Front-running pace for Volkswagen RX Sweden at World RX of Hockenheim
After a strong start last month at the opening round in Portugal, Volkswagen RX Sweden drivers Johan Kristoffersson and Anton Marklund were out of luck at the World RX of Hockenheim, the second round of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship. Kristoffersson made the second semi-final and finished seventh overall at the event on 6-8 May, while Marklund was 15th.
Best results
Kristoffersson again showed the potential of the 600bhp Polo RX, the Swedish driver achieving the best results in the qualifying races, resulting in pole position in the second semi-final. The Volkswagen RX Sweden driver was second at the end of the first day of action at the iconic Formula 1 circuit. He also pulled off a killer move in the second round of qualifying by turning a spin into a leading move, soaring past other cars into the lead.
In that second semi-final, Kristoffersson’s Bauhaus-livered Polo got struck by championship leader Petter Solberg, though, which resulted in tyre and bodywork damage. However, the young Swede was still keen to put on a show for the assembled spectators at the 1.24km-long German track – which was also host to a round of the DTM the same weekend – and managed to retain the lead until the end of the fifth lap. He missed out on making the final by just one place, finishing fourth.
Poor grid position
Anton Marklund meanwhile was hampered by a poor grid position in Q1 and traffic in the majority of his races. Additionally, an incident with another car in Q1 made Marklund’s task even harder and he was forced to run in early qualifying races throughout the weekend, when the track was at its slowest. He was unable to fufill his potential and missed out on a place in the semi-finals.
EKS’ Mattias Ekström in his Audi S1 was the victor at the popular German circuit. In the overall drivers’ points table, Kristoffersson is now fourth with 39 points, while Marklund is 14th with nine points.Volkswagen RX Sweden remain second with 48 points in the team standings. The next round of the series – the World RX of Belgium – takes place on 13-15 May at Mettet in Belgium.
2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Petter Solberg, Citroën DS3: 48
2 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 48
3 Toomas Heikkinen, Audi S1: 45
4 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo: 39
5 Robin Larsson, Audi A1: 34
2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 EKS: 93
2 Volkswagen RX Sweden: 48
3 Hoonigan Racing Division: 40
4 Team Peugeot Hansen: 39
5 Ford Olsbergs MSE: 26
[Images: FIAWorldRallycross.com]
