Monday 19 August 2024

4-2 in Battle of Technologies - Hansen ends winless streak, as Kristoffersson dominates final day in Mettet.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool
Deflation, mechanical troubles, and snapping the gear lever were just a few of the issues that drivers had faced at Rounds 5 and 6 of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Belgium, but one thing was evident, and that was the sustainably fueled internal combustion-engined and electric cars were closely matched throughout the weekend.

ROUND 5 (DAY 1) – TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK.

Arriving at Mettet, there was one target on everyone’s mind, taking the fight to KMS - Horse Powertrain, who have amassed three victories, in their newly-developed Volkswagen Polo KMS 601 RX Supercar, along with gaining points in the championship standings.

With the scene set, it seemed that Johan Kristoffersson was the dominant force from the get-go, however, the Hansen brothers’ were hot on his heels, so much so that in the final rankings after two heats, the KMS driver had a quick Timmy Hansen in second after a dominant display of team-work. 

In the first semi-final, Kristoffersson lined up in pole with Andersson alongside in second with Kevin Hansen and OC Veiby on the second row. But, poor starts for both KMS drivers meant they were left on the line, as Hansen led Klara from Kristoffersson and Veiby into the opening corners. Fighting back, Johan and OC immediately took the joker lap, and began the push to close up to Andersson and leader Hansen. The six-time Champions pace was strong, but not strong enough for Kevin’s almighty defensive drive, while OC gained third after Andersson picked up a puncture ending her hopes of progression to the final.

Having booked a slot on the front row of the grid for the final, it was Timmy Hansen's chance to rubber stamp a front row start with a win in semi-final 2, the Swede started from pole position, but Anthony Pelfrene had other ideas, and got the jump at turn one, but unfortunately encountered mechanical issues allowing Hansen through and ultimately the heat win, whilst Rene Munnich with a smart joker strategy jumped Gronholm, and with it a place in the final, with Pelfrene going no further. 

The scene was set, the Hansen World RX Team locked out the front row for the final with Kristoffersson, Munnich, Veiby, and, Gronholm, but unfortunately, due to a mechanical issue Niclas could not participate and therefore team-mate Andersson took the final spot on the grid.

The Hansen brothers exploited their electric acceleration in the final covering any attempt from Kristoffersson at the start, and then produced a masterclass in teamwork to keep their countryman behind. As Kevin Hansen deployed the ultimate defensive to fend off the six-time champion, Timmy was able to establish an advantage, going on to end his endless run by more than two seconds from the nearest pursuer.

“It has been a tricky start to the year for the team but they have been working so hard to turn it around and it feels great to be able to pay them back with a race win,” Hansen said. “Kevin did a fantastic job backing up the field in the Final to help me build enough of a lead, and I'm happy he ended the race on the podium as well. It was a huge team effort all round but now we need to focus on doing the same tomorrow.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool
Behind the 2019 champion, it was rather a dramatic battle for who would finish on the podium, as a second lap joker paid off for Ole Christian Veiby claiming second place, behind him, 0.029 seconds was separating Kevin Hansen and Kristoffersson for the last spot on the podium, but a puncture derailed the KMS drivers’ hopes of a podium finish. 

"It was important for us as a team to not take any risks in this Final. We have been unlucky not to get on the podium sooner this year, but that makes today's result even sweeter," Kevin Hansen said after the final. "It felt like I had a couple of overtaking opportunities on that last lap but in the end it went right down to the wire and I managed to pip Johan [Kristoffersson] on the line. This is an amazing result for the team and well-deserved after so much hard work. There is still an imbalance between us and the KMS ICE cars but we'll keep pushing. Let's see if we can get a couple more podiums tomorrow!"

CE Dealer Team’s Klara Andersson ended the final in a distant fifth and Rene Munnich in sixth.

ROUND 6 (DAY 2) – THE FIGHT BACK!

After a day of punctures, and mechanical trouble, it was time to take a look at the data, replace any damaged parts, and or power unit components, and refine set-ups for another day of action, Round 6.

The Circuit Jules Tacheny should favour the internal combustion-engined Supercars, but after the first day of action, it was clear that the electric powertrains held their own, especially at starts and drag off the slow-speed corners. 

