Although the FIA RX2e Championship is pretty rich in talent in 2022, practically not losing anything to 2021, one name has been standing out for justified reasons, and Viktor Vranckx completed an outstanding weekend at Hell with his second win the championship, having to be nearly perfect to beat the good form of Isak Sjökvist and Nils Andersson.
Viktor Vranckx was the top qualifier with his track performance showing exactly why he was able to outpace Isak Sjökvist and Nils Andersson, with only a messy Heat 3 getting in his way to a perfect Qualifying. A number of entrants from other competitions was present, along with a special guest into ski downhill champion Aksel Lund Svindal, but Extreme E’s Lance Woolridge and Laia Sanz, along with British RX’s Mark Flaherty stayed at the lower half of the table, having some difficulty to keep track of the rallycross specialists.
With Progression serving only as means for deciding the Semifinal grids, it was more of a session to compare pace rather than fight for survival, with Vranckx staying just behind Sjökvist, although Vranckx looked more like he was saving himself and his car for the final part.
Semifinal 1 had everybody wanting a piece of ground on Turn 1, only to see Vranckx lead Pablo Suárez and Patrick O’Donovan while Woolridge and Lund Svindal crashed, with the Norwegian having terminal damage in his car. Early Jokers for the chasers meant that Vranckx would have to go flawless to cover them, which he had no difficulty to do, which secured spots for the Belgian and for the Spanish in the Final.
In Semifinal 2, Sjökvist would have similar levels of competition with Andersson, Raul Ferre and Laia Sanz having an honest shot, but although the top four kept a close distance during the whole race, Sjökvist and Andersson were clear of any pressure, keeping positions and the Final spots while bringing Ferre on a hook to outpace O’Donovan’s time to get the fifth spot.
The Final lineup was the strongest possible, so the minimal mistake would be incredibly costly, and the inside line worked like a charm for Vranckx while Andersson and Sjökvist were slowing down themselves and boxing Ferre and Suárez in their mess, but despite having a good cushion from the Swedes, Vranckx wouldn’t be able to Joker and go back in front until the Final Lap, confirming a much deserved win on a great weekend, with Andersson and Sjökvist completing the podium.
Vranckx leads the table with 40 points while Andersson is second with 32, Sjökvist has 26 in third and Ferre is fourth with 24. The next FIA RX2e weekend will be at Riga on 3 and 4 September.
PHOTO: Red Bull Content Pool
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