Round 2 of the FIA World Rallycross Championship saw the start of the comeback from the Kristoffersson Motorsport stable, with Johan Kristoffersson displaying the usual dominance thanks to the change of machinery for the Höljes round, although it can be said that Kristoffersson’s wits were as important as the Volkswagen Polo RX1e, given the horrendously wet condition that the track had and the relentless rain that fell during the final moments of the event.
When Tommy Kristoffersson announced the car change for KMS, the immediate worry was if a car that was parked for way more than a year could compete with the developed RX1e machinery, and Johan Kristoffersson was quick to dispel any concerns on track, taking the top time with four wins, from Q1 to Q4. Niclas Grönholm had the most consistent runs and was the second, but the surprise came right behind the CEDT driver, as Juha Rytkönen was gaining where nobody was expecting, outpacing the electrics at launch and getting two runner-up times, although his performance in Q4 could have resulted in a top time with better Joker Lap strategy.
Semifinal 1 had combustion and electric power at the front row, but while Rytkönen didn’t catch Kristoffersson, his launch was good enough to hold the rest of the RX1e cars, which even made Ole Christian Veiby and Gustav Bergström go to the Joker on Lap 1, only for Bergström to stop on track again. Rytkönen outsmarted Kevin Hansen and Veiby with his Lap 3 Joker, leaving only Kristoffersson to do it, but given the gap he had to Rytkönen, it made no difference in the final order as the KMS driver led the Finn and the Hansen WRXT Peugeot.
Although there a hint of the sunlight between the cloud cover on Semifinal 2, the wet track was still there, so the order that Niclas Grönholm leading Timmy Hansen and Patrick O’Donovan would need clever strategy to be disrupted. Everybody except Klara Andersson kept their Jokers to the final lap, which essentially trapped out Andersson while the trio ahead kept their positions unchanged.
Just like the Euro RX1 Final, the World RX Final was totally full of water as rain and more rain fell over Höljes. A wet and muddy mess allowed Kristoffersson to take the lead while Grönholm was second and O’Donovan became third, but they had Joker laps to do and grip was a privilege to have, in special in the final sector. With no grip out there, no one tried risky moves as it would mean a spin or something worse, and given the gap that Kristoffersson had to Grönholm, he took the liberty to crawl until the finish line, with Grönholm doing the same while Timmy Hansen completed the podium.
Höljes RX - Event results
Grönholm still holds the lead with 50 points, but the 44 points of Kristoffersson already pose a threat to the Finnish driver, while Timmy Hansen’s 38 points put him as the nearest outsider. The teams title race is more intense, with CEDT having 74 points while KMS has 73, but Hansen WRXT’s 66 points keep them in contention.
In two weeks, the action returns as the Red Cauldron will boil, as Nyirád will host the third round on 20 July, with the Hungarian venue having high attrition.
PHOTO: Kristoffersson Motorsport
When Tommy Kristoffersson announced the car change for KMS, the immediate worry was if a car that was parked for way more than a year could compete with the developed RX1e machinery, and Johan Kristoffersson was quick to dispel any concerns on track, taking the top time with four wins, from Q1 to Q4. Niclas Grönholm had the most consistent runs and was the second, but the surprise came right behind the CEDT driver, as Juha Rytkönen was gaining where nobody was expecting, outpacing the electrics at launch and getting two runner-up times, although his performance in Q4 could have resulted in a top time with better Joker Lap strategy.
Semifinal 1 had combustion and electric power at the front row, but while Rytkönen didn’t catch Kristoffersson, his launch was good enough to hold the rest of the RX1e cars, which even made Ole Christian Veiby and Gustav Bergström go to the Joker on Lap 1, only for Bergström to stop on track again. Rytkönen outsmarted Kevin Hansen and Veiby with his Lap 3 Joker, leaving only Kristoffersson to do it, but given the gap he had to Rytkönen, it made no difference in the final order as the KMS driver led the Finn and the Hansen WRXT Peugeot.
Although there a hint of the sunlight between the cloud cover on Semifinal 2, the wet track was still there, so the order that Niclas Grönholm leading Timmy Hansen and Patrick O’Donovan would need clever strategy to be disrupted. Everybody except Klara Andersson kept their Jokers to the final lap, which essentially trapped out Andersson while the trio ahead kept their positions unchanged.
Just like the Euro RX1 Final, the World RX Final was totally full of water as rain and more rain fell over Höljes. A wet and muddy mess allowed Kristoffersson to take the lead while Grönholm was second and O’Donovan became third, but they had Joker laps to do and grip was a privilege to have, in special in the final sector. With no grip out there, no one tried risky moves as it would mean a spin or something worse, and given the gap that Kristoffersson had to Grönholm, he took the liberty to crawl until the finish line, with Grönholm doing the same while Timmy Hansen completed the podium.
Höljes RX - Event results
Grönholm still holds the lead with 50 points, but the 44 points of Kristoffersson already pose a threat to the Finnish driver, while Timmy Hansen’s 38 points put him as the nearest outsider. The teams title race is more intense, with CEDT having 74 points while KMS has 73, but Hansen WRXT’s 66 points keep them in contention.
In two weeks, the action returns as the Red Cauldron will boil, as Nyirád will host the third round on 20 July, with the Hungarian venue having high attrition.
PHOTO: Kristoffersson Motorsport
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