With another exciting battle on the cards, Johan Kristoffersson was ready to make amends after a late puncture in the final denied him of an almost certain podium, he also admitted to breaking his gear level in two pieces (in the final). 

Lining up for heat one, both KMS Polo's had slow launches yet again, which allowed Kevin Hansen to lead, but as the race progressed, it was Kristoffersson who shone in the Belgium sunshine beating Timmy, Kevin, and Veiby to the checkered flag. 

After one of the most challenging days just 24 hours earlier, Niclas Gronholm was on another level with his launches, rocketing off the line where he would remain to the checkered flag, with Rene Munnich in second ahead of Munnich and Anthony Pelfrene in the first heat of race two. 

One final shot to make a move up the rankings, the second heat of race one, saw ice-cool Finn Gronholm once again launching off the line to lead into turn one, but as the race progressed it was evident that Klara was closing on her team-mate to the extend that she backed off across the line to let Niclas take the heat race win, which she later said: 'we are in this together'. A great display of teamwork, with a 1-2 followed by Munnich and Pelfrene. 

In the second race of heat two, Kevin Hansen took the lead into turn one, with older brother Timmy trying to hold the outside line to protect his brother, but ran wide. OC Veiby also hit Kristoffersson sending him sideways, but the Swede was able to correct the car before turn two and began to hunt Kevin catching and closing in every braking zone. With an alternative joker strategy, Kristoffersson made the bid for clean air, and it paid off, he beat Kevin quite convincingly with Timmy in third and OC Veiby in fourth, who told the World RX reporter that he had issues with the ALS system or a throttle body in the race. 

The battle lines were drawn, EV and ICE both have their strengths, but Gronholm and Kristoffersson were both quick, but talk is cheap, results count, and in the semi-final one, Johan finally had a good start, whilst his team-mate Veiby pulled to the inside to try and cover off Timmy, the two made heavy contact, but with an inside line. Hansen won the initial battle until an earlier joker lap strategy saw Ole Christian jump the Peugeot driver, and finish second behind his teammate, Hansen third, and Munnich in a distant fourth - he would go no further. 

With very strong launches throughout the day, CE Dealer Team's Gronholm was ready for action and led from lights out to the checkered flag in the second semi-final with Kevin in second, Klara in third, and Pelfrene in fourth, unfortunately, he would also miss out on a spot for the final.

Kevin Hansen smoking his way to P2 with rubbing bodywork.
PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool
The grid set for the final saw Johan Kristoffersson line up alongside Gronholm, the latter with the best starts all today. To beat him, the KMS driver needed a good start, and he achieved leading into turn one with Kevin Hansen squeezing behind Kristoffersson for the ideal inside line, whilst Gronholm filtered to third with an outside line. Ole Christian Veiby made contact with Klara Andersson sending him up on two wheels and into the rear of Kevin, which he was later reprimanded for. 

In fifth after the first few corners was Klara Andersson, she took an early first lap joker trying to use clean air to her advantage, but it was not to be. 

As the laps ticked by, the action behind ramped up, but Kristoffersson sailed off into the distance in a dominant display. 

The joker strategies played out, and Kevin opted for a lap 4 joker, which saw him come incredibly close to Veiby but fended him off. 

Kristoffersson crossed the checkered flag quite comfortably ahead of the rest, which meant victory in Mettet has enabled him to extend his championship advantage to 39 points with four rounds remaining. 

“I must say a big ‘thank you’ to the team,” Kristoffersson said after the final. “They gave us a great car and we were consistently quick, and today, we managed to pull everything together. I’m very happy, and it was nice to have OC [Veiby – team-mate] on the podium as well as collecting more important points towards the championship. That said, our competitors are doing a good job too and the times got increasingly tight, so we have to keep pushing.”

Kevin Hansen crossed the line in second with a smoking rear right tyre after his bumper was folded on it after Veiby's turn-one contact. And, Veiby rounded out the podium finishing barely half a second behind. 

Gronholm also carried damage on course to fourth ahead of Timmy Hansen, and Klara Andersson rounding out the top six.

