Timmy Hansen "I definitely had to work hard" to win in Silverstone.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool

Timmy Hansen won the World RX of Great Britain to become the first repeat winner of the 2019 season.

The Swede started on pole position for the final, with rival Andreas Bakkerud alongside. Bakkerud had a better start and squeezed into the lead. Timmy's race nearly at the first turn when the Norwegian squeezed him into the inside tyre barrier. He made it through turn one with minor damage to his car and dropped to second place.

"It was definitely hard today; Bakkerud found some good pace and won Q3 and Q4, as well as his Semi-Final, so for sure it was tough to line up next to him," said Timmy Hansen. "He squeezed me into the tyres at the first corner, so I was happy to be able to continue."

Hansen was determined to close the gap to Bakkerud in an attempt to win the final. 

Kenneth Hansen, Team Principal and Timmy's spotter opted for a clever strategy instructing his son to take the joker lap earlier.

Bakkerud squeezes Hansen into tyre barrier at Turn One
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

“We had a big fight in the Final with a big push to try to overtake Bakkerud with a joker gamble, which we managed to do. This time the joker decision was very late," said Kenneth Hansen. "Timmy normally can feel when he wants to take the joker but won’t know what it looks like behind him."

"It’s my decision as I am the spotter for Timmy and I didn’t have time to see the time gap, but suddenly there was a big gap," he adds. "In turn seven, before the split with the joker, I just had a feeling that we needed to call it and Timmy took the joker. We knew that Bakkerud had some hot tyres and was losing performance and it went very well for us.”

In his pursuit to overturn Bakkerud's lead, Timmy set the fastest lap of the weekend and would gain 0.472 milliseconds on Bakkerud between their respective joker laps in the Final, which put Timmy in first place on the final lap.

"When I took my joker I did a great lap, so once he took his I emerged in the lead. I definitely had to work hard to get it, but it tastes even sweeter when that happens," said Timmy. 

With victory in Silverstone, Hansen claimed the World RX drivers’ championship lead from his younger brother Kevin who is only four points behind in the standings.

TEXT - Junaid Samodien