Keeping calm key to Grönholm's success in Kouvola.

PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco.

Niclas Grönholm withstood immense pressure from Johan Kristoffersson and Mattias Ekström to take his first win of the season on World RX’s return to Finland.

Grönholm produced his best qualifying performance of the season in the Intermediate Classification to end up second and take 15 championship points at the Kouvola track. He then won semi-final two in treacherous conditions to earn a front-row start for the final.

Kristoffersson had a clean start in the final with Niclas right behind, and as Johan ran slightly wide into turn one. Grönholm swept around the inside to take the lead. From there on, he held the lead in difficult wet and slippery conditions fending off a quicker Kristoffersson, and then Mattias Ekström, when Johan took his joker (lap) on lap three.

The GRX Taneco driver was able to withstand the pressure from Ekström and Kristoffersson to cross the line first and win at his home round of the championship. 

"We found a bit more speed [on Sunday]. Maybe a little in the car, but mainly in myself – I kept calm the whole day, and that was crucial for winning this event," Grönholm said. 

"The final was a bit stressful because Ekström and Kristoffersson were on my tail, but I kept my racing line as knew that they won’t overtake me on the outside because it was so slippery there."

The 24-year-old Finns win in Kouvola (third win in his career) is an important result for the team, as they expected a stronger performance at the Höljes doubleheader, but within the short gap between the events. The GRX Taneco squad worked on their Hyundai i20 Supercars to find some improvements, which paid-off in Kouvola. 

"This is a very important result for our team. Everyone has been working flat-out for the past week and this win means a lot for the whole team," Niclas said. 

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Home hero Juha Rytkönen scores dream debut result

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

Juha Rytkönen was the star performer in Kouvola claiming a second-place finish on debut with GRX SET. 

The Finn demonstrated great pace straight from Free Practice, and after three Qualifying sessions, he was fourth overall in the Intermediate Classification. With a dominant drive, he managed to win his semi-final by 2 seconds. 

Juha lined up alongside Kristoffersson in the final, and with a good launch, he attempted to take the inside line, which was quickly blocked. With a clean run behind the double world champion, Rytkönen was able to manage his pace and claim a second-place finish for GRX SET on debut. 

"This is absolutely amazing! The team is very, very good. I did not expect this at all. The car was so easy to drive and the team around me helped a lot," Rytkönen said. "Throughout the day I learned a lot from my teammates and my spotter [Toomas Heikkinen] kept pushing me in the Final. I am really happy with the result. Tomorrow we might have a wet race, but I’d prefer it to stay dry."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Doran ready to mount Finland fightback.

PHOTO CREDIT: GCK.

Liam Doran is looking forward to mounting a fight-back after retiring from round three of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship at Kouvola-Finland today.

The Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel have been working hard to solve the technical issues that plagued Doran in Sweden last weekend. There hard work paid off in the opening stages of the weekend for both RX Cartel drivers. 

"I think everybody saw what happened in Sweden and that’s not good for anyone but we worked really hard this week and hopefully turned it around," Doran said. "I’ve got a lot of confidence in the car and in the team, so of course, I’m not 100% confident after last weekend but I’m not going to give up, that wouldn’t be me.”

The British Bomb got off to a strong start finishing eighth in the standing after Q1. Doran lined up alongside teammate Bakkerud in Q2, but later retired due to a broken prop shaft. 

Q3 saw the Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel driver sending it around the outside of the field to lead into turn one, but after some rear contact, he later retired due to a broken rim and broken rear upright. 

Doran is a former winner at the Kouvola circuit, one he says suits his flat out driving style. “This is definitely a great track for me, I love it. Probably one of the biggest things is when you enjoy driving a track you usually do quite well. It’s quite a flamboyant track, it requires a lot of commitment round the blind corners and crests and encourages aggressive driving. It’s my sort of track," he said. 

