GRX Taneco secures fourth in the teams' championship.

PHOTO CREDIT: Junaid Samodien.

GRX Taneco with two new Hyundai i20 Supercars secured fourth place in the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship. 

“What a season!” said Jussi Pinomäki, GRX Taneco Team Manager. “We started from scratch and I’m proud of where we are today. It was a huge challenge and everyone on the team has contributed to this year’s success, all working with determination and real passion."

The World RX of South Africa proved to be a challenge for the team, but they achieved their goal with Timur Timerzyanov making it through to the semi-finals once again. 

Saturday, was a day to forget for the team. Grönholm was in 14th place after getting caught up in the traffic and losing a lot of time in the first corner, while teammate Timerzyanov,  dropped to P16 after a puncture and finished 15th overall at the end of the day. 

“We had a good start but with the dust, visibility was very poor and I hit the barrier before the jump, landing on the side. That’s what caused the puncture to the rear left tyre. It was my fault…” said Timerzyanov. 

In Q3, Grönholm got off to a good start but found himself caught in traffic at Turn One again. He battled hard to catch up but the Finn could only finish 14th and dropped out of the Top 12 in the overall standings. He finished P12 after Q4, so just missed out on the semi-final. 

”I really hoped for much better in this last race. It’s the first time that I’ve failed to make it into the semis this season,” said Grönholm.”I just couldn’t find my pace this weekend and I had real trouble getting round that first corner ahead of the others each race, so I lost a lot of valuable time. I’d like to thank GRX Taneco."

"The team has done a fantastic job all year. It’s been a privilege to have worked with the team,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Grönholm's teammate Timerzyanov with a skillful drive in Q3, finished in eighth moving him up from 15th to ninth position in the overall standings. 

In the final qualifying [Q4] session, he came in 11th, enough to put him through to the semi-final. He started from the back but scrambled up to fourth place in the first semi-final. It was not enough for Russian to progress to the final but he can still be pleased with his performance in South Africa.  

”I’m delighted to end the season on a high note,” said Timerzyanov. “We managed to make it back up the standings after a tough first day and my ticket for the semis was a great reward. Of course, it would have been amazing to get through to the final but, starting from the back, it was too much of a challenge. It’s been a demanding year and each one of us has given their all to make the season a success."

"I’d like to thank the whole team!” the Russian concluded.