Grönholm RX Taneco ready to beat the heat in Abu Dhabi

GRX Taneco drivers: Reinis Nitišs, Niclas Grönholm, and Timur Timerzyanov.
PHOTO CREDIT: GRX Taneco

Grönholm RX Taneco is ready to beat the heat in Abu Dhabi. The Finnish squad will field a three-car line-up, with the team's two permanent drivers: Timur Timerzyanov and Niclas Grönholm, while the team’s development driver, Reinis Nitišs will pilot the third supercar.

The new Abu Dhabi rallycross track is built within the Formula 1 complex at the Yas Marina circuit and for the first time in World RX history, the race is planned to take place under artificial light.

"Abu Dhabi with its brand-new track and night race will be an amazing experience for all of us," said Niclas Grönholm. 

The Finn is ready to take a step forward in 2019. "I have been working to become a better athlete in every aspect, improvements have been made on the car and the whole team has taken yet another step forward," he adds.

Timur Timerzyanov is also raring to go racing in his new updated Hyundai i20 Supercars, as he believes the new i20 Supercar suits his driving style. “I feel that me personally as well as the car and the team are in the best shape to fight for every point in Drivers’ and Teams’ championship," said Timerzyanov. 

"I have been preparing for this season mentally and physically and I am ready to push through the whole 10 rounds for the best result,” he adds.

The 1.2 km Yas Marina RX circuit is 63% tarmac (including a series of Turns 5-6-7 of the F1 track), and 37% of hard gravel surface that also features the track’s only jump. Even though the race will take place in a late afternoon, it is expected that the air temperature will be well above 30 degrees Celsius, making the conditions in the racing close to extreme.

Despite the optimistic talk from the GRX Taneco team drivers. Team Principal Marcus Grönholm believes that the true pecking order will only be confirmed in the first qualifying session.

“We feel confident about our achievements. But we also know, that only the first Qualifying rounds of Abu Dhabi will paint us a true picture of where everybody stands in terms of performance," said Marcus Grönholm.

The 2018 Euro RX Supercar Champion Reinis Nitisš joins the GRX Taneco team as their development driver and will compete in selected World RX rounds.

“For sure I am happy and excited to get back in the World RX game for the season opener and it’s hard to imagine a more spectacular place for it than Abu Dhabi," said Nitisš. 

"I will not only try to show my best performance here, but I will also do my duty of helping the team to find the right set-ups as fast as possible so we can give our competitors a run for their money."

The season opener World RX of Abu Dhabi will get underway on Friday, April 5 with a Free Practice session before the Q1&Q2 races, and will continue on Saturday, April 6 with Q3&Q4 rounds, Semi-finals and Final.