"We showed some promising pace this morning and can see the potential of the car. The broken prop shaft in Q2 put us on the back foot and meant I had to push massively in Q3, where contact resulted in us having to retire, which is frustrating of course but is what makes rallycross what it is. The track here is one of my favourites and it suits my driving style so much, so I’m just looking ahead to tomorrow, where we can hopefully build on this morning’s performance."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

Kristoffersson thrilled with dominate win in Finland.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media

Johan Kristoffersson made it look easy on his way to a clean sweep in round three of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Kouvola, Finland. 

It was the perfect day for the double World Championship who won every qualifying session taking the TQ (top qualifier) in the Intermediate Classification, the semi-finals and finals to extend his lead in the Drivers' Championship. 

"30 points for the 14th time in my career," Kristoffersson said.

Clean sweeps are hard to come by in World RX, with only three drivers only claiming a clean sweep in the history of the championship. Today, Johan has become the only driver to claim two clean sweeps in the championships history, with Timmy Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud on one a piece. 

"The first time that has happened. To come here, new to this circuit, and with no teammate to share data with, and still find ways to go even faster, that feels great," he said.

A clean sweep is not all, the Swede clinched his 22nd win the World Championship, no other driver claimed as many wins as he has to date. 

Johan lead standings by two points heading into round three in Kouvola, ahead of 2016 champion Mattias Ekstrom, but with an electrical issue Ekstrom was forced to retire in the semi-finals thus allowing Kristoffersson to extended his lead in the championship by 16 points. 

"Incredible! I have repeatedly said that you need to score points on an even basis this year. That was in my mind for the whole day, all the way through the final," he said. 

Due to the tight nature of the Kouvola track, starts are key to success, and today Johan put on a masterclass in his Volkswagen Polo R Supercar.

"I practiced starting procedures a lot in '17 and '18 and I would like to say that they are just as good now as at the end of 2018," he said.

In the final Johan had an unfamiliar driver on his left side, the great surprise Juha Rytkönen (GRX SET). Whilst Kristoffersson got off to a flying start, he had the Finn right behind in the opening laps, but was left quite impressed by Juha's debut.

"It's very impressive of him to step in here as a newcomer and deliver like he did, but that is also a message to the rest of us that we always need to be on our toes," the double world champion said.

Still striving for excellence, Johan found a good rhythm and tried some different lines around Kouvola, and went on to win the final by 3.110 seconds.

" The final was very, very good. I had a very good start, like I had all day and from there on, the track was similar to how it was in the semi-final, so we could adapt a bit and do some small changes for the final which worked out well," he said. "I found the rhythm in my driving and could try some different lines." 

Tommy Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS boss, was quite satisfied with his son's performance today.

"Already when we came here we thought the track would suit Johan and the car very well," he said. "It's very technically demanding, a bit like gymkhana, where Johan has been successful."

Written By - Junaid Samodien

PREVIEW: World RX of Finland - Kouvola returns to calendar after six-years absence.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

The 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship returns to Finland for the first time since 2014 this weekend when rounds three and four of the championship take place at Kouvola.

Kouvola, approximately 130km northeast of the Finnish capital Helsinki. It’s the largest town in the Kymenlaakso region of southeast Finland. 

Just six days after a thrilling season opener(s) in Holjes-Sweden, with Johan Kristoffersson and Mattias Ekstrom climbing onto the top step of the podium in rounds one and two. 

Originally planned to take part in the Holjes doubleheader, Ekstrom announced his participation in the Finland doubleheader earlier this week. The Swede will be joined on the grid by 18 other drivers this weekend. 

This weekend’s doubleheader event features two separate FIA World Rallycross Championship events, one full event – comprising three rounds of qualifying races, semi-finals, and the final – taking place each day.

FROM SWEDEN TO KOUVALA:

Last weekend in Sweden Johan Kristoffersson and Mattias Ekstrom claimed one victory each, Kristoffersson finishing third in Sunday’s event and moving to Finland with a two-point lead in the championship. 