"We got both cars to the final, which is a positive. Unfortunately, I took a big hit, and that ruined the final for me today. But even though it wasn't our best weekend, I'm really happy and grateful for the support from all our partners and fans who were here, supporting us through the good and the bad. I'm looking forward to Portugal and returning to a track where we have great memories," Klara Andersson said. 

World RX returns next month to Montalegre in Portugal, a venue, that should suit the electric-powered cars over their internal combustion counterparts, with the high elevation nature. 

"It will be tough, we will not give up but will do our best to hold off," Kristoffersson says looking ahead to Portugal next month. 

As it stands, in the 'Battle of Technologies', ICE leads with four victories to two for EV!

2024 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS - CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS [AFTER ROUND 6]:

1) Johan Kristoffersson (KMS-HORSE Powertrain) - 153 POINTS

2) Ole Christian Veiby (KMS-HORSE Powertrain) - 114

3) Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) - 110

4) Timmy Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) - 109

5) Niclas Gronholm (CE Dealer Team) - 99

6) Klara Andersson (CE Dealer Team) - 95

7) Rene Munnich (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) - 53

8) Anthony Pelfrene (JDM Raptor Racing) - 51

9) Gustav Bergstrom (Kristoffersson Motorsport) - 33

10) Jankó Wieszt (Impossible RX Team) - 28

11) Sondre Evjen (Kristoffersson Motorsport) - 15

Thursday 15 August 2024

PREVIEW: Rivals target points and podiums, whilst championship leader Kristoffersson targets a trouble-free Belgian weekend.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool
After a dramatic double-header in Nyirád, Hungary, for Rounds 3 and 4, the FIA World Rallycross Championship travels 1,290.6 kilometers to Mettet, Belgium for another action-packed double-header. 

Since the championship's inception in 2014, Mettet formed part of the inaugural World RX calendar, and ten years on, it will play host to rounds 5 and 6 in 2024.

Mettet is a happy stomping ground for six-time World Champion Johan Kristoffersson, who has six wins to his record and returns to Belgium with a healthy 25-point lead in the championship. 

The Swede has won three out of the four rounds this season and will look to add more glory to his ever-growing record. 

His team-mate Ole Christian Veiby, who recently became a father before the Hungarian double-header, finds himself second in the overall classification, but hot on his heels, are the CE Dealer Team duo of Niclas Grönholm and Klara Andersson, who are tied on points, but just nine points behind the Norweigan. 

Grönholm, in his electric-powered PWR RX1e, profited from an incident involving Kristoffersson and Kevin Hansen on Saturday afternoon in Hungary claiming his first win for an electric car in the 'Battle of Technologies' era.

After a challenging start to the campaign, the Hansen World RX team is aiming to bounce back in Belgium. Reflecting on the team’s last outing, Kevin Hansen showed good pace throughout the weekend but was unlucky to not come away with a better result in Hungary, following a dramatic clash with Kristoffersson in Saturday’s final that denied him a shot at victory.

Bringing up the rear of the field is Anthony Pelfrene, who has reached the semi-final stages and is currently eighth in the standings ahead of ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport's René Münnich both are piloting sustainably fuelled combustion-powered cars. 

The World RX of Benelux will also mark the halfway point of the 2024 Championship, so get strapped in and ready for some exhilarating action! 

THE TRACK: CIRCUIT JULES TACHENY [METTET]

THE TRACK INFORMATION:

Track Length: 1079 meters in length

Joker Lap: 1231 meters 

Tarmac/Dirt: 60%/40%

World RX Debut: 2014

The Jules Tacheny circuit has hosted the FIA World Rallycross Championship in the past, between 2014 and 2018 and 2023. With its demanding, winding course, the circuit has always offered an exceptional spectacle to its public, who are ideally situated to see all the action on track. Like its British counterparts at Lydden Hill and German counterpart at Estering, the Circuit Jules Tacheny shaped the beginnings of the intense and unique sport of rallycross. The succession of bends on gravel and asphalt offers ideal conditions for hellish sprints punctuated by contact and cascading skids.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool
TALK THE TALK:

KMS-HORSE Powertrain

DRIVER: Johan Kristoffersson: 

"There were some things I wasn't happy with there [in Hungary]. I put myself into situations where I became vulnerable and exposed. It won't do. I have to act smarter and be sharp. I think it's okay for us, not as good as the one in Hungary, but better than Portugal, which awaits next time. Here there are two long accelerations, but also technical parts. It's important that the whole team does a good job and that we don't get any technical issues."

