Hell awaits Andreas Bakkerud and EKS Audi Sport.

PHOTO CREDIT: Audi Sport

EKS Audi Sport supported by Audi, Peugeot and Volkswagen after four rounds are within only 23 points of each other in the teams’ classification, the top five of the drivers’ world championship within only 25 points.

On home soil this weekend, Andreas Bakkerud has particularly enthusiastic fans that stand out in any paddock in their bright blue T-shirts [#BakkerudLife]. At their home venue they will turn out in particularly large numbers and frenetically cheer on their hero. '

“I’m tremendously excited about the event,” says Bakkerud who is planning various activities with his fans. “Hell is both my home round and one of my absolutely favorite tracks. Following my podium for EKS Audi Sport at Silverstone, I’m aiming for more – preferably a victory of course.”

In 2016, Bakkerud became the first driver in World RX history to achieve a perfect weekend of winning six races and scoring maximum points. Last year, he finished as runner-up.

Mattias Ekström took third place in 2016. “The track is simply fantastic,” says Ekström. 

“My favorite corner is Turn 2, a downhill left-hander. That’s where you feel like the car is getting an extra power boost. The entrance to the Joker Lap is one of the best. There I go into a really great drift at high speed," said Ekström. "The spectators have a full view of the track from practically all the seats. Plus, the race at Hell will always be a very special one for me because that’s where the EKS story began in 2014.”

Between the Silverstone and Hell, EKS Audi Sport tested dampers and practiced starts in Sweden. “We’re very strong this year,” says Mattias Ekström. “But we need to continue to improve in order to defeat the Peugeot and Volkswagen teams – and that’s our goal.”

MERCEDES FEATURE: Safety Cars & Virtual Safety Cars.

Safety Cars (SC) and Virtual Safety Cars (VSC) have played a crucial role in the outcome of half of the races so far this season. One of the most memorable races in recent years when it comes to Safety Cars was the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix. So we thought we'd delve deeper into the topic. 

What makes a Safety Car challenging for the team? 
The biggest challenge a Safety Car brings to the team is to make the right strategy choices. Under the SC the tyres will very quickly become cold. If they're new tyres, that's not much of a problem as they will be back in their operating window fairly quickly after the re-start, usually after two to three laps. Tyres that are in the middle or the end of their stint are much more difficult in that respect as they will re-start slower - or not at all. Without a Safety Car, at regular speeds and temperatures, those tyres would still generate good grip. However, once the energy is taken out, there is not enough rubber left on the tyre to re-start it. Newer tyres provide more grip because there's more rubber on the tyre and are thus able to generate more energy which will then heat up the tyre quicker. Anticipating how the tyres will behave after the end of the Safety Car is challenging as it is very tricky to simulate tyre wear and because it is difficult to know how much tyre wear there is live in the race. So the decision on whether or not the team thinks the tyre will re-start is based mostly on the strategic experience of the team in addition to information about the tyres from the drivers before the Safety Car. 

How does the team make sure it can react quickly to a Safety Car? 
The strategy group is in a continuous evaluation process, trying to anticipate what would happen if the Safety Car were to come out two, three or even five or more laps down the line, so that they can make the call on a pit stop as quickly as possible. If the team decides the situation in the race offers a good opportunity for a pit stop under a Safety Car, the driver is told "You're in your Safety Car window". That way the driver knows that he can come in without needing further confirmation from the team. The pit crew would already be waiting for him because they're on standby as soon as the Safety Car is deployed. 

What is the biggest challenge the Safety Car creates for the drivers? 
For the drivers, the re-start of the race is especially challenging. This moment is tricky because the tyres don't just lose temperature under the Safety Car, but also grip. F1 tyres generate the most grip in a specific temperature window that is usually well above 100 degrees Celsius. Outside of the temperature window, the grip levels drop quite considerably. In order to reach the maximum grip as fast as possible, the tyres are pre-heated to 110 degrees before they go on the car. Under a Safety Car, however, the tyre temperature can easily drop 40 degrees relative to peak, and thus lose a lot of its grip. So in terms of grip levels the first laps after a Safety Car are completely different to any other lap the drivers have done all weekend and it is very difficult to find the maximum level of grip. In Canada, this is particularly true for the big braking into Turn 1 and into the hairpin at Turn 10 as it is very easy to lock up the tyres. Especially braking into the chicane, it is very likely to see a change in position there as one driver will take more risks than the other. 

How long does it take for the tyres to heat up again? 
Depending on the layout of the track, it will typically take two to three laps to bring the tyres up to temperature again. But in the most extreme cases, it can take much longer than that. Baku, for example, is a track that makes it very difficult for the drivers to heat up their tyres as it features a very long straight where the tyres cool down and a lot of slow corners that don't generate a lot of energy into the tyres. 

