Wednesday 31 August 2022

PREVIEW: Kristoffersson leads charge as World RX races into Rīga.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool
Following the opening round of the 2022 campaign at Hell in Norway - three weeks ago, the FIA World Rallycross Championship is on the move once again, and this time the championship heads to one of the best venues on the calendar for a double dose of action this weekend at the Ferratum World RX of Rīga-Latvia.

The Biķernieki trase (circuit) located on the outskirts of Latvia's capital city, Rīga, was introduced to the calendar in 2016, with it's high-grip asphalt placing a firm focus on tyre strategy, and it's unforgiving barriers that line the track.

Latvia is happy hunting ground for defending champion Johan Kristoffersson - who kick started he's fourth title charge 12 months ago. 

This weekend, the Swede returns, and this time around he is not 20 points behind the Hansen brothers, instead he is leading the championship standings having claimed a record 28th career victory in Norway earlier this month. 

Round 1 winner Johan Kristoffersson
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool
Whilst a new era has begun, most of the drivers' either had minor technical gremlins or discovered issues with there cars, namely the Hansen World RX Team, who discovered that there center of gravity was poor due to the battery positioning, but despite those obstacles they were pressuring Kristoffersson as much as possible. 

Niclas Grönholm, who was the man to beat a year ago in Latvia returns with new team-mate Klara Andersson at the Construction Equipment Dealer Team. It was evident that the PWR RX1e machines lacked some pace to the Polo's and Peugeots. Marcus Gronholm also admitted that he's son was struggling to adapt he's driving style, whilst Andersson was exceptional on debut. 

After a few years out of the championship, Ole Christian Veiby made an impressive return with a top three finish in the second Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS Polo. The Norwegian will  be discovering a new track this weekend - the Bikernieki trase.

The third Volkswagen Polo RX1e driven by Gustav Bergstrom has some pace to find to challenge in the front runners, whilst Rene Munnich in the All-Inkl Munnich Motorsport Seat Ibiza finally got some mileage under he's belt in Norway after missing the pre-season test. 

The Bikerieki trase opens the opportunity for more action-packed racing this weekend, with it's tight turn-one, but trying to guess who will reign supreme in Latvia is anyone's guess. 

Having had one race weekend to gain some important information on set-up and performance - teams will take a step forward, and we can not wait to see who will triumph on Saturday and Sunday. 

THE PERMANENT TEAMS:

Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS: Johan Kristoffersson and Ole Christian Veiby

Hansen World RX Team: Timmy Hansen and Kevin Hansen

Construction Equipment Dealer Team: Niclas Gronholm and Klara Andersson (first gender equal team.)

THE CIRCUIT - BIKERNIEKI TRASE, LATVIA.


THE TRACK: 
Located on the outskirts of the Latvian capital of Riga, the Biķernieki track is the country’s only permanent circuit, with a history dating back to the 1950s, when a temporary course was first constructed within the surrounding forest.

In 2016, Biķernieki joined the FIA World Rallycross Championship calendar, with a 1,295m layout. Incorporating sections of the race circuit, a long gravel zone through the wooded infield section and three jumps – two on the standard lap and one in the Joker – it immediately became a favorite amongst both drivers and fans.

TRACK LENGTH: 1.295m
NO. OF CORNERS: 12 
PREVIOUS WINNERS (2021) - Round 4 Niclas Grönholm
                                                   Round 5 Johan Kristoffersson
SURFACE: 60% Asphalt, 40% Gravel.
JOKER LAP LOSS: 3.3 seconds (approximately)

FORMAT CHANGE:

The Qualifying heats will be renamed Heat 1, Heat 2, Heat 3 instead of Q1, Q2, Q3. There will be three heats only as opposed to the four that have existed over the last eight years. Heat 1 starting positions will be decided following a Superpole timed session instead of a draw.

Heat 4 will be replaced by a Progression Race to add one more decisive stage in the progress of the event towards access to the Semi-Finals. Starting position distribution for this Progression Race will be determined according to ranking after the 3 Heats. The Final phase remains with Semi-Finals and a Final, but with five-car starts. The highest qualified driver will have a free of starting position. Other changes include five laps in all races (Qualifying, Progression Race, Semi-Finals, Final) and no use of the Joker Lap allowed in Lap 1 if the Joker Lap is in Corner No.1.

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (for 2022 onwards):

Championship points will be awarded based on the final  classification on the Competition on the following basis: 

1st: 20 points

2nd: 16 points

3rd: 13 points

4th: 12 points

5th: 11 points

6th: 10 points

7th: 9 points

8th: 8 points

9th: 7 points

10th: 6 points

11th: 5 points

12th: 4 points

13th: 3 points

14th: 2 point

15th: 1 point

- The Teams’ Championship is open to World Championship teams fielding two cars, and includes all points scored by both of the team’s drivers at each event.

World RX Entry List - Ferratum World RX of Rīga-Latvia 2022

*GCK Motorsport’s Lancia Delta Evo-e will not be ready to race in Hell due to the extensive development work required to incorporate the new technology into the car, it will appear on-track in World RX later in the season.

2022 FIA World Rallycross Championship Standings (Drivers):
Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS) 20 points
Timmy Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 16 pts
Ole Christian Veiby (Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS) 13 pts
Klara Andersson (CE Dealer Team) 12pts
Niclas Gronholm (CE Dealer Team) 11 pts
Gustav Bergstrom (Kristoffersson Motorsport) 10 pts
Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) 9 pts
Rene Munnich (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) 8 pts

2022 FIA World Rallycross Championship Standings (Teams):
Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS 33 points
Hansen World RX Team 25 pts
Construction Equipment Dealer Team 23 pts

Rounds 2 and 3 - Ferratum World RX of Rīga-Latvia (CAT Times). 

SATURDAY:
PRACTICE: 09:00
SUPERPOLE: 10:25
HEAT 1: 12:10
HEAT 2: 13:40
PROGRESSION RACE: 15:10
SEMI-FINALS AND FINAL: (from) 17:00
GRID WRAP UP SHOW: 18:00 [RX+ only]

SUNDAY:
WARM-UP: 09:05
SUPERPOLE: 09:35
HEAT 1: 11:10
HEAT 2: 13:25
PROGRESSION RACE: 14:55
SEMI-FINALS AND FINAL: (from) 17:00
GRID WRAP UP SHOW: 18:00 [RX+ only]

All of the on-track entertainment and off-track features will be broadcast live on RX+. Event passes are available for €7,99, with the full season pass on sale for €49,99. More information can be found here.

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