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Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikkinen took his 600bhp Volkswagen Polo RX Supercar to a storming victory at the third round of the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship, the World RX of Belgium at Mettet on 16-17 May. It was the second time in a row the Finn has won the Belgian round of the series, as he also stood atop the podium in 2014.

The Mettet win sees Marklund Motorsport driver third in the drivers’ points table with 57 points. ‘I’m really happy, Belgium is starting to feel like home!,’ grinned an ecstatic Heikkinen. ‘I’m feeling really comfortable in the car now – it suits my driving style but I have to say that I am not alone.

‘My team are amazing’
‘There is a team of more than 20 people who helped me to win today – my team are amazing and I couldn’t have done this without them. The fight for the Championship is well and truly on and now we get ready for Lydden Hill next week and hope to repeat this all over again,’ he continued.

Heikkinen’s team-mate Per-Gunnar Andersson finished fourth in the same Supercar final as Heikkinen, which puts the Swede in seventh place in the overall rankings with 43 points. Round one winner and Volkswagen Team Sweden driver Johan Kristoffersson went out at the semi-final stage, as did fellow Polo RX driver Tord Linnerud.

Top qualifier
Kristoffersson was top qualifier at the Intermediate Classification after emerging victorious in both heats three and four. Set to win his semi-final, the Swede clipped a kerb, incurring a front-left wheel puncture which dropped him down to fifth place.

Ex-WRC champion Petter Solberg finished second overall in Belgium to establish a 22 point lead in the overall drivers’ standings over Kristoffersson. Ford Olsbergs MSE’s Reinis Nitiss claimed the third podium spot.

Remarkable pace
Elsewhere, 18 year-old Volkswagen Team Sweden driver Ole Christian Veiby showed remarkable pace on his debut with Volkswagen Team Sweden, claiming second place in the opening round of the 2015 FIA European Rallycross Championship.

The series now moves to UK shores for the World RX of Great Britain from 23-24 May at the legendary Lydden Hill circuit in Kent.

2015 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Petter Solberg, Citroën DS3: 82
2 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo WRX: 60
3 Toomas Heikkinen, Volkswagen Polo RX: 57
4 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Fiesta ST: 56
5 Timmy Hansen, Peugeot 208: 50

2015 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 SDRX: 102
2 Marklund Motorsport: 100
3 Ford Olsbergs MSE: 99
4 Team Peugeot-Hansen: 89
5 Volkswagen Team Sweden: 77

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After Johan Kristoffersson’s victory at the World RX of Portugal, the highest-placed Polo RX at last weekend’s World RX of Hockenheim was that of fourth-placed Toomas Heikkinen. The Finn joined his Marklund Motorsport team-mates P-G Andersson and Tanner Foust on the start line for the first semi-final, and ended up the highest-placed Polo finisher.

Spectacular spin
Volkswagen Team Sweden driver Kristoffersson made it through to the semi-final of the second round of the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship, too, but failed to translate his start into a final spot, and he finished in fifth place. His team-mate Tord Linnerud had a spectacular 360-degree spin in his 600bhp Polo RX, but managed to keep the car going, despite losing his rear hatch!

US Top Gear presenter Foust set two top five heat times before the overnight stop, which left him in fifth position. In the final placings, the Wildcard guest driver came home ninth, while Andersson ended the weekend in twelfth position.

First World RX of Hockenheim
Reigning champion Petter Solberg was victorious at the first-ever World RX of Hockenheim – which supported a round of the German DTM touring car championship – followed by runner-up Reinis Nitiss in second place and Timmy Hansen in third.

The next round of the championship is the World RX of Belgium, which takes place in Mettet on 15-17 May. The meeting will herald the first round of the European arm of the championship and will see Marklund Motorsport field another Polo RX Supercar driven by Tommy Rusted from Norway.

2015 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Petter Solberg, Citroën DS3: 57
2 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo WRX: 42
3 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Fiesta ST: 37
3 Timmy Hansen, Peugeot 208: 37
5 Reinis Nitiss, Ford Fiesta ST: 34

2015 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 SDRX: 74
2 Ford Olsbergs MSE: 71
3 Team Peugeot-Hansen: 65
4 Volkswagen Team Sweden: 53
5 Marklund Motorsport: 52

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Johan Kristoffersson scored an early Polo victory at the opening round of the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship last weekend, taking his 600bhp Polo WRX Supercar across the line first at the Bompiso Rallycross of Portugal in Montalegre. The Volkswagen Team Sweden driver finished ahead of reigning World RX champion Petter Solberg and Team Peugeot-Hansen’s Timmy Hansen.

