Guerlain Chicherit replaces Kevin Abbring at UNKORRUPTED for German double-header.

PHOTO CREDIT: GCK Motorsport

Following a headline-grabbing announcement earlier this week confirming GCK Motorsport's return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2022. 

Guerlain Chicherit has today confirmed that he will replace Kevin Abbring for the season finale (double-header) at the Nurburgring this weekend. 

"I couldn't turn down a chance to visit..." Chicherit said. "Really excited to come back to World RX this weekend for a double-header at Nurburgring with UNKORRUPTED, standing in for my friend Kevin Abbring."

Abbring, who has raced the UNKORRUPTED Renault Megane R.S. RX this season qualified for the finals on three occasions this season, including a podium finish in Sweden and a fourth place in France a round later. He, unfortunately, missed the Portuguese round last month which resulted in a 10,000 euro fine for the team. The Dutchman will finish the championship in sixth overall (on 97 points). 

The team will avoid another penalty this weekend, as Guerlain takes the steering wheel of the Renault Mégane R.S. RX, he last raced in 2019. 

The team confirms: "Kevin was unable to make it so Guerlain jumped in."

After a 13-month absence from the World RX grid, the Frenchman returns in what is expected to be a proper wintery affair (snow). 

UNKORRUPTED's Abbring claims fourth at inaugural outing on French soil.

PHOTO CREDIT: UNKORRUPTED

Following on from a podium finish last time out in Sweden, round 3 of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented Kevin Abbring with unknown challenges at the famous Lohéac track, where the Dutchman finished fourth in his inaugural outing on French soil. 

In his inaugural race weekend in Lohéac, Abbring used Saturday’s free practice session to get a feel for the 1,070m long track before lining up against Enzo Ide, Johan Kristofferson, Timmy Hansen, and O’Donovan for race one of the first qualifier.

A fierce battle over 4 race laps, saw Abbring squeeze by Ide in the very last corner to finish the race in third.

On pole for Q2, the Dutchman won the battle through the first few corners with Scheider to come out in the lead, a position he managed to defend even when rejoining the track following the joker in lap 3. He took the chequered flag with the second-fastest time of Q2 putting him in third overnight behind Kristofferson and Gronholm.

Having set the sixth-fastest time in fourth overall in the third qualifier, Kevin started the final qualifier of the race weekend on pole. He had a good launch, racing to the chequered flag and claiming the fourth-fastest time of the qualifying session.

In the semi-final, Abbring was fourth off the line and jokered on lap 2 finishing the race in 4th-place, missing out on third by one-tenth of a second. 

As a substitute for the final, Kevin Abbring was allowed to enter the final in sixth after Kristoffersson failed to make the pre-grid in third. Launching off the line, he jokered straight away and worked his way up, overtaking Szabo and Scheider in the process finishing in fourth-place. 

"It’s been an important race weekend of learning for us - it was the first time on this track for me, so I had to adjust and quickly get a feel for the car on this awesome French circuit," Abbring said. 

"We changed setups a few times on Saturday morning and were able to optimise performance alongside my growing knowledge of the flow of the track. We had great pace yesterday after getting the feel for the track after Q1.

"We just didn’t have the pace for a podium finish, and it's something we have to review as a team. It was great to be driving in front of so many spectators, a fantastic track and atmosphere and I'm ready to push for the podium at the next event in Latvia."

Abbring claims first ever podium in the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Abbring/UNKORRUPTED

Flying Dutchman Kevin Abbring claimed his and the teams' first-ever podium at round two of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in Höljes. 

After showing a glimpse of speed in the first round of the championship last time out at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona, Abbring had a very good start to the weekend finishing second in the practice sessions.  

Following a good start to the weekend in Q1, the 32-year-old was turned into the barrier by Enzo Ide on the inside line of the joker. He was able to restart the car and then proceeded to put the fastest lap times (42.897s) on the clock as he caught up to the pack, finishing in 4th with the 8th fastest time in the first qualifier.

Q2 saw Abbring avoid contact into the first corner slotting into third-place but lost time in traffic following the joker which saw him cross the line fourth. Placed eighth overnight, he admitted that there was more pace to come on the following day. 

