Ni tiss: one step back for two forwards

Latvian hero Reinis Nitiss began his rallycross Supercar career in the inaugural running of the World Rallycross Championship in 2014.

Driving one of the best cars in the field, he beat Petter Solberg hands down to win the third ever World RX event, in Norway.

It was the kind of performance that had netted him the European Rallycross Super1600 crown with the SET Promotion team the previous year. But since, certainly since the latter stages of 2015, Nitiss had arguably lost a bit of that panache and killer instinct.

Driving for the EKS squad last season, he only made a single final. Without the budget for a full World RX campaign in 2018, Nitiss struck a deal with SET Promotion to drive an M-sport built Ford Fiesta Supercar in Euro RX, and in the opening round in Barcelona dominated with his form reminiscent of 2013.

Pushed off at the first corner of Q1, Nitiss was then fastest every time he went on track and led the final throughout to score victory and take the points lead.

Reigning champion Anton Marklund, driving a brand new Volkswagen Polo, stalled on the grid of the final and had to fight back from last position to finish second, while triple Andros Trophy champion Jean-baptiste Dubourg completed the podium.

Super1600 graduate Ulrik Linnemann initially finished fourth but dropped to fifth with a post-race five-second penalty, elevating Eklund Motorsport Volkswagen Beetle driver Philip Gehrman to fifth.

Irish campaigner Derek Tohill finished the event ninth overall.