Kristoffersson, is just ahead of 2016 champion Ekstrom whose KYB Team JC teammate Robin Larsson holds third in the championship having also produced a strong weekend in Sweden.

Heading into the weekend Kevin Hansen holds fourth place in the drivers' standings and clear of his older brother, current FIA World Rallycross Champion Timmy Hansen who is placed eighth after a difficult opening weekend. Both Team Hansen drivers have prior experience of Kouvola and will be aiming to recover lost ground in Finland.

Timo Scheider had his best-ever World RX weekend in Sweden with a third-place finish and a fourth-place finish in round two to hold fifth in the championship for ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport.

Anton Marklund also featured strongly in the first weekend and is sixth entering Finland, ahead of Niclas Gronholm and Timur Timerzyanov who were unable to show their true pace after being stuck in traffic all weekend.

Monster Energy GCK RX Cartel had a mixed weekend with neither of its drivers in the finals in round one due to mechanical issues, but Andreas Bakkerud hauled himself back into contention with a sixth-place finish in round two and is now laying ninth in the championship. His teammate Liam Doran is 17th after two days of mechanical problems with his Renault Megane R.S. RX.

Whilst Krisztian Szabo is currently placed 10th in the standings after Sweden. However, 2019 Finnish champion Juha Rytkönen will take the wheel of the GRX SET Hyundai i20 Supercar this weekend. 

Kevin Abbring will also replace Rokas Baciuska this weekend at UNKORRUPTED alongside Guerlain Chicherit after the team struggled with set-up issues in Sweden. 

ALL-INKL Muennich Motorsport's team boss Rene Muennich is currently placed 14th overall with Jani Paasonen in 16th.

Jere Kalliokoski will return to the premier class this weekend after a part-time programme with STARD in 2019. The Finn will drive a Ford Fiesta. 

Fellow countrymen and multiple Finnish Champion Atro Määttä will also make his RX return this weekend, whilst Hungarian Tamas Karai steps up from the European Championship in his Audi Supercar as well. 

Tanner Foust leading Timur Timerzyanov at the 2014 World RX of Finland.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

KOUVALA TRACK STATS:

Tykkimaen Moottorirata, the Tykkimaki Circuit, at Kouvola is an undulating rallycross track that is 1060 metres long and consists of 55% asphalt and 45% gravel surfaces. It has hosted the FIA World Rallycross Championship once before, when American Tanner Foust won in a VW Polo Supercar in 2014. It has previously hosted the FIA European Rallycross Championship and is regularly used in Finland’s national championship.

CHAMPION FAST START AWARD:

Johan Kristoffersson leads the new Champion Fast Start award that was introduced at the first event, but with 20 more points up for grabs this weekend that could easily change.

LIVESTREAM and BROADCAST TIMES SCHEDULE (CET):

The livestream for the events will be carried on the World RX Facebook and YouTube channels:

facebook.com/fiaworldrallycross

youtube.com/RallycrossRXTV

NOTE: The Semi-Finals and Finals will be broadcast on TV with no livestreams. CHECK YOUR TV LISTINGS HERE: https://www.fiaworldrallycross.com/tv_listings

SATURDAY - Round Three (29 August 2020):

Q1 - 10:30 am

Q2 - 11:50 am

Q3 - 13:15 pm

TV Broadcast - 15:00 to 17:00

Semi-Finals and Final - 16:00 to 16:50

SUNDAY - Round Four (30 August 2020):

Q1 - 09:40 am

Q2 - 11:30 am

Q3 - 13:15 pm

TV Broadcast - 15:00 to 17:00

Semi-Finals and Final - 16:00 to 16:50

Kristoffersson ready for leap into unknown in Finland.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool. 

Johan Kristoffersson is preparing for a journey into the unknown as he heads into the second doubleheader of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, at a circuit he has never been to before. 

The double World Champion made his World RX debut in 2014 after the Finnish round of the championship, which meant he never actually got to race at the Kouvola track. But this season the Swede will finally beable to turn a wheel on the track he has only seen through videos and heard from other drivers. 

