DRIVER RATINGS
1 Johan Kristoffersson
Car: Volkswagen Polo R Team: PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Wins: 11
Podiums: 11 Being champion doesn’t guarantee being top of this list, but on his current form there is nowhere else to place Kristoffersson. The 2017 campaign was considered a near-unrepeatable task for the Swede, but he smashed his own records this term, and won the Swedish Touring Car title to boot.
2 Niclas Gronholm
Car: Hyundai i20 Team: GRX Taneco Team Wins: 0 Podiums: 0 Having a famous surname opens doors, but also brings its own expectations. Prior to 2018, it could be questioned if Gronholm shared the traits of his twice Wrc-winning father Marcus, but this year he raised his level significantly in GRX’S Wrc-derived Hyundai i20 and was regularly best of the nonworks drivers. He only just missed a maiden podium, all while bettering his experienced team-mate too.
3 Andreas Bakkerud
Car: Audi S1 Team: EKS Audi Sport Wins: 0 Podiums: 6 A number of drivers partnered Mattias Ekstrom in the DTM champion’s EKS team in his five-year World RX career, but seldom did they better or even match the Swede’s results. In his first and now seemingly only year with the squad, Bakkerud was neck-and-neck with Ekstrom throughout the campaign and fought with the Swede for runner-up in the standings to the final round.
4Timmy Hansen
Car: Peugeot 208 Team: Team Peugeot Total Wins: 0 Podiums: 2 Had it not been for a trio of penalties, Hansen would have finished two points behind team-mate Sebastien Loeb in the standings. In the pair’s three terms as team-mates, Hansen matched Loeb throughout and nearly joined the rally legend on the 2018 winners list but for a mistake on the opening lap in the Canadian final.
5 Guerlain Chicherit
Car: Renault Megane R.S. Team: GC Kompetition Wins: 0 Podiums: 0 Chicherit entered his maiden full-time campaign with the most eagerly-anticipated car on the grid, Prodrive’s revolutionary Renault Megane R.S. RX. Having raced under-developed or aging cars in previous years, it was hard to gauge Chicherit’s level, but he rose to the challenge of a proper programme and delivered a succession of strong performances.