DRIVER: Ole Christian Veiby

"Three out of four on the podium so far. It's not so bad, but now it's time to recharge for a new weekend and pick up more points. It is important to stay away from the worst fights in the start. The first turn looks a bit the same this time. We have to think about the championship as well". 

HANSEN WORLD RX TEAM

DRIVER: Timmy Hansen

“We looked strong in Hungary but never ended up on the podium which we were hoping for. We stayed there testing after the race and made some good progress and I think we can bring that into Belgium. We are starting to understand how the tyres are working and how we need to approach setting up the car which we’re excited to put into practice this weekend. Despite no podiums, we have still reached every final which highlights our consistency and aids our championship fight. Kevin and I will give it everything we’ve got for the rest of the season and hopefully we can get both cars on the podium this weekend.”

DRIVER: Kevin Hansen

“We are looking forward to Belgium and it’s nice to be back with full power as last year we had to race with our RX2e cars. Unfortunately, the race doesn’t start with a longer straight, which would favour our electric car, however there are some later on in the circuit which will allow us to stretch our legs and maximise our car’s full potential. The test after Hungary really helped us understand the car better so hopefully this will make us a little more comfortable and quicker so we can challenge in Belgium.”

CE DEALER TEAM 

DRIVER: Niclas Gronholm

“It is great to return to Mettet after a long time and showcase electric and sustainable motorsport to our Belgian fans and partners. I believe our car is well-suited to this track. Now it is all about having a strong weekend overall. We need solid results on both days to stay in the fight for the championship"

DRIVER: Klara Andersson

"Sharing third place in the standings with Niclas is fantastic. We are determined to fight for the title as a team. This year, we have been able to leverage each other's strengths to develop both the cars and ourselves. I believe we are the strongest team in the championship, with the most potential of all." 

“I am incredibly excited to head to Belgium. It is my first time on this track. It will be challenging, but I am looking forward to it. This weekend is all about delivering and gathering points, but it is going to be tough as always."

2024 FIA WORLD RX OF BENELUX: ENTRY LIST

Johan Kristoffersson (KMS-Horse Powertrain) - VW Polo KMS 601 RX

Ole Christian Veiby (KMS-Horse Powertrain) - VW Polo KMS 601 RX

Timmy Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) - Peugeot 208 RX1e

Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) - Peugeot 208 RX1e

Niclas Gronholm (CE Dealer Team) - PWR RX1e

Klara Andersson (CE Dealer Team) - PWR RX1e

Rene Munnich (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) - Seat Ibiza

Anthony Pelfrene (JDM Raptor Racing) - Peugeot 208 WRX

Round 5 & 6 - World RX of Benelux (CAT Times)

SATURDAY:
HEAT 1: 11:56
HEAT 2: 14:00
SEMI-FINAL: 16:00
FINAL: 16:38
PODIUM: 16:50

SUNDAY:
HEAT 1: 11:15
HEAT 2: 12:35
SEMI-FINAL: 15:00
FINAL: 15:40
PODIUM: 15:50

2024 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS - CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS [AFTER ROUND 4]:
1) Johan Kristoffersson (KMS-HORSE Powertrain) - 101 POINTS

2) Ole Christian Veiby (KMS-HORSE Powertrain) - 76

3) Niclas Gronholm (CE Dealer Team) - 67

4) Klara Andersson (CE Dealer Team) - 67

5) Timmy Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) - 66

6) Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) - 65

7) Gustav Bergstrom (Kristoffersson Motorsport) - 33

8) Anthony Pelfrene (JDM Raptor Racing) - 32

9) Jankó Wieszt (Impossible RX Team) - 28

10) Rene Munnich (ALL-INLK Munnich Motorsport) - 27

11) Sondre Evjen (Kristoffersson Motorsport) - 15