PHOTO CREDIT: UNKORRUPTED.

A day later, Abbring posted the fastest time in the morning warm-up. Q3 saw the UNKORRUPTED driver get a good start slotting into second in the first corner, from there he jokered straight away. Having battled into the lead, he took the chequered flag to win the qualifier (heat), with another fastest lap time as well as the fastest time of the qualifier moving up in the standings to third overall.

On pole for Q4, Kevin took another first lap joker coming out in 4th. His pace allowed him to chase down the pack over the remaining laps, claiming two positions to cross the finish line in second, securing a spot on the first row of the semi-final.

Having started the final race from the second row of the grid, Abbring pushed ahead into the second before diving into the joker coming out in fifth. He used his pace to his advantage quickly chasing down those ahead (Rytkonen and Szabo). After a few laps, Kevin was right behind Rytkonen and Szabo quickly gaining positions when they took the joker lap, bagging his and UNKORRUPTED's first-ever rallycross podium. 

"I’m super pleased with this result - the team has been working so hard, it’s great to see us convert on the track and end up on the podium, really proud of everyone," Abbring said. "We started off the season showing promising pace and here in Holjes, kicked it up a notch again."

"We put down leading times in both the semi and the final, which gives the whole team such a boost ahead of the upcoming event in France. I absolutely loved this spectacular track here in Sweden, and it was great to race in front of fans to take my first podium in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Now onto France, where I'm hoping for even better results."

Kevin Abbring leaves Sweden fourth in the championship standings on 37 points. 

Hansen brothers secure 1-2 finish in Höljes as hard work pays off.

PHOTO CREDIT: Red Bull Content Pool.

Timmy Hansen won the Swecon World RX of Sweden in Höljes, leading home team-mate Kevin Hansen in a 1-2 finish for the Hansen World RX Team.

It all looked set for a humdinger of a weekend in Sweden, as championship leader Kevin Hansen led the championship with reigning champion Johan Kristoffersson looking to claim his first victory of the season but, the Hansen's had other plans. 

Johan might have won Q1 on Saturday, but Timmy Hansen fought back to level things out on Sunday. 

Having battled through Q3 and Q4, Timmy Hansen led the intermediate rankings ahead of the reigning champion Kristoffersson in second followed by an impressive Kevin Abbring, Krisztián Szabó, Niclas Gronholm, and Kevin Hansen. 

In the first semi-final, Timmy led home a fast charging Abbring and Juha Rytkönen to seal a place in the final, whilst Kristoffersson failed to finish due to a front-right puncture that ended his weekend rather prematurely. 

Round one winner, Kevin Hansen capitalized on Johan's disappointment winning semi-final two ahead of Szabó and Belgian Ide also qualifying for the final.

The Hansen brothers locked out the front row of the final on used tyres, with those behind bolting on new tyres. 

From pole position, Timmy had a very good start with Kevin holding the outside line into turn one. Opting for an alternate strategy, Kevin Abbring and Enzo Ide took her jokers on lap one. Whilst Timmy led Kevin followed by Rytkönen and Szabó.

As the Hansen brothers' pulled clear of their nearest rivals, Rytkonen and Szabó came under pressure from a charging Abbring. 

The Dutchman ultimately jumped both of them as the race progressed, with Timmy and Kevin taking their joker on the final lap to record another 1-2 and claim an 11th career race win. 

It wasn't all smooth sailing with constant adjustments and tweaking (including a gearbox change for Kevin Hansen) throughout the weekend to unlock more speed. 

Timmy Hansen fully credits the Hansen World RX Team mechanics for victory in Höljes today. 

"Our mechanics are the winners keeping our cars together. Sometimes we take it for granted and it is a reminder of the incredible work they are doing. I am so, so happy. 1-2 again," he said.

The 2019 World Rallycross Champion now holds the lead in the championship after two rounds (on 57 points) six points ahead of Kevin Hansen, with Szabó third followed by Abbring with reigning champion Kristoffersson down to fifth.

Swecon World RX of Sweden - FINAL RESULTS

GRAPHICS CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross

FIA World RX Championship Standings after Round 2. 

