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Each of the three manufacturers either supporting or running teams in the World Rallycross Championship have crossed the finish line of a final first in the opening three rounds of the year.
Although only Volkswagen and Peugeot have officially won, Mattias Ekstrom crossed the finish line of the season opener in Spain first aboard his Audi, before being demoted for first-corner contact that eliminated Petter Solberg and promoted reigning champion Johan Kristoffersson onto the top step of the podium.
The fact is, compared to a season of Solberg’s PSRX Volkswagen outfit taking the lion’s share of success last term, 2018 has been fiercely competitive so far.
Kristoffersson leads, having been handed victory in Spain and then capitalising when EKS Audi Sport drivers Ekstrom and Andreas Bakkerud tripped over each other at the start of the semi-finals in Portugal. That let Kristoffersson take a race win which gave him pole position for the final and a snowy race victory. Peugeot driver Sebastien Loeb finished second in the opening two rounds before winning round three in Belgium. That triumph has moved him up to second in the standings, while Kristoffersson only managed fifth.
Loeb has had his share of issues too, though: he only made the round one semi finals after the squad withdrew former MSA Junior Rallycross champion Kevin Hansen to allow the Frenchman to progress.
Team-mate Timmy Hansen has also been on impressive form in 2018. He dominated semi final two in Spain until an electrical problem brought his Peugeot 208 to a halt, hit a barrier in Portugal while fighting for a podium and was then spun at the start of his semi final in Belgium. That final problem was a precursor to Hansen delivering one of the greatest fightbacks in World RX history to make it into the final and finish on the podium.
Volkswagen has undeniable pace, EKS’S Audis the most top qualifying times – five – of any team so far this season and Peugeot is on a roll. Any one of at least six drivers could claim the top step of the podium at Silverstone this weekend, while the battle to make the semi finals will be even tougher between the permanent privateer outfits (such as GCK, GRX and Olsbergsmse) and wildcard entries from MJP Racing, Marklund Motorsport and Albatec Racing. ■