Are there any other challenges for the drivers? 
Brakes can also create quite a challenge under a Safety Car. When the brakes are already hot, they're at risk of overheating as they require airflow for cooling. Due to the slower speeds under the Safety Car, the airflow and thus the cooling effect is limited, so the brakes can easily overheat. Cold brakes, on the other hand, aren't great either as the brakes work best when they're warm. So the drivers might try and generate temperature into the brakes using various driving techniques. This, however, is difficult to control as it is extremely easy to generate very hot brakes, due to no airflow coming in. 

Are there any benefits to a Safety Car? 
The Safety Car is deployed "whenever there is an immediate hazard but the conditions do not require the race to be interrupted". It ensures the safety of the marshals around the track and the extra safety is certainly the biggest benefit from deploying the Safety Car. However, there are some collateral benefits for the teams - for example, with fuel saving. A track like the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal is fuel limited, meaning that the drivers cannot go flat-out for all 70 laps of the Canadian Grand Prix and will have to do some form of fuel saving to make it to the end on the 105 kg fuel allowance. Under a Safety Car, the drivers can save fuel which they can then use for maximum performance later when the race gets going again. 

How much slower is the Safety Car? 
That depends on the track. Last year in Canada, the Safety Car came out at the very beginning of the race after a crash on the opening lap in Turn 3. Under the Safety Car, Lewis' did lap times of over 2 minutes (2:02.231 on lap 2). Even with relatively cold tyres in his first lap after the Safety Car he did a 1:18.135, compared to 1:16.296 with warmer tyres in lap 10. So the lap under the SC took roughly 60 percent longer. The speed differences between the Safety Car and a Formula One car depend on the area of the track. On a regular lap, an F1 car will take Turn 3 in Canada at roughly 125 kph; under the SC, however, they do only 45 kph. The difference in the hairpin (Turn 10) is roughly 15 kph (65kph vs 50kph under the SC). But it's not just the cornering speeds that are limited under the Safety Car, it's also acceleration and top speed. Last year, F1 cars took the speed trap before Turn 13 at over 300 kph, but clocked in "only" 230 kph under the Safety Car. Wide Open Throttle (WOT) time is also affected by the Safety Car - on a regular lap, WOT time around Montreal accounts for over 50 percent of the lap; under the Safety Car it's only about two percent. The slower laps under the SC are also reflected in the gear shifts. Drivers shift through the gears roughly 80 times on a regular lap in Canada, but only 50 times under the Safety Car. 

What are the main differences and similarities between a Safety Car and the Virtual Safety Car? 
In general, the VSC and the Safety Car are quite similar. Both will bring down the tyre temperatures, both will make the re-start tricky. However, the VSC is usually less challenging for the team because the cars travel faster and thus the drop in tyre temperature is not as steep as it is under the Safety Car. This effect is intensified by the fact that a regular Safety Car typically lasts about four laps, but a VSC only tends to last one to two. The VSC also doesn't bunch the field up, so on the re-start the next driver should be the same distance behind as before the VSC was deployed. 

FEATURE BY: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

PSRX Volkwagen Sweden hope to unlock more pace from the Polo R Supercar.

PHOTO CREDIT: PSRX Volkswagen Sweden

PSRX Volkswagen Sweden might lead the FIA World Rallycross teams' and drivers' standings, but they have had close battles with the likes of Peugeot Total and EKS Audi Sport. 

With testing being restricted this season, and with a break coming up between the World RX of Norway and the Swedish round, Johan Kristoffersson hopes that the team can find and unlock more pace in the PSRX Volkswagen Polo R Supercar.

"I think Petter and I are really keen to try to get some testing in with the car; we have a fantastic car in the Polo R Supercar – it’s such a great package," said Kristoffersson. "But I think we have more potential with this car."

Team Peugeot Total 208 RX Supercar appeared faster then PSRX Volkswagen Sweden, but track position provided vital. Petter Solberg has had incredible starts in his Polo R Supercar, but has not had the luck of late. 

Kristoffersson believes that there is more potential in the Polo R Supercar. 

“I think we’re still to find the sweet spot with this one – there’s more to come," Kristoffersson adds. "There are some ideas, some really small details with the car which I would love to test. Will they make the car quicker? I don’t know for sure, but to try them would give us some more ideas for making the car even more perfect!”

Kristoffersson heads to Hell with the aim of driving his own race.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

Swede Johan Kristoffersson extended his championship points lead by claiming victory at the World RX of Great Britain. PSRX Volkswagen Sweden and Johan heads to Hell in good shape, having won the World RX of Norway last year and three of the first four races of this season.

