Hell provides Team Peugeot Total with a vital opportunity to make more progress.

PHOTO CREDIT: Peugeot Sport.

Scoring a podium at every event so far – including 1 win – Team Peugeot Total is currently 3rd in the provisional World RX Teams’ Championship, just 1 point behind 2nd, while Sébastien Loeb is chasing the leader in the provisional Drivers’ Standings. Timmy and Kevin Hansen drove their Peugeot 208 WRX to 6th and 8th overall provisional positions so far. With the championship rapidly approaching the halfway point, Norway provides a vital opportunity to make more progress.

The Hell track, cut dramatically into a hillside, is 1.019-kilometres long with 6 technical yet flowing corners. The lap is 63% asphalt and 37% gravel, with the joker lap located at the very 1st corner. The lap record currently stands at 38.246 seconds from last year. 

Team Peugeot Total's cars are the same specification as were seen in Silverstone, but the team have been doing some testing in France last week for the future, and more time in the 208 WRX for the drivers is a positive benefit. 

The Team Peugeot Total drivers talk #HellRX: 
                            
Sébastien Loeb
“There’s a really nice atmosphere in Norway and I’ve got very good memories; both from rallying and then in rallycross. We’ve had a really consistent start to the season, so we need to continue this way; the tactic is to try and win but not at any cost because you have to keep on scoring points, or you can ruin your chances. Since Silverstone it’s been a very busy time: we’ve been testing, and I also drove the mythic PEUGEOT 306 Maxi at the Rallye du Chablais in Switzerland. It’s no problem for me to jump from one car into the other because they are so different, but it’s always nice to jump into the rallycross car again when you have been away from it for a while; the power and speed is really impressive.”

Timmy Hansen
“I really enjoy Hell – I’ve won in the past – and I’ve always been quick there: I’m not quite sure why. It’s a challenging track in a beautiful location, and it’s very up and down. So grip levels are changing all the time, and the key to a good lap is to get proper traction out of all the corners. For that you need to get the set-up exactly right but that’s not easy: it’s definitely a circuit where you build up to speed and make small changes as you go along throughout the weekend, which help you to gain confidence and brake a little bit later every time. One interesting point is the joker lap on the first corner: it means that you need a firm plan at the beginning of the race, as there isn’t really time to react if you’re taking the joker straight away. It’s often quite a good idea to take the joker lap early there: you can make up a lot of time.”

Kevin Hansen
“This circuit is a lot of fun and I’m feeling confident. It’s a high-grip track with some long corners, so that should suit the characteristics of our car quite well. In the end though, a good car is a good car that works well everywhere, and I think that is what we have got this year. The main challenges in Norway are managing all the different elevation changes and keeping the rhythm. When you get it right, it’s really satisfying. We’re definitely on the right track, so my aim is to carry on like this now.”