"I've never been to this track before, but from what I've heard it's very fun to drive." Kristoffersson said.

The 31-year-old Swede is currently at the top of the drivers' standings having won the first round of the championship in Höljes on Saturday, with a maximum score. Sunday was almost as good, with Johan claiming the top qualifiers spot, but finished in third-place after a most race penalty. 

"Just four points away from full score. You can't ask for more," he said.

With no real time for thought after a gruelling doubleheader in Sweden, Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS are making there way to Kouvola in Finland for the third and fourth rounds of the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship. The Kouvola track will return to the championship for the first time since 2014.

"I remember watching that final as Tanner Foust won, having had a great launch in the rain," the Swede said.

After a great duel between Kristoffersson and Mattias Ekström in Höljes, the pair will meet once more in Finland, and while Johan enjoyed his ontrack battles with Ekström. 

He believes that his rivals in other machinery is just able capable of winning or challenging for a place on the podium as he and Ekström are.

"That's fun. Mattias is inventive and always on a high level, but it is not all about him. Niclas Grönholm, Robin Larsson as well as Timmy and Kevin Hansen are all very capable but were a bit unlucky in Höljes," Kristoffersson adds. 

Tommy Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS team boss has revealed that his team is a bit short-staffed due to COVID-19 restrictions and believes that they are also at a disadvantage due to running one car, while others have the benefit of gathering data and information from two cars. 

"We are a bit punished in that sense because we can't share different tasks between two cars," Tommy Kristoffersson said. "However, we are very inspired for the coming weekend and up to the challenge."

Written By - Junaid Samodien. 

Team Hansen ready to bounce back after 'mixed' season opener.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX Media.

Team Hansen are keen bounce back after a weekend of highs and lows in Sweden, as the FIA World Rallycross Championship enters its second phase this weekend with the third and fourth rounds of the season in Finland. 

Whilst Sweden ushered in the new season, it wasn't the smoothest of starts for Timmy Hansen on homesoil. However, his younger brother Kevin lifted the team spirit with a second-place finish in the second round of the championship at the same venue.  

Team boss, Kenneth Hansen believes that his team were at a slight disadvantage compared to their rivals who competed in the RallyX Nordic "Magic Weekend" in Höljes with 2020 specification machinery. 

And while the dust settles on the season opener in Sweden, the World RX championship moves to Finland for the second doubleheader of the season. 

Kouvola's addition to the 2020 calendar was somewhat sudden but also highly welcomed, as other events dropped off the calendar due to complications from the ongoing Covid-19 situation. With past experience at the track for both Timmy and Kevin, it's a favourite circuit of both the team and drivers.

"Kouvola is a great track. It has strong character, good jumps, elevation changes, fast and slow corners, so it's nice to be driving there again. I think I have the lap record there but I'm not sure! I've had some good races there and I'm looking forward to going back," Timmy Hansen said.

The defending champion struggled with traffic all weekend in Sweden, but he firmly believes that Team Hansen has the package to challenge for wins in 2020. 

"I believe we have what it takes in our package to win a couple of races and to be able to fight at the top," he adds. "Last weekend wasn't normal and my hope is Finland is closer to what we would consider 'normal'. The car is still good, so we're hoping for a better result in Finland."

Kouvola is a track of two very distinct halves: the first half almost like Rally Finland, with wide, fast roads featuring jumps, while the second half is tight, twisty and technical.  

Kevin returns to a track with fond memories having made his first appearance at an international-level rallycross event and won his first-ever RX Lites race at the age of 16.  

"Kouvola is quite similar to Höljes, with a lot of elevation changes. I love the track; it's got a good flow and I think we have a good car for it too," Kevin Hansen said.

Having stepped onto the podium in Sweden, the 22-year-old expects to score more podium finishes in Finland but admits that the team needs to keep pushing. 

