristoffersson said. 

The 31-year-old Swede admits that it has been a very odd season, and a rather stressful one with him trying to avoid getting infected, as COVID-19 grabbed hold of the world this year. 

"A lot of instructions and restrictions to follow and a bit stressful trying to stay away from the infection. Some people have it without showing symptoms so you never know," he said.

Ahead of the season, Kristoffersson used the RallyX Nordic as a warm-up event in his 2016 KMS built Polo GTI RX. However, for the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship, the Swede hired a 2018 Polo R Supercar from Volkswagen Motorsport. A car that was previously used by Petter Solberg in the 2018 season.

"We hardly believed in it ourselves, but we wouldn't take no for an answer and finally put all the pieces together," he adds.

Johan won four rounds of eight, three of them on Saturdays.

"Throughout the years I have vastly improved my ability to find the pace early on," Kristoffersson said. "You have to do your homework about the grip and style of driving, and so has the rest of the team."

His first win on a Sunday came in the final round of the season in Spain (Barcelona), also the most memorable round in Johan's view.

"The semi-final in Barcelona! We looked beaten all day but turned everything around and for the first time that weekend, I could enjoy the track properly, doing that ahead of Ekström. A great feeling!" he said.

With a third title this season, Johan is officially in a league of his own having broken records throughout his illustrious career. 

A noteworthy achievement was the mind-blowing 11 wins from 12 events in 2018, a feat that any driver could dream of, but with that being said. 

The 2020 World Rallycross Championship season has now come to a premature end, which leaves one question on the table. Will Johan return in 2021 for another title bout? 

"It's too early to say, but it would be great fun!," the three-time World Champion said.

Written By - Junaid Samodien