"No way we leave" disappointed as Abbring fights with 3 gears.

PHOTO CREDIT: UNKORRUPTED.

The 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship got underway with a bang at Barcelona in Spain, where UNKORRUPTED's Kevin Abbring claimed a sixth-place finish, leaving the curtain-raiser with 14 Championship points.  

Abbring impressed with promising pace from the offset, demonstrating the work that had gone into improving the Mégane R.S. RX. He won his first qualifier and continued in the same way in the 2nd qualifier, leading the pack until he clipped a track barrier and damaged his front right wing on the last lap, pushing him wide off the track, from where he finished that race in 4th.

Having finished day 1 in seventh overall and with the team having fixed the car overnight following the impact in Q2, the Dutchman kicked off day 2 in style, posting the 3rd fastest time in the morning warm-up.

Back in fighting form on Sunday morning, the Dutchman won his third qualifier despite some contact with Attila Mozer on the straight costing him significant time.

The last qualifier saw Kevin race into the lead for another qualifier win with the 6th fastest time of the qualifier and eighth overall in the intermediate rankings, bagging himself a spot on the 2nd row of the 2nd semi-final.

The semi-finals saw plenty of drama and following a massive fight into the first corner, where he managed to race into second despite losing two gears through the impact. He dropped into third upon re-joining the track following his joker and defended his position until he crossed the finish line for a place in the final.

With no time to get the car fixed in time for the final, Kevin lined up on the third row of the grid and carried his Mégane R.S. RX across the line in 6th place overall.

"It’s been a fantastic race weekend here in Barcelona and so good to see fans in the race stands again. We put down some great fights, showed good pace, and I’m pumped about the work we’ve put in as a team," Abbring said. 

"There’s always room for improvement but to race into the final despite having only 3 gears and having waited to race for so long, there’s no way we leave this place disappointed. We’ve shown we deserve to be amongst the top of the FIA World Rallycross Championship and I’m super excited to head to Sweden next."

17-strong grid confirmed for Catalunya curtain-raiser

PHOTO CREDIT: FIA World Rallycross Media.

The entry lists for the 2021 FIA World Rallycross Championship curtain-raiser in Catalunya next month (23/24 July) have today been revealed, with a 17-car grid for World RX setting the scene for a sensational weekend’s racing in Spain.

The World RX line-up is headlined by defending champion Johan Kristoffersson, who is chasing a fourth World Championship crown this year after switching to Audi machinery for the first time with KYB EKS JC.

Kristoffersson will face a stiff challenge, as 2019 champion Timmy Hansen and younger brother Kevin return armed with their updated Peugeot 208 and Niclas Grönholm hungrier than ever in his Hyundai. 

Kevin Abbring should also not be discounted in the UNKORRUPTED Renault Mégane, particularly after his scene-stealing World RX debut in Norway two years ago.

A number of interesting ‘wild cards’, have the potential to spring a surprise, including two-time Euro RX Supercar Champion Timur Timerzyanov – an 11th-hour addition to the field with GRX-SET – Juha Rytkönen, who made such an impression on home soil at Kouvola last year returns behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta, whilst double DTM champion Timo Scheider, will spearhead a three-strong ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport assault.

The release of today's entry list marks the beginning of a new era under the stewardship of Rallycross Promoter GmbH, and also the end of the era, as Andreas Bakkerud will not return as a permanent entrant in 2021. The Norweigan has been a permanent entrant since the championship's inception back in 2014. 

"I feel faster than I've ever been" warns Kevin Abbring.

PHOTO CREDIT: GCK Motorsport

Dutch racer Kevin Abbring returns to contest the full FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2021 behind the wheel of the 'UNKORRUPTED' Renault Mégane R.S. RX, and he has warned his fellow rivals that he feels "faster than ever." 

The 32-year-old began his motorsport career in rallycross - winning the Dutch and Belgian titles three times by the age of 16, before switching to rallying in 2017, achieving success on the international stage in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship and making history becoming the youngest driver ever to win a JWRC round.

