Kristoffersson gets World RX title as Kevin Hansen wins Hong Kong RX I

The first day of FIA World Rallycross Championship competition at the streets of Hong Kong didn’t have an exact favorite, but more like a well placed driver in Kevin Hansen as the whole field was fighting to find their ways over the track, with the Hansen WRXT driver coming out on top with consistency on his side, though this didn’t save his title hopes as Johan Kristoffersson lifted another World RX title.
 
Due to the amount of dirt in the loose part of the track, the water from the rain that fell before the event and the low stability of the Zeroid X1, it was more of a case of keep pointing forward in the tarmac while judging the best course of action in the dirt, where the bolder moves appeared. The run to the first corner had deep dirt transitioning quickly to tarmac, which meant the inside line would be useful only when the car was in the corner, making the way for a lot of moves from the outside, where the loose surface looked more compact.
 
Kevin Hansen took advantage of the top spot and led the first Heat with Niclas Grönholm topping the table in the second Heat, with the fact that simply being in the first race was an advantage in itself, since the cars that raced first enjoyed a clearer track, with the times in the second races often suffering a lot due to how messed the surface was, which made it harder to find a good line.
 
With only two Heats in the schedule, consistency would be more of a differential, in which Kevin Hansen aced as he stood higher than Grönholm when comparing their non-winning runs. Johan Kristoffersson was still trying to find a top grade rhythm, but had enough pace to be third in the table.
 
Semifinal 1 had Kevin Hansen defending hard his first place against Timo Scheider and Kristoffersson, who was really going out of his usual tactics to avoid getting stuck in the traffic. There was no passing or aggressive movements until the finish, so Hansen held Scheider and Kristoffersson, although Patrick O’Donovan could have appeared from the back with his early Joker if it wasn’t for the interference of Timmy Hansen.
 
Semifinal 2 had Grönholm doing a pincer move to keep Ole Christian Veiby in second, while Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky saw her race end in the wall as her car went wide and crashed, losing a wheel in the process. Veiby then settled for second as his early Joker didn’t give any marginal gains, staying behind Grönholm while being clear of Klara Andersson.
 
With most cars opting for the middle line when the Final started, things stood on a status quo, and while Kristoffersson made himself clear into Hansen’s mirrors, the lack of space wasn’t allowing an overtake, with his late Joker actually attracting a lot of the competition, with the effort going to waste as his car stopped in the final lap, leaving Kevin Hansen to decide his final position with his Joker Lap, though he had enough cushion to Grönholm to cross the finish line in first.
 
Hong Kong RX I - Event results
 
Kristoffersson had the title confirmed once the Semifinals were done and dusted, and his 118 points against Kevin Hansen’s 94, and with only 23 points at disposal, the competition is settled.
 
PHOTO: Red Bull Content Pool/Jörg Mitter