"I expect we'll be able to score podiums in Finland. That's the aim, and we need to keep on our toes and do the maximum possible," he said. "If we want to reach the podium or score wins, we have to keep pushing step-by-step beyond where we are now."

Whilst Team Hansen did not have the pace they expected in Sweden, rounds 3 and 4 of the condensed calendar will give the team strong motivation to perform at their best. 

"It's good to be back racing so soon after the last round. We didn't have the result we expected last time, so we have strong motivation to be back on track again and trying to perform to our best," Team Hansen team principal, Kenneth Hansen said. "It's going to be quite unusual this time, as it's the first time we're racing with only World RX present and none of the support categories."

"Both Timmy and Kevin know and love this circuit, so they'll have a slight advantage over the drivers who've been here before. But there won't be a big difference compared to the top-calibre drivers who've not raced here before; they'll get into it quickly."

Written By - Junaid Samodien. 

Nitišs is back for Latvia RX doubleheader.

PHOTO CREDIT: REINISNITISS.com

Double European Rallycross Champion Reinis Nitišs will join ESmotorsport for the fifth and sixth round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, at the NESTA World RX of Riga on September 19-20.

Nitišs has been a World RX regular from its inaugural season in 2014 and competed almost full-time until 2017, before switching back to Euro RX in 2018, where he claimed his second title. In 2019, Nitišs fulfilled in a Development Driver role in the Gronholm RX and has been focusing on rallying since that.

ESmotorsport Skoda Fabia Supercar at 2019 World RX event.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX. 

"I’m grateful to the ESmotorsport for this opportunity to be a part of an exciting project. I think everyone knows that rallycross is in my heart and it really feels good to be back in a 600bhp World RX Supercar. Especially do be doing it in my home country, in front of my Latvian fans," Nitišs said.

"I know the team has been working hard on the development of the car and now it’s up to me to make use of that in real racing conditions. For sure, every team have been working hard over this long break, so we want to see where we stand against the best of the sport."

The ESmotorsport team is owned by a former FIA European Rallycross Championship Super1600 driver Ernestas Staponkus, who started developing the team’s Škoda Fabia World RX Supercar in 2018, with the team contesting eight World RX rounds in 2019.

"I’ve known Reinis for some time and I know he is a perspective and fast driver. Above that, he is also a very positive person. I hope we can work with him not only on these two races in Riga, but other rounds as well,” Ernestas Staponkus, ESmotorsport team owner, said.

Written By - Junaid Samodien 

Character-building weekend for UNKORRUPTED in Sweden.

PHOTO CREDIT: GC Kompetition/Eric Fabre.

The 2020 FIA World Rallycross season kicked off in Sweden over the weekend with what has become known as the ‘magic weekend’ at the world-famous rallycross track in Holjes. 

It was magic, as a new team joined the grid in 2020, but unfortunately, that was where the magic ended for the newly established UNKORRUPTED team. While GC Kompetition was an independent team in 2019, this season they oversee three teams, with UNKORRUPTED being one of them. In addition to that team owner Guerlain Chicherit switched his Megane R.S. RX for the new evolution Renault Clio R.S. RX and will team-up with Rokas Baciuska in 2020. 

Hopes were high as the Renault Clio R.S. RX underwent further developments during the off-season with updated suspension, an updated engine, and a 30kg weight reduction. The updates allowed the Clio to brake a lot later than it's competitors, but the team were unable to unlock its true pace. 

The opening round of the 2020 World RX season got underway in mixed conditions, which saw Chicherit finish the first and second qualifying sessions in fourth-place, but due to evolving conditions he was ranked 16th overall in both sessions. 

The Frenchmen's third qualifier was only good enough for P14, which meant he would go no further finishing round one in sixteenth overall. 

Having worked through the night to change various aspects to the car’s set up, Guerlain finished Q1 in eleventh overall, but contact in Q2 saw him finish the session in twelfth overall.