Kristoffersson, ex-Scandinavian Touring Car Championship winner, was quickest off the six-car start line and was also awarded the first Monster Energy Super Charge Award of 2015. The Swede also won a Rebellion Timepieces Wraith Drive Rallycross limited edition watch for his win in Portugal. ‘I am so, so happy,’ he beamed.

‘Unbelievably slippery’
‘I nearly stalled the engine on the start line and the whole circuit was unbelievably slippery but I drove a clean race. I couldn’t see out of the side windows so it was more about survival than actual racing.

‘I want to say a big, big thank you to Volkswagen Sweden and to my entire team who have done a fantastic job over the past few months. They have worked very hard to build this car which has been working well all weekend. It’s the best possible start to the season,’ he continued.

Second placed Solberg, last year’s Portugal round winner, added: ‘It is very important to have a good first race – consistency is as important as winning races in rallycross. I’ve not been feeling well this weekend and then I lost my gear lever in the final so it certainly wasn’t easy. Johan [Kristoffersson] has done a very good job this weekend.’

Olsbergs MSE’s Andreas Bakkerud was leading the round at the end of day one, but was knocked out of podium contention after contact with PG Andersson’s Polo RX during the final.

Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikkinen, 2014’s World RX runner-up was eighth in Portugal after a consistent weekend of driving in the Marklund Motorsport prepared Polo RX. Fellow Marklund Polo RX pilot PG Andersson was sixth.

Norwegian driver and team-mate of Kristoffersson, Tord Linnerud, finished 16th in his Volkswagen Team Sweden Polo WRX. Weather conditions were dry on Saturday, day one, but on Sunday, day two, torrential rain made conditions difficult.

‘Sensational driving’
Martin Anayi, World RX Managing Director for IMG, commented: ‘We’ve witnessed some sensational driving in Portugal this weekend and the performance displayed by our younger drivers in such tricky driving conditions is particularly impressive.

‘Kristoffersson joins us as a permanent World Championship driver for the first time this year and the fact that he can win on his debut with Volkswagen Team Sweden is testament to the high standard of drivers that we have competing in World RX.

‘It’s excellent to see three manufacturers – Volkswagen, Citroen and Peugeot – finish on the podium and the development on the cars over the winter hiatus has been very impressive. With four races in five weeks, the teams have got little restbite now as we head straight to Hockenheim for our first ever event alongside the highly-acclaimed DTM series.’

The next round, the World RX of Hockenheim, takes place this weekend, 1-3 May at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

2015 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Petter Solberg, Citroën DS3: 27
2 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo WRX: 27
3 Timmy Hansen, Peugeot 208: 24
4 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Fiesta ST: 21
5 Davy Jeanney, Peugeot 208: 16

2015 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Team Peugeot-Hansen: 40
2 Ford Olsbergs MSE: 29
3 Marklund Motorsport: 29
4 SDRX: 29
5 Volkswagen Team Sweden: 28

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At a press conference yesterday, Volkswagen Sweden announced it will back not one but a pair of teams to take on the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship in monstrous, 600bh, four-wheel drive Polo RX Supercars. Last year’s second-placed crew from Marklund Motorsport were named as one team, while the second was unveiled as Kristofferson Motorsport (KMS).

Each officially-supported team will enjoy a rosta of three drivers. Finn Toomas ‘Topi’ Heikinnen will return for Marklund, and be joined by Sweden’s PG Andersson to contest the world series (WorldRX). Tommy Rustad joins the Swedish outfit to compete in the EuroRX (European) arm of the championship.

For KMS, Swede Johan Kristofferson and Norwegian Tord Linnerud will drive the WorldRX-baiting Polos, while Ole Christian Veiby will battle the EuroRX series. Veiby and Rustad join the FIA European Rallycross Championship just as it grows still further after last year’s series.

‘Rallycross is the hottest motorsport just now, and both we and our dealers think it feels incredibly exciting to be able to support a bid where two of Sweden’s best teams are aiming at becoming world champion,’ explained Sten Forsberg, Manager of Volkswagen Sweden.

Jost Capito, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport – who can usually be seen in the Polo R WRC service garages – added: ‘The World Rallycross Championship enjoys increasing popularity: the races are compact, spectacular and varied.

‘With Marklund Motorsport and Kristoffersson Motorsport, Volkswagen is represented by two extremely professional privateer teams who develop and race their Polo RX Supercars independently. The line-up and the calendar promise an exciting World RX season and we are confident that Volkswagen drivers will be battling for races and the championship.’

The first round of the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship takes place at Montalegre in Portugal over the weekend of 24-26 April. The UK round of the series is on 22-24 May at the legendary Lydden Hill circuit where Top Gear’s James May took on other WorldRX drivers for a recent episode of the BBC programme.

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