In 2019, he returned to rallycross, competing in two rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship with ES Motorsport, impressing many after claiming two fourth-place finishes, and even leading the final on his debut in Hell, Norway in tricky weather conditions. 

A year later, the Dutchman joined GCK Motorsport as the development driver for their rallycross and cross-country programmes, and make his World RX return for the Finnish double-header in Kouvola to assist the "UNKORRUPTED" team after a rather challenging season.

Guerlain Chicherit driving the Renault Mégane R.S. RX.
PHOTO CREDIT: GCK Motorsport

With GCK not returning to the World Championship until its switch electric in 2022, Kevin has chosen to partner with French engineering company FORS Technologies to race for a Championship win in 2021. Having raced under team name UNKORRUPTED last season, he decided to take to the start line under the same team name this year.

While Kevin’s work on green motorsport development programmes will continue throughout 2021, he’s committed to using this season to push for the world title in rallycross as preparations continue for the switch to electric.

"I’ve been working on some incredible projects, and I’m really excited about the future of motorsport. To get the chance to contest an entire championship at world level in parallel this season is something I’ve been working on for such a long time now," Kevin Abbring said.

"Thanks to the latest projects and test activities I have been involved in, I feel faster than I’ve ever been. I’ve worked with every team member closely before and I’m starting to understand the Mégane better and better. I can’t wait to push for victories together!"

UNKORRUPTED make strides in right direction.

PHOTO CREDIT: GC Kompetition.

UNKORRUPTED has made strides in the right direction after a difficult start to the 2020 FIA World Rallycross Championship. 

For the first time since 2014, the tight and technical Kouvola track (Finland) returned to the championship, bringing along with it a driver change at UNKORRUPTED. 

Despite Rokas Baciuska's 11th-place finish in Sweden, he took a step back and made way for Dutchman Kevin Abbring who would return to World RX in the second Renault Clio in a bid to help the team find much-needed performance. 

On Saturday (round 1), Guerlain Chicherit missed out on a place in the semi-finals by two points after finishing Q4 in fourteenth overall. Whilst his teammate Kevin Abbring also showed glimpses of pace, until his prop shaft broke dropping him to 17th overall.

Tricky conditions greeted the French squad on Sunday, creating extremely slippery and quick-changing conditions throughout the day. It was another opportunity for the team to test the Clio R.S. RX in a bid to improve the cars' traction in wet conditions. Kevin Abbring tested a different setup to Chicherit for the team to gather data and feedback quicker. The Dutchman struggled with his car's grip finishing Q1 in 15th overall. 

Abbring fought back in Q2 sending it around the outside of Timur Timerzyanov to take the lead before a battle with Liam Doran saw Abbring drop to third behind Doran and Timerzyanov, but soon after Liam's front right driveshaft snapped. And in the end, Kevin would finish in third with teammate Guerlain in fourth. 

Q3 posed a unique challenge, as the UNKORRUPTED pair would race on a devolving track. Chicherit would finish his quali heat in 4th, while Abbring finished behind his fellow GCK stable mate Anton Marklund in fifth-place, which meant both of them would not qualify for the semi-finals. 

"We saw some progress today in lap times, both on dry and wet and while this is promising, we still have a long way to go," Chicherit said.

"The last few weekends have been an uphill climb for us and we’re just trying to find out as much as possible in the short time that we have to make changes. It’s been hard for the team, the mechanics, engineers, and us drivers, especially as the car has not been reacting consistently and very differently to what we achieved in tests throughout the winter."

"We now have a few weeks ahead of the next round and we’ll definitely make use of those!”

Kevin Abbring believes that the set-up changes they've done in Kouvola have brought the team a step close to understanding where the car is lacking.

"We’ve done so many things since Sweden and sometimes it’s hard to know what works and what doesn’t but I think in the end, we’re a step closer to what it is that the car is lacking," Abbring said. "If you look at Q2, the car gave me a lot of confidence, a really good start and a nice send into turn 1, so that’s positive. In Q3 in the rain, we didn’t quite hit the right pace on the tarmac but on the gravel, I was one of the strongest in the sector."

"The overall results may not seem like that yet but we’re getting there."

Written By - Junaid Samodien