World Rallycross report:france
It was a strong weekend for the Peugeot driver meaning the title race has closed right up. By Hal Ridge
Taking a cursory look at the results sheet alone, it could appear that Timmy Hansen dominated the French round of the World Rallycross Championship, but he didn’t. Not by a long way.
While the former circuit racer lifted himself right back into title contention at Loheac by being one point shy of taking an event maximum, the Swede’s weekend was far from straightforward and any one of eight drivers could have claimed victory.
At a track that has historically suited both his driving style and the Peugeot 208, Hansen, who had failed to qualify for the semi-finals at the previous round in Canada, was quickest in
Free Practice on Saturday morning.
But, having joined brother and points leader Kevin as the last two drivers to get to select their grid position in the Q1 draw, Timmy Hansen was in the lesspreferable outside slots for Q1. However, a good start and then an overtake on Niclas Gronholm meant he took a race win and was second quickest to returning Toomas Heikkinen, the former Audi World RX driver making a one-off appearance in a GRX Hyundai.
Heikkinen would end day one in second, however, one place ahead of Timo Scheider. Reigning Euro RX Super1600 champion Rokas Baciuska set the fastest time in Q2 aboard GCK’S Renault Megane, the first fastest time for the machine, to climb into top spot.
Timmy Hansen meanwhile battled Heikkinen through Q2 and was eighth.
Sunday morning’s Q3 session at Loheac is renowned for being one of the season’s qualifiers with the biggest track evolution as the dew of a Brittany morning gets burnt off the abrasive surface.
Andreas Bakkerud made the best start from fourth on the grid in the reversed-order opening race and set a time that wouldn’t be beaten to move to top of the order. He was then beaten by Hansen, who made the best start in his Q4 race to set the fastest time.
Having dropped down the order after Q3, Baciuska climbed back to second in the Intermediate Classification to bag pole for semi-final two, but all eyes were on the front row of semi-final one, where title protagonists Timmy Hansen and Bakkerud would start.
After qualifying, thanks to a strong run and points leader Kevin Hansen only managing 10th overall, Bakkerud had climbed to the top of the standings. He put fresh rubber to best use in the semi-final to take the lead at the first corner and score victory ahead of Timmy Hansen.
In the second semi, while Niclas Gronholm made the best launch and disappeared into the distance, Kevin Hansen climbed from running fifth on the opening tour to capitalise when Scheider lost time battling with Bacisuka before a final-lap joker and the younger Hansen also made it into the final, surviving final-corner contact with Scheider and Timur Timerzyanov to take a spot on row three.
In the main event, Bakkerud and Gronholm made the best launch from the front row but, as Gronholm closed the door on Bakkerud’s Audi into Turn 1, the Norwegian ran deep.
That forced the pair wide and opened the door for the pack to move through on the inside of the right-hander.
Timmy Hansen took the lead and never looked like being beaten, while Swede Anton Marklund, who yet again quietly went about his business in GCK’S Megane though the weekend, went around the outside of team-mate Baciuska at Turn 2 for second.
Baciuska was the first to take his joker, followed by Bakkerud, on the opening tour. Gronholm responded on lap two, but dropped to the rear of the pack. Marklund was the next to move, returning to the main circuit on lap four in third, just ahead of his team-mate.
Surprisingly though, it was the race leader, Timmy Hansen who was the first of the Hansen Peugeots to joker, on lap five, returning to the lead while Kevin behind, who needed to joker on the final tour, looked like he would be overtaken by at least Marklund but also Baciuska for the final podium place.
In his final lap joker, Kevin Hansen sent his 208 sideways thought the chicane and remained pointing the wrong direction at the joker exit, admitting afterwards to taking the corner a gear higher than he had all weekend, and just edged Baciuska into the next left-hander.
A nudge in the rear from Baciuska’s Megane aided Hansen’s rotation into the correct direction and he finished third in an impressive recovery drive.
Bakkerud now leads the standings with two rounds in Latvia and Cape Town remaining, just two points ahead of the Hansen brothers, tied in second. Marklund impressed with another podium, while second and fourth made for the GCK team’s best ever result. Bakkerud finished fifth with Gronholm sixth.
Heikkinen didn’t make it out of the semis, while Liam Doran struggled for progress after being forced wide at Turn 1 of semi-final two. Oliver Bennett had his event ended in Q4 after a shunt.