Team Hansen MJP rise to the top after overcoming major setback in 2018.

PHOTO CREDIT: Slipstream SA/Junaid Samodien.

A fairytale rarely happens in motorsport but in the case of Team Hansen MJP, it's a true fairytale. In 2018, Peugeot Sport announced their withdrawal from the FIA World Rallycross Championship leaving the Hansen family without a team or program for the upcoming season. 

Countless hours of work through the winter break saw the Hansen family pushing to secure the necessary budget and cars to compete in the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship. And, after partnering with Max J. Pucher, the Hansen's finally secured a place on the grid.

The 2019 season got off to a bang in Abu Dhabi when Timmy Hansen's Peugeot 208 WRX Supercar sustained chassis damage after an incident with Andreas Bakkerud in Qualifying, but after hours of hard work, the team were able to repair the car ready for the second round of the season. While there was much sadness on one side of the Hansen camp, Kevin Hansen went on to win the season opener in Abu Dhabi. 

"To come from where we were at the end of last season to the end of this season is hard to believe. We overcame each hurdle one at a time: first, finding a way to get to the first race with two cars – one of which needed a total rebuild almost straight after! – then making sure we did all the races, all while developing the car to try and make it faster," said Kenneth Hansen, Team Principal. 

"Everyone in our team had two or three jobs: Timmy and Kevin were doing more than just driving the cars! We constantly worked to be better, to make the car better, and we could see the progress as the year went on."

“I’m so proud of Timmy and Kevin, of course not just as team principal but as a dad," he adds. "They were brilliant, very focused on the task they needed to do, very respectful and mindful of what the team as a whole needed in how they raced each other."

The FIA World Rallycross Championship finale in Cape Town went down to the wire where Timmy Hansen and Andreas Bakkerud ended the championship level on points. A countback of wins was required and after winning four events this season. Timmy Hansen was crowned the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Champion.

"The first title is always very special, it’s a memory Timmy will keep forever, and someday I’m sure it will be Kevin’s turn to have that too," Hansen said.

In addition to Timmy's World RX success, younger brother Kevin Hansen claimed the TitansRX and Nitro RX titles, which means that Team Hansen MJP won every title in every championship entered in 2019.  

After the most successful year in the history of Team Hansen MJP, Kenneth Hansen believes that the team should have some rest, but he also acknowledges that there is plenty of work to be done ahead of next year's title defense. 

"After crossing all over the world for World RX, TitansRX and Nitro RX we can finally have some rest! Not too much rest, of course, because we want to be back next year to defend our titles and that will require plenty of work in the off-season."

Written By - Junaid Samodien.