“I like this track. I won here last year and the Volkswagen Polo R Supercar was really fast there – I hope it’s going to be the same story this time," said Kristoffersson. "This is an original rallycross track, the way it flows is really nice. Great track."

The Swede set the fastest lap (38.246s) around the 1.019km Hell circuit last year. 

“What I also like a lot is that the [entry to the] joker lap is in the first corner, so this splits out the field a bit more straight away from the start," says Kristoffersson. "There should be less first-corner carnage than we have seen in some of the races more recently with the cars a bit more spread out."

The circuit contains a mixture of surfaces, 63% Asphalt and 37% Gravel. 

The Swede did not have the cleanest of weekends in UK, but he found more pace on Sunday and was quick enough to take pole position for the final.

"The last round at Silverstone was a tough track, it was just corner-corner-corner all the time, there was no real gravel there and nowhere to carry speed," he adds. "But what was good for me a few times was to get out at the front, get into some clear air, get clear of the pack and drive my race – I feel I didn’t do much of that this season and that’s what I want to do more of this weekend."

“You know the one thing that would be nice is some more consistent conditions. In the last few races we’ve had sun-rain-snow-sun-rain-sun… Just the sunshine would be good and hopefully that’s going to be coming now we’re a little bit more in the summer," Kristoffersson concludes.

Petter Solberg: "I need a result to turn things around a little bit."

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

After a tough round in Silverstone, Petter Solberg heads to his home round in search of more luck. The Norwegian failed to qualify for the final in UK after retiring with mechanical issues after Turn 1 drama involving himself and his teammate Johan Krisoffersson in the semi-final.

The Norwegian failed to qualify for the final at the World RX of Norway in 2017, but hope's his early season misfortune (in 2018) can be turned around this weekend. 

“This might be my home race, but it’s not one that has ever been kind to me though – I’ve had quite a lot of bad luck here and this week would be a really good time for that to change!," said Solberg. 

After failing to make it through to the final in UK, Petter lost vital championship points which saw him fall to fourth in the drivers' standings (25 points behind his teammate).

"Not making the final at the last round in Silverstone was so frustrating for me and, of course, I’m not happy with the place in the championship," says Solberg."I have to work on this in Norway, I need a result to turn things around a little bit."

“I have been at these times in motorsport before, you get one small thing that works for you and it’s like a trigger for everything else,'' he adds. 

"You know the team is doing a fantastic job; Volkswagen Motorsport and R is incredible what we have with the car and I feel like my driving is good – but I just need a break.”

Kevin Hansen: "This weekend has been one that really turned a corner for me."

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Kevin Hansen classified 6th in the final. He really turned a corner by making it into the final for the 1st time this year. Unfortunately, he picked up a puncture over the massive jump of Silverstone that deprived him of any result.

“This weekend has been one that really turned a corner for me. We tried lots of different things in terms of set-up and I discovered some things that I know are going to be really useful in the future," said Hansen. "The result was that I was in the final for the first time this year – the fifth time of my career that I have gone to the final." 

Kevin got caught up in the semi-final first corner incident involving Petter Solberg and Johan Kristoffersson. "In the semi-final there was a big accident and I had a big hit that meant the steering kicked back and I felt that my shoulder dislocated a bit," says Hansen. "That didn’t distract me though: when you’re driving you don’t think about these things, and anyway, it sort of popped back in again on its own!"

"It was a pity that the wheel broke over the jump in the final, but that doesn’t take anything away from a great weekend for me,” he concluded.

Timmy Hansen: "We were really fast from start to finish and I know that we had the potential to win."

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Timmy Hansen had all the speed but none of the luck at Silverstone. The Swede was stopped in the semi-final by a puncture that meant he was able to go no further. 

A frontrunner from the very beginning of the weekend, showing his talent consistently throughout qualifying and even winning a heat on Saturday.

“I prefer to look at the positives from this weekend rather than dwell on the negative from today: we were really fast from start to finish and I know that we had the potential to win," said Hansen. "I think we have more or less everything in place now apart from a bit of luck! In the semi-final the wheel just came down on its own, so nothing we could do."

Timmy is the only driver in the field to have won a heat in each of the 2018 World RX rounds so far. Timmy Hansen has only lacked luck thus far. He has shown strong and consistent pace in his Team Peugeot Total 208 RX Supercar. 

"I still enjoyed the weekend and the highlight for me was my win in qualifying, which shows exactly what we are capable of," said Hansen. "Whenever you have a bad result as a driver it’s normal to feel depressed for a little bit, but it’s not going to last for very long."

"I know we have a great car and I’m going to come back fighting hard on the next round in Norway," he adds. 

Sébastien Loeb: "I’m really happy, it’s our fourth podium in a row and it couldn’t be much better."