In an attempt to hang onto a semi-final spot, Chicherit pushed but it was just not enough to qualify for the semi-finals, which saw him finish round 2 in thirteenth overall. 

"This was not the start to the Championship we had wished for sure - we’ve done a lot of testing over the winter and showed a very competitive pace, however, arriving in Sweden showed the track environment to be extremely challenging for our setup and we struggled with grip," Chicherit said. "The team thinks they may have found the problem and will now work hard to find a way to adjust the car ahead of Finland but it will be tight with only 5 days to go."

"It’s frustrating and upsetting for sure but I’m not someone to give up and I will fight to come back stronger. We’ve got some of the best drivers and cars in the paddock this year and I want to see the GCK Clio R.S. RX battle with them."

Chicherit's teammate Rokas Baciuska raced his way into the semi-final in round one having put down increasingly competitive pace and performances. After the three qualifying heats, Rokas was 11th overall despite turbo failure in Q3 and bagged a spot in the semi-finals. 

Having turned the car around in time for the semi-final, the Lithuanian only managed to complete three laps before another issue with the turbo forced him to retire in sixth-place. 

The second round (on Sunday) got off to a rough start for Rokas after contact with Robin Larsson caused engine issues which saw him drop to sixth overall with two qualifying sessions remaining.  

In Q2, Baciuska managed fought back to 11th overall, but his weekend came to an end after finishing his Q3 race in twelfth-place, which meant he would go no further. 

"We’ve definitely had a tough race weekend here at the first couple of rounds of the Championship in Sweden - from the turbo breaking which resulted in some engine issues later to struggles with the car setup from the beginning of the weekend, we’ve been fighting hard to find a good way for the GCK Clio R.S. RX to take on the rest of the pack," Baciuska said. "We did a lot of testing on very different tracks and our setup didn’t match what we needed here, so there’s work to be done now to find competitive pace."

 Written By - Junaid Samodien

Mixed emotions for Larsson after strong showing in Sweden.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World RX.

Reigning EuroRX and RallyX Nordic Champion Robin Larsson made a competitive return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship last weekend with KYB Team JC, ending the Holjes doubleheader second in the drivers' standings. 

Larsson returned to World RX for a one-off outing in Latvia, as a gift from JC Raceteknik after clinching the 2019 EuroRX Championship with one round to spare. Despite a strong event, a disqualification in the second qualifying heat meant the Swede was not able to progress to the final despite a fightback. 

Whilst Robin raced with JC Raceteknik in 2019, the Swedish outfit announced it will compete in the World RX championship in 2020 under a new team banner "KYB Team JC". 

KYB Team JC originally planned for Larsson and Janis Baumanis to contest the full-season, but due to financial problems caused by the coronavirus. 2016 World Champion Mattias Ekström was called upon to step in for the season opener. 

It was a successful doubleheader on home soil for KYB Team JC with a win and a second-place for 2016 World RX Champion Mattias Ekström. 

Larsson started his season with a consistently fast pace but missed a final start in round one due to a five-second penalty. While on Sunday in round two, he continued to impress, and beat teammate Ekström to win semi-final two. In the final, he was in the running for the podium but due a puncture had to settle for fifth.

The Swedish outfit leads the team standings' by 28-points, and drivers Ekstrom and Robin Larsson hold second and third in the Drivers’ Standings heading to Kouvala in Finland.

“It was a good first World RX weekend for the team. It was intense, but we were consistently in the top five. Having Mattias has been a very big bonus for me and the whole team." Larsson said.

"It just shows how important it is to have a fast driver like him by your side, we took tips from each other and without him I probably would not have been able to continue to develop my speed. I hope we see more of him this season."

"The puncture in the final today was a shame because it would have been perfect to have a one-two in the final. It was also sad to miss the final yesterday, but in terms of points things look good in the Teams’ Championship and I too scored good points. That Mattias beat Johan on pure pace shows we can fight with him. We’ve done the best we can as a team and we will carry that to Finland."

Written By - Junaid Samodien