The debut of the second tier of the rallycross ladder is officially in action, as Guillaume De Ridder dominated every single session held at Barcelona for the FIA RX2e Series, the first step of a new electric era in the World RX support bill.
The first RX2e grid wasn't only attractive because of the new race EVs, but also was an interesting mix of experiences, with national level predominating, although on the top you can see some names with RX1 experience, like former World RX driver Guillaume De Ridder, RallyX Nordic event winner Fraser McConnell, as well the Finn Jesse Kallio.
Guillaume De Ridder was the star of the qualifying in his comeback to the second tier of the rallycross ladder, doing a clean sweep with four flawless drives, and despite the best efforts of runner-up Fraser McConnell and the third placed Jesse Kallio, all they could do was follow the Belgian in hopes for a mistake that never came.
Semifinal 1 had De Ridder in control of the field and keeping the lead against the pressure exerted by Kallio. The Finnish driver opted for a later Joker to enjoy some clean air, and despite opening the gap, it wasn't enough to counter De Ridder's efforts, so the Belgian led the Finnish while Ole Henry Steinsholt had almost a solo race in third place.
In Semifinal 2, McConnell had the advantage but Pablo Suárez tried a risky outside move, only to be pressed briefly by Patrick O'Donovan, then resuming his offensive movement towards McConnell. While McConnell cruised to victory, Suarez' rough driving almost cost him the second place due to O'Donovan's pressure, but eventually the Spanish put himself in a safer position, leaving the RX Racing driver in third.
The Final saw De Ridder go into defensive mode to protect the lead while Kallio and McConnell were in the chasing pack chaos, which resulted in a contact and a spin for the Jamaican and the Finn, leaving almost open way for the Belgian. Steinsholt tried his best to close down on De Ridder, but the Belgian kept pulling faster laps, then securing his first RX2e win in 2021.
FIA RX2e - Barcelona event results
De Ridder leaves Barcelona with the full score of 30 points, while McConnell is second with 22 and Steinsholt, Suárez and Kallio share the third place with 21 points.
The next RX2e round will be during the Höljes RX weekend on 22 August.
PHOTO: FIA World Rallycross Championship
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