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Sébastien Loeb, the winner last time out in Belgium, had a consistent run throughout the weekend and highlighted his pace with a podium finish in the final. 

With 2 second places in qualifying and a win in the semi-final, he put in another fighting performance in the 6-lap final after falling behind at the start, adding another hard-earned trophy to his collection: 4 podiums in 4 FIA World RX competitions so far this season.

“It was a great battle in the final. I had a bad start as there was a lot of grip and I nearly stalled the engine; so then I was sixth after the start and I needed to find a way to pass!," says Loeb. "Luckily, I took the joker lap at just the right time and then that helped me to make up some places."

"In six laps, there are not many opportunities to make up places if you have a problem. But I’m really happy, it’s our fourth podium in a row and it couldn’t be much better," he adds.

The Team Peugeot Total 208 RX Supercar has shown consistent pace throughout the opening rounds of championship and sometimes even quicker then both PSRX Volkswagen Sweden and EKS Audi Sport. The team have not introduced any updates to the car yet due to the tight schedule between races. 

"The result, I think, could be a bit better for us here, but I’ve had a lot of fun all year: we have enjoyed fierce battles but really fair battles, and there are three manufacturers fighting so closely,” concludes Loeb.

Sébastien Loeb moved up to second in the drivers' standings, 14 points shy of defending champion Johan Krisoffersson. While Team Peugeot Total are currently third in the teams' standings just 1 point away from second place EKS Audi Sport. 

Johan Kristoffersson: "I’m becoming much more of a Sunday person."

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

Johan Kristoffersson extended his lead at the top of the table with a third win from four races at World RX of Great Britain. The Swede wasn't far off the pace on Saturday, but felt more comfortable in his PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo R Supercar on Sunday.

“I don’t know what it is about me and Saturdays this season; it looks like I’m becoming much more of a Sunday person. But I don’t mind this – the final is on Sunday!," said Kristoffersson. "Yesterday was quite tricky, it wasn’t the perfect day, but we weren’t far away. We were in the battle. Today Q3 and Q4 went really well, it was great to be leading into the semis. But then things got quite interesting…"

Both PSRX Volkswagen Sweden drivers qualified for the semi-final with Johan on pole and Petter Solberg alongside him in third. Petter and Johan touched going into the first corner. The race was then stopped. Petter Solberg later retired in the semi-final with mechanical issues.

“Even before the start of the semi-final I had a problem with the radio in the car. I couldn’t hear the spotter, we found a way to fix this, but it was a little bit of a stress. And then we got to the first corner, I didn’t make such a good start, I touched with Petter and then I was straight to the barrier. For sure, this was not the plan!," says Krisoffersson. “For the re-started race, everything was OK."

Johan went on to win the semi-final and then dominated the final. "There was a little bit of work to do before the final, but I have the best team in the world to do this work – they were fantastic. I don’t know what it was, but it didn’t feel like I had the perfect pace in the first half of the race and Andreas [Bakkerud] was right with me. In some places it was so slippery, I just had to be really precise and careful," he adds.

“For the second half, I said to myself: “OK, just put these laps together…” I did that and it worked. I did the joker on the final lap and it was perfect."

The win in Silverstone is Johan’s first on British soil, means he moves 14 points clear at the top of the table. Despite a tough semi-final, PSRX Volkswagen Sweden also extends its advantage to 22 points.

Petter Solberg: "It always hurts a little bit more when it’s a collision with one of your team-mates"

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media

PSRX Volkswagen Sweden dominated the first ever visit to Silverstone with Petter Solberg leading on Saturday night. Both Johan [Kristoffersson] and Petter progressed into the semi-finals in first and third respectively. 

First and third on the grid meant the two drivers would share the front row of the first semi-final. The unfortunate happened when both drivers touched on the run down to Turn 1. The race was then RED FLAGGED and repairs were carried out on Petter's Polo R Supercar, but he later retired due to mechanical issues. 

“It’s so tough to stop like this in the semi-final. We had a good car for the weekend, we were leading overnight and everything was looking good for the final. What happened with Johan was really one of those things, but it always hurts a little bit more when it’s a collision with one of your team-mate," said Solberg.

PSRX Volkswagen Sweden can draw positives from the Cooper Tires World RX of Great Britain, after a strong showing from both drivers throughout the race weekend.

 “What we can say is that the team has done a fantastic job, the car was so quick here all weekend. Even when the grip was harder to find on Sunday, we still made the Polo work," said Solberg. "It’s a shame, it would have been fantastic to keep the run going and to make another final, but it didn’t happen."

“Hey, this was a tough Sunday for us, but still the team is extending its lead. OK, I have dropped back a little bit, but now we move on and we look forward to Norway. I’m going home," Solberg concludes.