Kristoffersson conquers first event of Cape Town RX double header

After three months of interruption, the FIA World Rallycross Championship scrapped the rest of the European section and resumed activities at the Killarney Circuit in Cape Town, South Africa, with an alternative plan to the RX1e class that saw a field of Zeroid X1 RX2e cars but with Johan Kristoffersson still being the dominant force despite the closer gap to the competition.
 
Despite the fact that most of the field did some competitive mileage in the Zeroid X1, they still had to learn how to navigate the Killarney Circuit in the new car, and knowing the limits of the car led to some awkward braking while turn exits could also be quite tricky. Curiously, Timo Scheider, one of those without previous experience in the X1 but who knows the circuit, led the Heat 1 by a tiny margin while Johan Kristoffersson replied in Heat 2 and Timmy Hansen had the Heat 3 with authority.
 
With three different Heat winners, what was the difference? Consistency. While Kristoffersson only led Heat 2, he had the second best time in the Heats 1 and 3, and this made him prevail over Hansen and Scheider, while Ole Christian Veiby and Kevin Hansen were really close in fourth and fifth.
 
Semifinal 1 had the usual scene of Kristoffersson departing from the Row 1 inside line, and in the hurry to dislodge Kristoffersson from first place and the ideal line, Kevin Hansen and Scheider nearly tumbled over each other, benefiting the Volkswagen BAUHAUS driver while Hansen had to play catch without success as positions were unchanged.
 
Semifinal 2 had Timmy Hansen in the pole position but he went to a complicate situation in two corners as his cars understeered straight to the armco, allowing Veiby to get the lead while he was in pursuit mode from second while being busy defending from Niclas Grönholm in third place. With Grönholm losing contact in the Final Lap, Veiby and Hansen secured their positions.
 
Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS had the front row while Hansen WRXT had the middle one, so strategy could play a part in the race, and the barrier that Kristoffersson and Veiby formed in Turn 1 kept the Hansen WRXT cars at bay. Veiby’s car got all snaky on Lap 4, and despite some rough defense, he stopped on track while Scheider went to second.
 
With a battered car and a Joker to do in the Final Lap, Scheider conceded second place to Kevin Hansen while they all had to watch from afar as Kristoffersson won the Final.
 
Cape Town RX 1 - Event results
 
PHOTO: Red Bull Content Pool