Kristoffersson on top before Ekstrom again strikes back
In a repeat of the results from the opening World Rallycross Championship weekend in Sweden, Johan Kristoffersson and
Mattias Ekstrom claimed a win each at the Bikernieki circuit in Latvia at the third instalment of double-headers for the series.
Kristoffersson again won on the opening day, while Ekstrom fought back to win on day two, this time by not only outsmarting but outpacing the Volkswagen Polo driver.
Kristoffersson managed his tyre allocation perfectly to save the best rubber for the semi-final and final on Saturday, and from pole position he won the main event, hounded by Ekstrom, who hadn’t managed the same level of tyre preservation with his JC Raceteknik-run Audi S1.
Ekstrom, a master tactician, worked hard on the set-up of his car overnight to ensure better tyre wear on day two. He knew that to beat fellow Swede Kristoffersson he needed to have pole for the final. And, almost as important if he is to challenge for a second drivers’ title, he needed to take points away from his rival in qualifying too.
Session wins in Q1 and Q2 on Sunday morning were enough for Ekstrom to top qualifying. He then perfectly executed the semi-final and final from pole position, this time around matching Kristoffersson by having new tyres for the final encounter, and thus closed the gap to the series leader. The gap is now 17 points, with these two well clear of the rest.
Robin Larsson made it a double KYB Team JC Audi podium on Sunday, while reigning champion Timmy Hansen had been third on Saturday in his family-run Peugeot.